History ComicBook / Ares

* ''ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}'': The DC Comic's Character
* ''ComicBook/{{Ares|Marvel}}'': The Marvel Comic's Character

* ''[[Characters/WonderWomanAres Ares]]'': The DC Comic's Character
* ''[[Characters/MarvelComicsOlympians Ares]]'': The Marvel Comic's Character

* ''[[ComicBook/WonderWomanAres Ares]]'': The DC Comic's Character
* ''[[ComicBook/AresMarvelComics Ares]]'': The Marvel Comic's Character

[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsOlympians]]

[[redirect:Characters/MarvelComicsAres]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chaos_war_ares_vol_1_1_textless.jpg]]

->''"Ares. My name echoes in the cries of women and children, and is etched with dents in swords. Ares evokes not just the power of war, but something more. The will to do the deeds that others cannot... the rape of nations, the genocide of people, to rejoice in blood and pain. I do not choose a victor; I simply act when one side is willing to do its worst. To unleash the beast of war. For annihilation is the art of Ares, and that is my name."''
-->-- '''Ares, ''Ares #1'''''

Ares is a Creator/MarvelComics AntiHero created by Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby in 1966. Based on the Greek god of the same name, Ares made his debut in ''Thor #126''. A villain for decades, the God of War changed his ways after a battle with the forces of Pluto. Summoned to end the stalemate between Pluto's forces and those of Olympus, Ares brutally crushes the enemy army almost single-handedly. Returning to Olympus, where he believes he will be welcomed for the first time, Ares overhears a conversation between his fellow gods that cuts to the bone. Considered to be nothing more than a brutal killer by his own family, Ares realizes that he'll never be welcome in Olympus. Disappointed, Ares leaves his life as the GodOfWar behind and settles on Earth with his son, Alexander. To ensure that his son has a normal life, Ares never tells Alexander of his godly heritage.

Now John Aaron, a simple carpenter, Ares and his son live on Earth for years until the unexpected arrival of the messenger Hermes. Ares learns that Olympus is threatened by Amatsu Mikaboshi, the Japanese god of Evil, but he refuses to offer his help. Desperate, Zeus kidnaps Alexander, which forces Ares to abandon his life as John Aaron and become the God of War once more. Returning to Olympus, Ares is further dismayed when he learns from the Greek hero Achilles that the Olympians lost Alexander to Mikaboshi's forces. With his son in the hands of the enemy, Ares joins the Olympians in battle until he is confronted by an unexpected enemy: [[spoiler: Alexander]], the Eastern God of War. After a short, brutal battle in which Ares cannot win, Zeus uses his power to convince the Eastern war god to betray Mikaboshi, which, combined with an attack from other Eastern gods, ends the war in favor of the Olympians. Reunited with Alexander, who learned the truth of his heritage from the god of evil, Ares returns to Earth to resume his life as a carpenter... or so he thought.

Not long after the Comicbook/CivilWar ended, Tony Stark realized that the world needed an Avengers team once more. Citing the need for a "[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]][=/=]ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}", basically a god-level being willing to kill, Stark pressed team leader ComicBook/MsMarvel into offering Ares a spot on the new Mighty Avengers. When ComicBook/IronMan and Ms. Marvel visit [[MundaneUtility Ares at a construction site]], effectively blowing his cover, the God of War has no choice but to accept, though he makes Tony match his construction pay ($44/hour, apparently). As a member of the Mighty Avengers, Ares fulfills the role of TheBigGuy along with ComicBook/TheSentry.

He was killed off by The Sentry during ''Comicbook/{{Siege}}'', but will be making his return in the ''Comicbook/ContestOfChampions'' series.

Not to be confused with Creator/DCComics' ComicBook/{{Ares|DC}}, who is Franchise/WonderWoman's grandfather and ArchEnemy.

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!! Ares appears in the following works:

[[AC:Notable Comic Books]]
* ''Ares''
* ''Dark Avengers: Ares''

[[AC:Storylines]]
* ''ComicBook/ChaosWar''
* ''Comicbook/DarkReign''
** ''Comicbook/{{Siege}}''

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!! Ares provides examples of the following tropes:

* AbusiveParents: Well, he is [[Myth/ClassicalMythology a Greek god]], so it pretty much comes with the territory on the receiving end. On the giving end, he was actually a very good father to Alexander.
* AdaptationalBadass: Ares in the Myth/ClassicalMythology got his ass kicked nearly every time he appeared. This guy is someone strong enough to rip apart a robot he couldn't dent with his weapons.
* AlliterativeName: Alexander Aaron
* AnAxeToGrind: The weapon Ares usually favors most.
* ArchEnemy: Is this to Hercules.
* ArmChairMilitary: Played with. Ares fights from the front lines but has the mentality of this. He openly admits to ignoring all of the things needed to win a war including [[EasyLogistics anything about having enough suppllies]] or [[WeHaveReserves the lives of his men]] regarding war itself as a game.
* AxCrazy: Once an opportunity for battle comes up he is prone to abandoning all sense of tactics to to engage to fight including turning on his own allies in battle to lengthen the battle, all the while laughing manically.
* BadBoss: Ares has little regard for the lives of his men. Shooting or outright killing them for minor things or just because he suddenly feels like it.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: One of Iron Man's original justifications for making him an Avenger. Ares would commit the morally reprehensible actions other heroes would either hesitate at or refuse to do. Comes back to bite them when Ares sides with Osborn, seeing no real difference between serving the two.
* BandOfBrothers: Ares' Shades unit, which is a handpicked team of H.A.M.M.E.R. recruits.
* BloodKnight: He does not care much for which side he fights for as long as he gets to satisfy his violent urges. His "anti-hero" stance has done little to curb this. Loves fighting more than anyone including Thor or Hercules, and whilst he is ''capable'' of tactics, generally his plan boils down to "hit/shoot it a lot" (in contrast to Athena, who is the goddess of strategy and tactics.
* BoisterousBruiser: On a good day.
* BoomHeadshot: The Mares of Diomedes are dispatched this way by Ares' Shades during the BigDamnHeroes moment in ''Dark Avengers: Ares #3''.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: Alexander]] thanks to the manipulations of Mikaboshi.
* TheBrute: Tends to fulfill this role whenever he works with or for others.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to Hercules' Abel.
* CharacterDeath: Died in ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}''. He came back years later in ''Contest of Champions''.
* ClothingDamage: Ares gets this a lot, leading to plenty of ShirtlessScene goodness.
* ColonelKilgore: Justified. Ares tells War Machine one reason he joins armies is because is an excuse for him to kill and be seen as a hero instead of a monster if only for publicity sake.
* CoolHelmet: Part of his costume is a helmet styled after the classical Greek/Roman crested helmets.
* CombatPragmatist: Ares is not afraid to do what it takes to win a fight. For all that he prefers an axe, he's quite comfortable with just grabbing a few machine guns and [[MoreDakka win via superior rate of fire]].
* CoolShades: The trademark of Ares and his Shades unit.
* {{Determinator}}: After his anti-hero transformation, once engaged in battle it is almost impossible to get him to retreat even if he is losing.
* DirtyCoward: As a villain, Ares would often retreat unless he had a clear advantage, leave when it was gone or fight only as a last resort despite demanding others die for him.
* DualWielding: Often wields both a sword and axe in battle once he becomes an anti-hero.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Ares at the start of his Dark Avengers limited series. He has no problem shooting one of the H.A.M.M.E.R. recruits in the knee while handpicking his Shades team. Other recruits received a punch to the gut or elbow to the face for their troubles, but both men made the team. Training with Ares involved lots of grenades, Gatling guns, and [=RPGs=] being fired in their direction, usually while Ares had a beer. Ares encouraged brawls in the mess hall and "killing the leader" when necessary, which is a lesson that actually saves the day at the end of the series.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Hates his son Kyknos for being a sadist. "I am the god of war... the god of slaughter... Even the god of murder. But I am not the god of sadism!"
* EvilVersusEvil: After Ares defeats the forces of Pluto, Hera uses these exact words when describing his role in the conflict.
* FantasticVoyagePlot: After Ultron takes over Iron Man's suit early in the ''Mighty Avengers'' series, Ares volunteers to shrink down to atom size to deliver a virus. He successfully fights his way through Ultron's "immune system" attackers to deliver the virus, though he's eventually overrun and has to be rescued by ComicBook/TheWasp.
* {{Foil}}: For Hercules. Hercules has the respect Ares wants and cannot understand why Hercules is so respected despite being a drunken, destructive brawler. Ares is what Hercules could be if he allowed his love of battle to ever overtake him.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: No matter what group he is in Ares is typically despies for one reason or another. The Olympians and heroes despise him for his savagery and bloodthirsty nature. Villains look down on him for reasons ranging from being a mere brute to [[EvenEvilHasStandards having enough morals to hate working with them.]]
* FrontLineGeneral: As an anti-hero, one of his few redemming traits is he is at least more couragous and willing to fight on the front lines.
* GatlingGood: "Trained" his own personal squad by firing at them daily with a Gatling gun until they tried to kill him.
* GeneralFailure: Ares' overreliance on brute force and forgoing of any fighting techniques or tactics causes him to lose pretty much any battle he is involved with.
* GiveHimANormalLife: One of Ares' reasons for leaving the God of War position behind was the have his son Alexander grow up as a normal boy.
* GoodParents: Yes, Ares is actually a great dad. Actually alludes to his protective tendencies over his children in the actual myth. He tries hard to raise Phobos right, even leaving Olympus to get a job as a construction worker in New York City.
* GotVolunteered: Stark more or less drafted him by giving him the choice of joining the Avengers or being imprisoned.
* GreenEyedMonster: A large part of his rivalry with Hercules is due to being jealous of how Zeus seems to respect Hercules more in Ares eyes. Ironic, given that Hercules ''also'' struggles with this related to Zeus.
* GunsAkimbo: One of his favorite fighting methods when not using melee weapons.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Ares [[spoiler:gets ripped in half by The Sentry in ComicBook/{{Siege}}.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: {{Zigzagged}}, Ares switched from straight villain to dark antihero not due to any change of hearts, but because he got tire of everyone treating him like crap. He goes right back to villanious behavior whenever it suits him.
* HollywoodTactics: Despite being an expert in tactics, strategy, and nearly any thinking aspect of war he more often than not ignores all of these. Instead, prefers to charge in head on IGNORING all strategy and tactics and preferring to rely on brute strength and ferocity to win his battle unless he absolutely has to employ it. One reason is he attributes any "thinking" part of war to Athena whom he has a fierce rivalry with. He can lead an army into battle, but it will often be the worst strategy possible, cause massive casualties and collateral damage for his side, and risk costing them the battle.
** His plan for ''ComicBook/{{SIEGE}}'' embodies this as he ignored all the advantages Earth's military technology or superhuman army might have given him. Instead, he chooses an up-close, head-on battle that benefits the super-strong Asgardian army that wields swords and spears.
* ImportantHaircut: Ares gives himself one after Alexander is kidnapped, signaling the return of the God of War.
* IncendiaryExponent: Battling the overwhelming forces of Amatsu-Mikaboshi in ''Ares #3'', an enraged Ares lights himself on fire and has ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules FastballSpecial him as far into the enemy ranks as possible.
* InformedAbility: Given how much the "like Wolverine and Thor in one" idea comes up, it's rare that he actually seems to fit that description.
* IRegretNothing: Ares, even after becoming an anti-hero, regrets none of that massive number of deaths he's caused as the God of War. During a fight against the Inhumans during the Silent War series, an inhuman who could project illusions of guilt made him see all the blood he spilled in his life. His response: "Ha! Was it so few?!"
* {{Jerkass}}: Well, duh. He is the God of War and loves to slaughter, during Dark Reign he killed dozens of HAMMER-recruits and ''drilled'' the survivors by firing on them with a freaking '''Gatling Gun'''. He is definitely not a nice guy.
* JerkassHasAPoint: Ares has a tendency to call out others not being so different from him:
** Hera claims moral superiority and in the war against Mikaboshi calls for unity only for Ares to call her out on her BS citing her long history of trying to destroy the children of Zeus and being as evil as he ever was.
** Ares calls Hercules out on his major flaws and own history of rampant destruction, yet he is loved by gods and mortals while Ares is despised.
** Modern mortals both revere war and the armed forces of their countries and the good things both do for countries, but at the same time call it evil and revile Ares who represents it.
* LargeHam: Often speaks in a larger than life manner since he is a god.
* LeeroyJenkins: Ares charges into battle at the first opportunity ignoring any orders, tactics or plans. It tends to not work well for him.
* ALighterShadeOfGrey: It's hard to say he pulled a HeelFaceTurn, but he's not as bad as he used to be.
* MissingMom: Alexander is raised by Ares, as his mother is never identified.
* MoralityPet: Both Phobos and his son Alex. He is definitely a nicer person when the latter is around.
* MoreDakka: During Dark Reign he killed dozens of HAMMER-recruits and drilled the survivors by firing on them with a Gatling Gun.
* MultiMeleeMaster: Ares is good with any weapon, even modern ones like Gatling Guns.
* NominalHero: Ares does not fight along side heroes or against evil due to beliving in causes like justice or to help people. He only switched because he got tired of being thought of as a monster by everyone. At heart, he still has the same mindset and tactics hense his willingness to fight alongside villains as long as the PR is right.
* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler: Kyknos]] in ''Dark Avengers: Ares #3''.
* OneManArmy: Single-handedly tears through armies of monsters and robots as long as they are much weaker than him.
* PapaWolf: Very protective of his own son Alexander considering him the "one good thing" he has done in his life.
* PaperTiger: Zigzagged, Ares is genuinely tough with a fairly high-degree of strength and durability. But he is not nearly as powerful as he thinks combined with an overreliance on brute force and underestimation of others causes him to lose battles he should be ablet to win.
* PhysicalGod: Stated by Nate Grey of the X-Men as a physical manifestation of war.
** HealingFactor: Not as fast as some, but can recover from most wounds in a few minutes.
** {{Immortality}}: Ceased aging a long time ago and is difficult to kill.
** SuperStrength: Ares is the third strongest Olympian after Zeus and Hercules and tied with his uncles Pluto and Neptune.
** SuperToughness: Played up once he becomes an anti-hero, one of the things that make him dangerous is toughness combined with his healing factor makes doing any lasting or serious damage to him very difficult.
* PatronGod: Of Sparta, though amusingly enough he admits he has no love for the Spartans at all. Mainly because of how he views them with contempt for placing a statue of him in chains outside their city out of misplaced admiration and how their kings laid claim to being descended from Hercules as an honor, despite Ares fervently hating his guts.
-->'''Ares:''' [[Spartans]] never failed to irk me.
* PowerIsSexy: Played for laughs when Ares joins the Mighty Avengers. A particularly good example is when the high-ranking Comicbook/BlackWidow starts barking orders on the Helicarrier, as Ares can be seen in the background with a heart above his head and a smirk on his face.
* PyrrhicVictory: The few battles he does win tend to be these because his side has lost so much due to his stupidity.
* RatedMForManly[=/=]TestosteronePoisoning: At times it can be difficult to tell which he is supposed to be. Ares is a fan of massive muscles, big weapons, large explosions, drinking beer, GoodOldFisticuffs, and being so tough he can charge into any situation foregoing any strategy. The very embodiment of manliness. Yet he acts as a deconstruction in that he takes this to such an extreme it can come across as over the top and goofy, especially if it costs him the mission or he loses battles where he does not drastically outpower whomever he is fighting.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Apparently finally realizing fighting for Norman Osborn was wrong and turning on him was enough to gain him entrance to the Elysian Fields.
* RetiredBadass: Ares at the start of his limited series. Leaving Olympus behind after being rejected by his fellow gods, Ares's life becomes a cycle of parent-teacher meetings, video games, and carpentry. Averted once he is forced back into action.
* RidingTheBomb: Ares has a habit of riding objects into battle. During the Mighty Avengers' assault on Latveria, Ares rides a Quinjet right into the side of Castle Doom.
* RefusalOfTheCall: Refused to get involved in the CivilWar and wouldn't have joined the Avengers either, preferring to live life as a normal man to raise his son but...
** TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: Tony Stark forced him to join, threatening to sic ComicBook/TheSentry on him if he didn't.
* ShootTheMessenger: Ares does this with a nail gun in ''Ares #1'' when Hermes comes calling.
* ShoutOut: Ares gives a rousing speech in front of a [[Film/{{Patton}} giant American flag]] in ''Dark Avengers: Ares #1''.
* SmugSnake: Ares grossly overestimates his own abilities leading to humiliating losses.
* SoldierVsWarrior: Ares rather poorly embodies the warrior side of this with an emphasis on invididual glory orver working as a unit. This has repeatedly made him a liability in battle when working with others.
* SoProudOfYou: Despite originally trying to give Alexander a normal mortal life, he takes considerable pride in the way his son develops once he begins adjusting to his godhood. In particular Ares looks extremely smug when Alexander manhandles Norman Osborn while hitting him with his EmotionBomb power ''and'' giving him TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
* TheStrategist: Averted, he was supposed to be this, but his plans amount to charging the enemy head-on while riding a giant bomb into battle with the soldiers he is commanding complaining about it. During his Dark Reign mini, he outright stated he ignores everything related to strategy as much as possible, leaving that to his sister Athena.
* TakenForGranite: Morgan Le Fey turns Ares into stone during a fight with the Dark Avengers specifically to avoid the wrath of the Olympic gods.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: In #3 of his first series, Ares tells his old man Zeus how he ''really'' feels: "You weak old fool! You fill me with hatred for you!"
* TokenEvilTeammate: Among the New Avengers.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Among the Dark Avengers, mainly because the other members were even worse than him.
* TwoFirstNames: John Aaron and Alexander Aaron.
* TheUnfavourite: Ares is one of if not the most despised of all of Zeus' children. One of Ares' issues with Hercules is Zeus (and mortals) make it clear that Hercules is preferred over Ares despite Hercules being an illegitimate, drunken, womanizing buffoon prone to causing massive destruction when he loses control, compared to Ares who is one of Zeus' few legitimate children and for all the talk among humans that despise war, he's also responsible for all the good he thinks war brings to a nation like valor and the construction of kingdoms. Hercules constantly succeeding in defending Olympus is compared to Ares' constant failings in that regard.
* TooDumbToLive: Thanks to his refusal to use his intellect, Ares is prone to making life-threatening choices even for an immortal. These include picking a fight with an insane Thor, driving Hercules mad with pain, making demands of the powerful sorcererss Morgan La Fey, repeatedly angering Zeus even when the latter is already pissed off, trusting Hera, underestimating Dr. Doom, trusting Norman Osborn, trying to fight The Sentry, failing to do even basic reconnaissanc or use of military tactics. This has gotten him killed several times, brought near death require outside intervention other times, or only spared because his enemies are afraid of angering Zeus.
* UnskilledButStrong: Ares is an interesting version of this in that he is skilled and strong, but often foregoes skill in favor of brute strength. When he puts his mind to it he is a highly skilled warrior and not a half bad tactician. However, he usually forsakes skill to rely on brute power and innate toughness. So he grabs whatever large weapon available and attacks head on. This works great when he is facing opponents far weaker than him, but he often gets defeated by enemies on his level or even weaker because they outsmart him or bother to use fighting skills.
* WallOfWeapons: Ares has one in his closet loaded with Earth weapons. Alexander also mentions weapons from different eras are kept on display in the Aaron household.
* WarIsGlorious: His viewpoint
* WarGod: His Myth/ClassicalMythology counterpart is the TropeCodifier. He takes this to the extreme when he chooses James Rhodes aka ComicBook/WarMachine as his new champion, while James is on trial.
* WellDoneSonGuy: His envy for the respect Zeus has for Hercules is one reason he hates Hercules. Zeus in turn hates Ares for being a bloodthirsty war monger.
* WorfEffect: Ares is often touted for his combination of strength, tactical knowledge and fighting skills yet is often the first to go down in short order.
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[[AC:{{Comics}}]]

'''Storylines'''

!!Tropes seen in these series include:

* JerkAssHasAPoint: Ares has a tendency to call out others not being so different from him:

* ArmChairMilitary: Playe with. Ares fights from the front lines but has the mentality of this. He openly admits to ignoring all of the things needed to win a war including [[EasyLogistics anything about having enough suppllies]] or [[WeHaveReserves the lives of his men]] regarding war itself as a game.

* BadBoss: Ares has little regard for the lives of him men. Shooting or outright killing them for minor things or just because he suddenly feels like it.

* GeneralFailure: Ares' overreliance on brute force and forgoing of any fighting techniques or tactics causes him to lose pretty much any battle he fights.

* FrontLineGeneral: As an anti-hero, one of his few redemming traits is he is a lost mor couragous and willin to fight on the front lines.

* LeeroyJenkins: Ares charges into battle at the first opporunity ignoring any orders, tactics or plans. It tends to not work well for him.

* PyrrhicVictory: The few battles he does win tend to be these because he has lost so much due to his stupidity.

* AxCrazy: Once an opportunity for battle comes up he is prone to abandoning all sense of tactics to to engage to fight including turning on his own allies in battle to lengthen the battle, all the while laughing manically

* GodOfWar: Quite literally the Greek God of War. He not only specialises in old school combat, but he is an expert on combat throughout the ages, including modern warfare.

Ares is a Creator/MarvelComics AntiHero created by Creator/StanLee and Creator/JackKirby in 1966. Based on the Greek god of the same name, Ares made his debut in ''Thor #126''. A villain for decades, the God of War changed his ways after a battle with the forces of Pluto. Summoned to end the stalemate between Pluto's forces and those of Olympus, Ares brutally crushes the enemy army almost single-handedly. Returning to Olympus, where he believes he will be welcomed for the first time, Ares overhears a conversation between his fellow gods that cuts to the bone. Considered to be nothing more than a brutal killer by his own family, Ares realizes that he'll never be welcome in Olympus. Disappointed, Ares leaves his life as the God of War behind and settles on Earth with his son, Alexander. To ensure that his son has a normal life, Ares never tells Alexander of his godly heritage.

* WarGod: His Myth/ClassicalMythology counterpart is the TropeCodifier. He takes this to the extreme when he chooses [[ComicBook/IronMan James Rhodes aka War Machine]] as his new champion, while James is on trial.

* AxCrazy: Once an opportunity for battle comes up he is prone to abandoning all sense of tactics to to engage to fight including turning on his own allies in battle to lengthen the battle.

* BloodKnight: He does not care much for which side he fights for as long as he gets to satisfy his violent urges. His "anti-hero" stance has done little to curb this.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: "I am the god of war... the god of slaughter... Even the god of murder. But I am not the god of sadism!"

* GoodParents: Yes, Ares is actually a great dad. Actually alludes to his protective tendencies over his children in the actual myth.

%%* TrojanHorse

* WarGod: His Myth/ClassicalMythology counterpart is the TropeCodifier.

Not to be confused with Creator/DCComics' [[Characters/WonderWomanGods Ares]], who is Franchise/WonderWoman's grandfather and ArchEnemy.

Not to be confused with Creator/DCComics' [[Characters/WonderWomanGods Ares]], who is Franchise/WonderWoman's ArchEnemy.

Not long after the Comicbook/CivilWar ended, Tony Stark realized that the world needed an Avengers team once more. Citing the need for a "[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] / ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}", basically a god-level being willing to kill, Stark pressed team leader ComicBook/MsMarvel into offering Ares a spot on the new Mighty Avengers. When ComicBook/IronMan and Ms. Marvel visit [[MundaneUtility Ares at a construction site]], effectively blowing his cover, the God of War has no choice but to accept, though he makes Tony match his construction pay ($44/hour, apparently). As a member of the Mighty Avengers, Ares fulfills the role of TheBigGuy along with ComicBook/TheSentry.

* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: One of Iron Man's original justifications for making him an Avenger. Ares would would commit the morally reprehensible actions other heroes would either hesitate at or refuse to do. Comes back to bite them when Ares sides with Osborn seeing no real difference between serving the two.

* HollywoodTactics: Despite being an expert in tactics, strategy, and nearly any thinking aspect of war he more often than not ignores all of these. Instead, prefers to charge in head on IGNORING all strategy and tactics and preferring to rely on brute strength and ferocity to win his battle unless he absolutely has to employ it. One reason is he attributes any "thinking" part of war to Athena whom he has a fierce rivalry with. He can lead an army into battle, but it will often be the worst strategy possible, cause massive causalities and collateral damage for his side, and risk costing them the battle.

* RatedMForManly/ TestosteronePoisoning: At times it can be difficult to tell which he is supposed to be. Ares is a fan of massive muscles, big weapons, large explosions, drinking beer, GoodOldFisticuffs, and being so tough he can charge into any situation foregoing any strategy. The very embodiment of manliness. Yet he acts as a deconstruction in that he takes this to such an extreme it can come across as over the top and goofy especially since it costs him the mission or he loses battles where he does not drastically outpower whomever he is fighting.

* TheStrategist: Averted, he was supposed to be this, but his plans amount to charging the enemy head on while riding a giant bomb into battle with the soldiers he is commanding complaining about it. During his Dark Reign mini, he outright stated he ignores as much as possible everything related to strategy leaving that to his sister Athena.

* TwoFirstNames: John Aaron and Alexander Aaron
* TheUnfavourite: Ares is one of if not the most despised of all of Zeus' children. One of Ares' issues with Hercules is Zeus (and mortals) make it clear that Hercules is preferred over Ares despite Hercules being an illegitimate, drunken, womanizing buffoon prone to causing massive destruction when he loses control compared to Ares who is one of Zeus' few legitimate children and for all the talk among humans that despise war, he's also responsible for all the good he thinks war brings to a nation like valor and the construction of kingdoms. Hercules constantly succeeding in defending Olympus compared to Ares' constant failings in that regard.
* UnskilledButStrong: Ares is an interesting version of this in that he is skilled and strong, but often forgoes skill in favor of brute strength. When he puts his mind to it he is a highly skilled warrior and not a half bad tactician. However, he usually forsakes skill to rely on brute power and innate toughness. So he grabs whatever large weapon available and attacks head on. This works great when he is facing opponents far weaker than him, but he often gets defeated by enemies on his level or even weaker because they outsmart him or bother to use fighting skills.