Zeus is a fictional

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

, appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The character is based on the god

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...

portrays Zeus in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

film '' Thor: Love and Thunder''.

Publication history

The comic version of Zeus is based on the god of the same name from Greek mythology. Zeus first appears in ''

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

'' #5 (June 1949), and was adapted by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

Fictional character biography

Zeus is the youngest son of the Titans

Cronus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Cronus, Cronos, or Kronos ( or ; ) was the leader and youngest of the Titans, the children of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (mythology), Uranus (Sky). He overthrew his father and ruled dur ...

and Rhea, the children of sky god

Ouranos In Greek mythology, Uranus ( , also ), sometimes written Ouranos (, ), is the personification of the sky and one of the Greek primordial deities. According to Hesiod, Uranus was the son and husband of Gaia (Earth), with whom he fathered the ...

and elder goddess Gaea (also known as "Mother Earth").''Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica'' #1. Marvel Comics. The infant Zeus was secretly entrusted to his grandmother Gaea for safekeeping and hidden in the Caves of Dicte on Crete's Aegean Hill. After the Hyborian Age, the ancient Greek civilization began to rise, so Zeus made the Olympian gods known to them to gain their worship. During the war of Troy, Zeus battled

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

who had accidentally been transported there. Hades deplored Zeus' decree, and challenged Zeus' supremacy many times. Zeus breaks up a fight between Hercules and Thor with his thunderbolt, but cannot break Hercules' contract with

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

. Zeus later battles Amatsu-Mikaboshi, who had kidnapped

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

' son Alexander, and is seemingly killed. During the " Dark Reign" storyline, the spirit of Zeus is revealed to have been captured by Pluto, and held in Hades. After being put on trial, Zeus willingly drinks from the River

Lethe In Greek mythology, Lethe (; Ancient Greek: ''Lḗthē''; , ) was one of the rivers of the underworld of Hades. In Classical Greek, the word '' lethe'' ( λήθη) literally means "forgetting", "forgetfulness". The river is also known as Amel ...

, making him lose his memory and renounce his crown to Pluto. During the "

Chaos War "Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries ''Chaos War'', written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot ...

" storyline, Zeus,

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

, and Ares are among the dead characters that Pluto releases to help defend the underworld from Amatsu-Mikaboshi. After Hercules defeats Amatsu-Mikaboshi, he restores Zeus along with the rest of the universe. While sleeping with another woman, Zeus was depowered by Hera because of his infidelity and womanizing. He regains his powers after helping Hercules defeat

Baba Yaga Baba Yaga is a female character (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) from Slavic folklore who has two contrasting roles. In some narratives, she is described as a repulsive or ferocious-looking old woman who fries and eats children, ...

, a witch who absorbs the magic of the artifacts to regain her youth. Following the events of ''Avengers: No Surrender'', Nyx escapes imprisonment and kills the Olympians, including Zeus.''Avengers: No Road Home'' #2. Marvel Comics. Zeus is once again reborn, with a much more aggressive and belligerent attitude, thanks to the eternal cosmic cycle of death and rebirth. He leads his fellow gods in a war of conquest and destruction, until they are stopped by the

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy are a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Comic book teams 1969 team The 1969 version of the Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), Guardians of the Galaxy were the origi ...

. Zeus clashes with Thor once again thanks to the manipulations of

Loki Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...

, going so far as to fight alongside Nyx in an effort to get his revenge. Despite this, he is outmatched by the Allfather-empowered Norse god, and has his energies drained by Thor.

Reception

* In 2019,

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

(CBR) ranked Zeus 2nd in their "Marvel Comics: The 10 Most Powerful Olympians" list. * In 2021, CBR ranked Zeus 2nd in their "Marvel: 10 Most Powerful Olympians" list. * In 2022, ''Sportskeeda'' ranked Zeus 3rd in their "10 best Greek gods from Marvel comics " list. * In 2022, ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'' included Zeus in their "10 Most Powerful Olympian Gods In Marvel Comics" list.

In other media

Television

* Zeus appears in the "Mighty Thor" segment of ''

The Marvel Super Heroes ''The Marvel Super Heroes'' is an American animated television series starring five comic book superheroes from Marvel Comics. The first TV series based on Marvel Comics, Marvel characters, it debuted in broadcast syndication, syndication on Amer ...

'', voiced by Claude Rae. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * Zeus appears in ''

The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...

'' episode "Support Your Local Sky-Father!", voiced by

Travis Willingham Travis Willingham is an American voice actor known for his character portrayals in video games and English anime Dubbing, dubs. His notable roles include Roy Mustang in the ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' franchise, Cleo in ''Glass Fleet'', Ginko in ''L ...

. * Zeus appears in the '' What If...?'' episode "What If... Howard the Duck Got Hitched?", voiced by Darin De Paul. He was among the characters that were after the egg containing

Howard the Duck Howard the Duck is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Gerber, based very loosely on his college friend Howard Tockman, and artist Val Mayerik. Howard the Duck firs ...

and Darcy Lewis' child. When the egg started attacking those who were targeting it, Zeus flees stating that he has an orgy to attend.

Film

Zeus appears in '' Thor: Love and Thunder'', portrayed by

. This version is the leader of the Council of Godheads in Omnipotence City. In a deleted scene, he encounters

at Jane's hospice and tells him how to use his thunderbolt.

References

External links

Zeus
at Marvel.com * * {{Jack Kirby Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Classical mythology in Marvel Comics Comics characters introduced in 1949 Fictional characters involved in incest Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities Fictional characters with precognition Fictional characters with weather abilities Fictional gods Fictional kings Greek and Roman deities in fiction Marvel Comics shapeshifters Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics male characters Zeus