Justice League/The Olympian Gods

Everyone knows that superheroes have their origins in the ancient myths of Greece, Rome, and other old empires.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Today, we worship superheroes in the same ways we once worshipped the gods.

Okay, so maybe we’re not sacrificing virgins on the pyre, but it’s hard to deny that comic cons feel like a religious experience for some and that we all accept the sanctity the Bible of Canon.

Looking even closer, you’ll start to see even more similarities between the Justice League and the Greek Gods and Goddesses.

And it’s not just the obvious ones – all twelve major Olympian gods have a counterpart on the Watchtower.

So how exactly do the two pantheons measure up?

A trickster and messenger, with feet as quick as his wit.

Hermes aka The Flash are both known for their speed, each able to run faster than any other.

The Greek Speedsters heavily influenced Original The Flash costume and he still retains nods to the winged feet and ears in modern incarnations.

In addition, both The Flash aka Hermes are prone to a bit of mischief, and are as quick with a joke as they are at anything else.

Victor Stone (Hephaestus) was the Olympian god of fire, smiths, craftsmen, metalworking, stonemasonry and sculpture.

He was depicted as a bearded man holding a hammer and tongs--the tools of a smith--and sometimes riding a donkey.

Wields her beauty as a weapon and can bring men to their knees just by the sound of her voice.

Black Canary clearly relies on her beauty as a distraction; no one who’s seen those fishnets can deny it.

She has also been known to be a bit of a seductress in her time, although she did eventually settle down with Green Arrow.

And while her power may not relate directly back to Aphrodite’s true forte, she is often the most feminine of the female members of the team.

Eros – known as Cupid to the Romans Green Arrow aka Oliver Queen – was the Greek god of sexual attraction, a constant companion of Aphrodite.

Variously depicted as either a beautiful youth or a mischievous nude boy, Eros is most commonly represented with a bow and an unlimited number of arrows which he uses to overpower

the reason and incite erotic feelings in any mortal or god per Aphrodite’s or his own wish.

Once, though, he accidentally scraped himself with an arrow – and that’s how he fell in love with Psyche, who will later become his wife for eternity.

Firestorm In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan god of fire and supreme trickster.

He is credited with the creation of humanity from clay, and of defying the gods by stealing fire and giving it to mankind.

For this transgression, Zeus sentenced him to eternal torment.

Hal Jordan/Helios (Apollo) is one of the Olympian deities in classical Greek and Roman religion and Greek and Roman mythology.

The national divinity of the Greeks, Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, poetry, and more Green Lantern Corps.

In Greek mythology, Helios is the personification of the sun, the true god who rides in his chariot across the sky. He is god of light, the sun, and sight.

Artemis was the goddess of chastity, hunting, and the moon, often depicted with her trusty bow and arrow and a short tunic to aid in running through the woods.

Her maidenly virtue—for she swore never to marry—was presented in counterpoint to the passionate and fiery Aphrodite.

The young maiden and hunter, who prefers the night and the bow.

This one felt a bit too obvious, but in light of the success of Amazons, I really couldn’t resist. True, the one lives up to her namesake quite purposefully, but the fact that Artemis the goddess is usually portrayed as being young was an important factor in this choice.

None of the adult members of the Justice League felt right in this position. And honestly, why would I even consider anyone else when the choice is so clear?

Batgirl aka Oracle aka Styx is best known for the river Styx and the Birds of Prey.

She was goddess of the river which was the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, also known as Hades.

The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, which sometimes is also called the Styx.

The lover of wine and parties, never without a smile or a drink.

Everyone knows Martian Manhunter is the party animal of the Justice League.

I mean, come on, just look at that face! I can’t count the number of times Manhunter was late to a crime scene because he was out drinking with his Martian buddies, claiming to be a rock star from Mars and doing that thing where he turns his head into Mickey Mouse and…

Oh. Wait. I’m thinking of Charlie Sheen. I guess there isn’t really a good Dionysus equivalent on the JLA. But honestly, isn’t that kind of a good thing?

You don’t really want a drunk out there, trying to save the world, do you?

Ruler of the seven seas, able to command the ocean and its inhabitants.

Ok, you knew this one was coming.

It’s actually harder to find differences between Poseidon and Aquaman, considering the former is one of the main inspirations for the latter.

They both even have the same weapon of choice, the trident.

Perhaps the main difference between the two is that while Poseidon is one of the three most powerful of the Olympian Gods, Aquaman is something of a joke.

I guess it just goes to show that the ancient Greeks thought that the ability to talk to fish was a lot cooler than we do.

The dark prince, preferring underground quarters and with unimaginable wealth.

As Hades is the dark brother of Zeus, so too is Batman the dark counterpart of Superman.

Like Hades, Batman makes his home underground and a significant part of his power comes from his riches.

This aspect in particular perhaps makes Batman more like Pluto, the Roman version of Hades, but we’ll table that for the moment.

It’s hard not to think of Batman as ruling the underworld of the DC Universe, deciding the ultimate fate of damned souls.

Additionally, Batman is often found on the outside of the Justice League circle, the member no one quite trusts, much like Hades and his Olympic family.

Return to Themyscira by Wonder Woman The protector of the family and traditions.

So, putting aside the whole warrior aspect of the “Amazon Warriors” for a moment, Wonder Woman is really all about the traditions of her people.

She fiercely defends her home and her family.

Probably the main thing she would disagree with Hera about is the whole “needing a good man thing”, although she does find herself paired with Superman almost as much as Steve Trevor, so then again, maybe not.

At any rate, both are effectively the “mother” of their respective groups, and react quite fiercely if any of her number are attacked.

The ruler of the sky with nigh-unlimited power.

Perhaps one of the more obvious entries on the list, but that doesn’t make the comparison any less appropriate.

Both Superman and Zeus are born leaders, the most powerful of their respective groups.

Superman is often thought of as godlike, the alien deity who has become incredibly protective of his adoptive home.

Like Zeus, Superman dons a disguise so that he may walk among the mortals and see what life is like on the ground.

But both are much more at home in the sky, soaring above us like the gods they are.

Hercules is a fictional Olympian god in the DC Universe based on the Greek demigod and hero of the same name Shazam aka Captain Marvel.

Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, is a superhero Gods of Olympus.

Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva.

Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Athena original, current, and most well known Supergirl aka Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman.

Commander Steel In Greek mythology, Achilles or Achilleus was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's Iliad.

Citizen Steel He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia.

The Justice League In Greek mythology, Captain Atom aka Perseus

is the legendary founder of Mycenae and SuperHeroes of the Perseid dynasty.

He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of monsters before the days of Heracles.

Poison Ivy In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone, also called Kore or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter.

Persephone as a vegetation goddess and her mother Demeter were the central figures of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which promised the initiated a happy afterlife.