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| Zeus | ||||
| Real name | Zeus | |||
| Debut | in Wonder Woman Wonder Woman v1 #131 (July 1962) | |||
| Created by | William Moulton Marston | |||
| Affiliations | Gods of Olympus | |||
| Abilities | Immortal | |||
Zeus attempts to seduce Diana
(Wonder Woman v2 #10)
Diana knocks Zeus off his feet
(Wonder Woman v3 #33)
Zeus conjures Achilles Warkiller
(Wonder Woman v3 #30)
History[]
Zeus is father of the younger gods, god of the sky and thunder. Hera, his consort, is queen of the gods and patroness of marriage. She is among the goddesses most often invoked by the Amazons. Poseidon is the sea god. According to Plato, his children founded Atlantis, and he is its chief god. Demeter is the goddess of agriculture. Hestia, most modest of the goddesses, is goddess of home and hearth. The above are all children of Cronus and Rhea.
Aphrodite was born from the sea-foam and became the goddess of love. She is mother of Eros, god of love. Pallas Athena was born fully grown and fully armed from the brow of Zeus. She is goddess of wisdom and defensive war. She gets no pleasure from war but prefers to settle things peaceably. Yet in battle she is undefeatable, even by the god of war Ares. Athena is one of the chief Amazonian gods. Hephaestus is god of metalworking and fire. It is he who forged Wonder Woman's golden Lasso of Truth from the girdle of the earth-goddess Gaea, and her silver bracelets which he formed from the splintered Aegis of Zeus. Hermes is god of commerce, herdsmen, and thieves, as well as herald of the gods. It was he who first brought the Princess Diana to Man's World. Phoebus Apollo and his twin sister Artemis are both experts with the bow. He is god of light, poetry, and music; she is goddess of the hunt.
Dionysus is the god of vineyards and wine. Pan, son of Hermes, is god of the countryside and nature. He is also a consummate schemer. Persephone is daughter of Zeus and Demeter and is goddess of Spring.
Centuries ago, an argument between Artemis and Ares led to the creation of the Amazons, who have been guided and protected by the goddesses ever since
One day, the young Uxas of Apokolips came to Rome. There he spread tales of the great Olympian gods. Their following grew tremendously in Rome and so they created avatars of themselves; they were worshiped under different names. Uxas knew that each half of the pantheon would be less powerful than the original gods. Later, as the god Darkseid, Uxas would use this knowledge to crush Zeus himself.
At some point, the god Pan was killed and replaced by a Manhunter android. It was this impostor who began a feud among the gods. The feud began when Zeus turned an amorous eye towards Diana. When Diana and her mother opposed the great god, he was angered and punished Diana. She would have to complete a task for each of the gods, culminating in the defeat of the monsters beyond "Doom's Doorway." This doorway was the Amazon's charge for millennia and if Diana was unsuccessful, the Amazons would be destroyed.
Diana succeeded in her trials, defeating numerous monsters including Echidna, the Chimera, the Cyclops, the Hydra, the Harpies and the Minotaur. Eventually, Pan's bones were discovered on Olympus but it was too late to save Diana from her labors. Joined by her mother, Diana did indeed destroy the demons beneath Themyscira with the help of the amulet of Harmonia (these demons were funneled into Ares). Diana also freed Heracles, who had borne the weight of Themyscira for eons. Heracles was accepted into Olympus.
Soon thereafter, the gods secreted themselves away for a conference. At this time, Darkseid attacked Olympus. The dark god ceased hostilities, though, as soon as he realized the place was deserted. When the gods returned, they had decided upon destroying Mount Olympus and undertaking a "cosmic migration" to the stars. Over Hermes' objections, they took several steps. First, The three elder brothers made a new pact to replace the original pact which divided Earth among them. Then, they combined the will of all the gods (minus Ares) and the strength of Amazon prayer, and used Diana's bracelets to amplify that power. (The bracelets are all that remained of Zeus' Aegis; this Aegis was made from the hide of Amalthea, the goat which reared him.) Thus, the old home was demolished and New Olympus was created. In order to properly establish this new home, it was necessary for the Gods to sequester themselves indefinitely. Hermes defected from his brethren and would not join the migration. He had already involved himself in Man's World by stopping the evil Circe. Hermes elected to remain on Earth and joined Diana in her mission.
In the Gods' absence, the Amazons began to revert to clay. To justify the Olympians' return to Earth, Zeus summoned Diana and several of her friends to testify before him. It was Hippolyta who tipped the scales, however. She played a secret card which greatly swayed them. (In truth, she simply reminded Ares that before her reincarnation, Hippolyta had been Ares' daughter, and thus Zeus' granddaughter). At this time, Zeus also granted strength and flight to Cassie Sandsmark Soon, Highfather of the New Gods summoned Zeus and Heracles to once again battle Darkseid. To this end, Zeus, Odin, Ares, Jove and Highfather merged into one being and entered the Source. When cast out, Zeus was gravely injured and remained bonded to Jove. Heracles returned with him to Olympus.
Their greatest champion, Princess Diana soon lost her life against the devil,Neron. Hera (now presiding over Olympus) transfigured Diana into a goddess of truth and welcomed her to live with the gods. Diana was told she could not interfere with the daily lives of mortals, unless prayed to. Hera sits on the throne; Diana admonished The gods shared the secret of their division with Diana and decided to reunite their essences with those of their Roman counterparts. Diana could not be prevented from interfering with the mortal world and so she was banished to Earth. She was soon also stripped of her immortality.
Zeus' father, Cronus returned with an army of new Titans: Arch, Disdain, Harrier, Oblivion, Slaughter and Titan. Their power had grown from the faith of a cult on Earth. The Titans heralded the coming Chronos Chronos sought to capture all power of the godwave. He began by defeating the Olympians and casting Zeus down to Earth. He then conquered the Hindu pantheon and headed for Heaven. But Wonder Woman freed the Olympians and united with the Hindus and the Pax Dei (heavenly host). Diana trounced Chronos but the god still managed to touch the power of the Source. In doing so, he gained perfect clarity. Humbled, he returned to mother Gaea. Afterwards, Zeus formed an alliance with the other pantheons. Indeed, Zeus soon appeared to Superman with several allies under the banner of I.D.C.A.P. (Interfaith Deity Council of Active Polytheistics).
The merger of the Greek and Roman pantheons did not sit well with the Roman goddess Diana. She accepted an offer of power from the old "Shattered God," separated from Artemis and betrayed the Olympians. Diana died in battle with Wonder Woman when she was crushed by a statue of Zeus. The Olympians were incapacitated, but Wonder Woman eventually found a way to awaken them in time for them to strike decisively at the Shattered God.
With the appearance of the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons, the Olympians faced a new prospect. Though devout Amazons, these newest citizens of Themyscira do not worship the Greek gods. Renouncing them millennia ago, the tribe instead worship a combination of Egyptian and middle eastern deities. The central gods worshiped by the desert Amazons are: Isis (wisdom and magic), Mammitu (judgement bringer), Bast (nature and feminine), and Neith (mother figure and protection). These gods followed the Bana-Mighdallian Amazons to Themyscira where they continued to be worshipped. Facing the situation with hands tied, both pantheons agreed to integrate themselves with each other for the benefit of their people. Though these new gods do not reside on Olympus, they are treated with diplomacy when called to aid the Amazons in a united godly role. Despite the gods mentioned being part of the inner-circle of deities in the Bana's belief system, less significant gods have been shown to be part of their godly pantheon as well such as Sekhmet (war god), Thoth (their only known male god) and possibly Ishtar (love goddess). The gods of Bana-Mighdall proved their loyalty to the Olympians by aiding the Greek gods in battle when the war gods Sekhmet and Ares previously devised a coup on Olympus.
For millennia, the goddess Athena waited patiently for the chance to prove herself worthy of the crown of Olympus. As Earth society developed, the goddess of knowledge grew in power and cunning, and ultimately challenged her father Zeus for the throne. To win this challenge, Athena sent for her champion, again Wonder Woman, to face that of Zeus —Briareos of the Hekatonkheires. Though she was still blind, Diana was aided by the winged Pegasus but seemingly fell to Briareos. Unknown to Zeus this was a trick played by Athena and Diana to prove to the latter that Zeus had no compassion and was not a worthy ruler. Athena agreed to forfeit if Zeus would spare Diana's life, but he denied her, proving his unworthiness. This prompted the other goddesses deliver the head of Medousa unto Diana, which she used to turn Briareos to stone. Athena took the throne at last, but Zeus immediately began plotting a coup with his brothers in Tartarus.
Athena immediately set Diana on a quest into Hades to free the god Hermes. She descended beneath Doom's Doorway with Wonder Girl (Cassandra Sandsmark) and Ferdinand the Minotaur and was confronted Zeus' alliance. Ironically, she might not have succeeded but for the machinations of her constant nemesis, Ares. Ares played a double agent, and gained Zeus' trust, but when the opportunity arose, he killed his uncle Hades and assumed control of the netherworld. Diana then used Hermes' caduceus to revive him. Back on Olympus, Zeus asked for Athena's forgiveness, which she granted. Athena then also restored Diana's sight, but bound it to her own.
It was on this quest that Cassandra Sandsmark finally learned of her own godly origins. Her mother had indeed lain with Zeus, but Helena Sandsmark forbade Diana or anyone from revealing the truth to Cassie.
Not long after this, Athena sensed a dark destiny for the gods amidst the cosmic machinations of Alexander Luthor. In the crisis created by his chaos, Diana was forced to kill Maxwell Lord, and incurred the ire of the world's public. The U.S. government responded by mobilizing against Themyscira, and Diana realized that as long as she was a target, the Amazons would never be safe. Diana prayed to the gods to take the Amazons to safety, but got more than she bargained for. On Olympus she pleaded against Athena's decision to remove the gods from Earth's affairs. Regardless, the gods departed, leaving Diana bereft of family and faith.
During their self imposed exile the gods were somehow overpowered and imprisoned by Darkseid on Apokolips. They were held captive for the better part of a year, while imposters led their people and eventually scattered them, and defiled and disrespected their home. They were freed by Mary Marvel, whom they gifted a small portion of their powers before returning to Mount Olympus. Upon their return, Zeus took control of the Gods once more, as Athena apparently gave her life because of despair. Since his return Zeus has visited his daughter Cassie and helped her discover the power that is her birthright, and also called the Amazons back to their ancestral home as part of his promise to his daughter.
Zeus wasted no time in welcoming Queen Hippolyta and her Amazons back to their home. He then lamented them with praise for their actions and feats in his and the Olympians names. As they question what has befallen them and their Gods, Zeus explains that they have all been changed, and that the Amazons have done their part. Thanking them for their service once more, he grants Hippolyta and her people Peace, the peace of the Grave.
Zeus next act was to call forth from the dead heroes of Ancient Greece past. With warriors such as Jason of Argos, sons of Poseidon, and other soldiers Zeus creates their own Island for them. He names them his Olympians and shows them the home he has granted them, with a City of Crystal so there can be no secrets, and with a river of Gold so that they need covet no nation. Zeus believes that having already lived the lives of heroes and warriors, they understand that desire for final peace only truly felt upon Death. Giving Jason the mission of going forth and destroying mankind's weapons. He also promises them a son, a hero who shall lead them and guide them.
Zeus then leaves his lands and travels to Olympus. Upon arrival he finds Kane Milohai using his power to peer into the Ocean of possibilities. Zeus greets his fellow God-head, asking him about the Myths surrounding his creation of the Universe. Kane replies with a quip at his claim to control all the worlds weather. Though he is quite condescending, Zeus attempts civility with Kane. Asking for a boon, he requests that he relinquishes his claim of fealty to Wonder Woman. When Kane replies that the choice is hers and not his Zeus looses his temper. Revealing his disdain for the tribal god, Zeus launches an assault against him. As the two lords do battle, Zeus with his thunderbolts and Kane raining molten fire from the Sky. In the end though, Kane is no match for Zeus. Ripping the heart from his opponents chest, he crows in victory.
Zeus then speaks of his plan to give the heart to his "son". Unbeknownst to the Lord of Olympus his daughter Athena passed into the void as he fought to win back her daughter's fealty. The world can only await the birth of Zeus' Olympian with bated breath.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Superhuman Strength: Zeus' strength level is many times that of most super-beings, the exact limits of which have never been measured. It is generally accepted he is sufficiently strong enough to lift 100 tons with minimal effort.
- Superhuman Speed: Zeus is capable of moving faster the finest human athlete.
- Atmokinesis: Zeus can control the weather, move storm clouds and generate thunder and lightning.
- Electro-Blast/Lightning Bolts: Zeus can generate bolts of lightning from his hands and hurl them like spears.
- Cosmic Awareness: Zeus is aware of the inner workings of the cosmos and possesses an understanding of the framework of all reality. Many Gods possess this ability to one extent or another, but as Lord of all Olympian Gods and member of the Quintessence, Zeus' understanding of how reality functions is greater than that of most other Gods.
- Metamorphosis: Zeus can alter his physical form (presumably) into any shape that he chooses. Typically, he uses this power to assume the forms of animals.
- Immortality: As a God, Zeus is immortal and will never truly die. Although his appearance is that of an elderly man, Zeus does not age the way a normal human does.
- Invulnerability: Zeus cannot be physically harmed by conventional means.
- Power Distribution: Zeus can bestow a portion of his power unto others. He bequeathes power to Billy Batson, enabling Batson to transform into one of Earth's mightiest mortals, Captain Marvel, and back again.
- Self-Sustenance: Zeus does not require water or nourishment.
- Superhuman Stamina: Zeus can operate for prolonged periods of time without tiring. He does not require sleep.
- Conjuration: He created Achilles Warkiller to be Wonder Woman's replacement and successor and bestowed him with immeasurable power.