Since the release of the first trailer for “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the movie has generated a lot of hype among fans and is now highly anticipated. Everyone was drawn to the character known as “Zeus,” who will be portrayed by none other than Russell Crowe. Since his 1949 debut in the “Venus” comics, Zeus has played a pivotal role in many of Marvel’s comic plots.
This new interpretation of Zeus will be the company’s take on the mythical God. Zeus is an Olympian leader who served as a tutor to Thor after Odin’s passing. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Let us examine Zeus’s history and learn everything there is to know about this god-like figure!
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Zeus, as seen in Marvel comics
Zeus Panhellenios, Stan Lee’s attempt to bring some aspects of Greek mythology into the Marvel Universe, was originally presented in the comic book series “Venus” in 1949. While many of Zeus’s Greek mythological roots were preserved, several new components were also added. One such component was the idea that Mount Olympus on Earth was reached by Zeus via another universe. This modification allowed the comics to explore some connections between the Norse and Greek gods as well as other realms and cosmic beings.
Zeus was the son of the Titan Cronus of Olympus and his wife Rhea, and was the youngest of his siblings. The Titans were the children of the sky god ‘Ouranos’ and the earth goddess ‘Gaea.’ Zeus’s father ‘Titan Cronus’ overthrew Ouranos’ rule by beheading and killing him. In his final moments, Ouranos told Cronus that his own children would also betray him one day. Cronus wanted to prevent this from happening, and he sent away all his children to the deepest of hell known as Tartarus as soon as they were born.
His wife, Rhea, finally got tired of him and hid her pregnancy from Cronus. She then gave birth to Zeus in secret and sent him away to live with Gaea on an island known as ‘Crete.’ Zeus was raised on Mount Ida on Crete and grew into a fine warrior who rescued his brothers and sisters from the deepest pits of hell. He also freed some other creatures that his father had imprisoned, and some of these creatures included the giant Cyclopes.
The Cyclopes helped Zeus develop his powers and taught him to manipulate and control energy. Zeus then launched a war on the Titans and soon became a ruler of the Olympians. He then married the goddess Hera, but he was also notoriously known for engaging in various affairs with mortals as well as other goddesses and nymphs. Zeus had many offsprings all over the world, and some of them were Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Eris and Hermes.
Zeus also defeated the last standing titan known as ‘Typhon’ and banished him from Olympus.
Around the end of the Hyborian Age in 8000 BC, the Olympians from the Olympus realm started traveling to ‘Mt. Olympus’ on Earth and they settled down among the humans who lived there. Mount Olympus was located in Greece and was a wormhole that led to the realm of Olympus. The Olympians crossed this wormhole to come to Earth, where mortals began worshiping them as deities.
At Mount Olympus, Zeus fathered some other deities, such as Hercules and Dionysus, as well as a mortal human named ‘Sarpedon.’ He also learned that the Eternals’ city of ‘Olympia’ was nearby and decided to hold a meeting with Eternals. The Eternals’ leader Zuras came for this meeting with ‘Azura,’ while Zeus was accompanied by his daughter ‘Athena.’ During the meeting, Athena noticed some physical similarities between herself and Azura, as well as Zeus and Zuras.
She then proposed that they could come together and form an alliance, wherein the Eternals would be named as God’s representatives on Earth. The Eternals agreed to this alliance, and Azura then changed her name to ‘Thena’ as a way of signing the pact. For a few years, this alliance worked quite well until the humans started seeing the Eternals as Gods themselves and not representatives of Gods. This led to disagreements between the Eternals and the Gods, breaking their alliance.
After a few years, the Romans invaded Greece, and they changed Zeus’s name to Jupiter. In some more time, Christianity started spreading in Greece, and Zeus finally realized that Christianity had now replaced the Olympians’ worship. As a result, he ordered his brother ‘Pluto,’ ruler of the underworld, to stop collecting human souls after their death. While Pluto obeyed Zeus for a while, he eventually started blaming Zeus for letting the Olympian Gods’ worship die down. He tried to overthrow Zeus but failed in this attempt.
During the age of the Vikings, Hercules transported ancient Greek warriors to fight the Norsemen who were under the protection of Thor of Asgard. Thor was furious over this, which led to tension between the Olympians and the Asgardians. However, Zeus finally met with Odin, and the two cleared the air between them. Moreover, they even decided to form an alliance to fight against the ‘Celestials’ who had created the Eternals and the Deviants.
The third team of Celestials appeared on Earth in 1000 AD, and Zeus appeared at the ‘Council of Godheads’ meeting along with Odin and Vishnu. They all worked together to confront the Celestials, who threatened to seal all interdimensional passages between the Earth and other realms if the Gods did not back off. The Celestials laid the condition that they must not interfere in their activities for a millennium. Odin, Zeus, and Vishnu decide on behalf of all deities to agree to this condition.
Over the course of the following centuries, Zeus disappeared from the picture for long windows of time and often tested his children’s capabilities by leaving them in charge. In the 20th century, he went on a long break and left Aphrodite in charge of Olympus. During this time, the Gods started taking up Roman names, and Aphrodite renamed herself Venus. She then decided to relocate Olympus to the planet of Venus. Zeus, who now went by the name Jupiter, often clashed with Venus’s decisions but eventually offered her assistance in dealing with issues.
Zeus, as Jupiter, once also required Thor’s help in dealing with some dangerous creatures that had spawned from the brain of a mad scientist named ‘Buffanoff.’ Apollo and Thor then worked together to save Olympus from these creatures. Finally, Venus stepped in and tricked these creatures into returning back into the mad scientist’s brain.
Even in modern times, Zeus maintained his status as the ruler of Olympus. He held his alliance with Thor and the Asgardians and set up an ‘Olympia Corporation’. This corporation was Zeus’s attempt to maintain a presence on Earth and was the base of the Olympians’ power on Earth.
Zeus in Greek mythology is quite different from the Marvel version!
Usually, when people talk of Zeus, it is assumed that they are referring to the Greek God, Zeus, and not the Marvel version. The two do share some similar features, but at the same time, they are also different on many levels. In mythology, Zeus is the king of the other Gods as well as the God of the sky, lightning, thunder and law. He lived on Mount Olympus and originated from the planet of Jupiter.
Zeus was the youngest sibling among Hestia, Hades, Poseidon and other such Gods, but he was given the status of the eldest sibling of the lot. Though there are many overlapping versions of Zeus’ life history, he was married to the Goddess Hera in many of these versions of Greek mythology.
Zeus and Hera together looked over the other Gods at Mount Olympus, and Zeus had quite a reputation for fathering many offspring and being disloyal to Hera. Among others, Zeus fathered Apollo, Artemis, Persephone and Dionysus, and he was referred to as ‘Father’ by all of the Gods out of respect. This Greek Mythology version of Zeus commanded a lot of power and respect at Mount Olympus and was essentially the king of all gods!
What can we expect from Zeus in Thor: Love and Thunder?
Though Marvel has always included beings from various mythologies and universes right from phase one, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ would be the first time a Greek mythological character is incorporated into the MCU. This could mean a new shift in the future of MCU, and fans are incredibly excited to see Russell Crowe portray Zeus in the upcoming movie.
There are many theories and rumors regarding Zeus’ character in the film and how he would fit into the plot. We do know that the movie follows Thor’s life post-Endgame. He made Valkyrie the new ruler of Asgard and left along with the Guardians of the Galaxy in their ship. ‘Love and Thunder’ also features Christian Bale as ‘Gorr,’ a supervillain who used to be a huge worshiper of the Gods until he lost his family.
After gaining his powers, Gorr set out on a mission to kill all the gods. Gorr and Thor are most definitely expected to have a face-off, but we can also look forward to some potential action between Zeus and Gorr, if the super villain tries to go after Zeus. We can expect to see an alliance between the Olympians and Asgardians as Zeus and Thor come together to defeat ‘Gorr, the God Butcher.’
In another scenario, Zeus has a notorious reputation for getting revenge on his opponents, and we can also potentially explore the possibility of an Avengers versus Olympians battle in the future. Moreover, Zeus and the Olympians have also had trouble with the Eternals in the comics. Within the multiverse, there is no saying as to whether this Olympians versus Eternals storyline will be picked up for the MCU, but it is still a possibility that cannot be ruled out. In any case, Marvel is surely extending their storylines, and introducing Zeus in phase four is a massive step in itself.
What makes Zeus a God-level entity in Marvel?
Zeus is essentially the ruler of all Olympian gods, making him a mighty powerful deity with abilities that are superior to most beings in the universe. Though he possesses the same superpowers as other Olympian Gods, Zeus’ powers are much more advanced than most of the beings in his race. He has superhuman strength and can lift over a hundred tons with ease. He is also the second strongest Olympian after his own son ‘Hercules,’ but Zeus can even overpower Hercules by boosting his strength if he wishes to.
Zeus also possesses superhuman reflexes as well as super speed. He can run up to 115 meters per minute, which means that he moves at a speed faster than even the most accomplished athletes. He is also very agile, and his balance and coordination are far superior to most humans and supernatural beings.
Zeus’ bodily physiology also gives him an advantage in battle, as his body does not easily release fatigue toxins. As a result, he can use his strength and stamina endlessly without feeling tired or experiencing any decreased strength. His bodily tissues are also three times as dense as those of other beings, making him such a towering and muscular being. His body is invulnerable to any form of injury, making it very difficult for his opponents to hurt him physically.
Zeus can also withstand powerful energy blasts, falls from great heights, and any exposure to extreme temperatures. Thor once attacked Zeus with Mjolnir, but this god-like entity managed to survive this attack without even a single scratch on his body. In terms of his resistance to energy, Zeus is the second-most invulnerable being after his brother, Pluto.
Zeus’s magical abilities are pretty extensive, and the true nature of his magical powers is unknown. These powers surpass those of all Olympian Gods, as well as the likes of superheroes such as Silver Surfer and even Thor. Zeus can even cast spells to enchant living beings and objects and can also to create means of interdimensional travel.
Zeus has the ability to levitate and fly around, as well as shape-shift into other humans, animals, or even objects. Zeus can manipulate energy to project his image and voice or even send energy bolts all the way from the Olympus realm to Earth. He can project his energy in vast, powerful blasts that are capable of even destroying entire galaxies. Moreover, he can create lightning bolts with his own two hands, and his lightning manipulation abilities are quite superior to Thor.
Zeus also has some amount of precognitive abilities and has visions of events in the future. This helped Zeus make decisions regarding the future, and he once had a vision about the Asgard and Olympus war that did not take place for centuries. He even used to be a patron for an oracle in ancient times and delivered prophecies to the Olympians. Zeus can communicate in various languages of the universe, dialects of the Earth, as well as many alien languages.
Zeus is also a very skilled fighter and is quite undefeatable at hand-to-hand combat. In one scenario, Zeus had even defeated the Hulk in battle. Moreover, he can manipulate energy into shooting lightning bolts, which makes him quite invincible in any battle-like situation.
He is an immortal being who is self-sustained and does not need air, food, or water in order to survive. He is even immune to all forms of earthly ailments and has been reborn several times.
Conclusion
To sum it up, Zeus is an intriguing character who has lived through various ages and has had quite some experiences as the ruler of the Olympians. Zeus is all set to make his MCU appearance in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ and It is very exciting to see this god-level entity finally get the importance that he deserves. We cannot wait to see how things play out for Zeus in ‘Thor: Love and Thunder,’ and we hope that the movie does justice to his character!
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