The DC world has never been afraid to use components from well-known mythology. The D.C. comics frequently feature various gods and cosmic entities, and Greek mythology in particular has a big influence on a lot of these figures.
D.C. has added Greek gods and deities throughout the past few years in an effort to broaden the universe, and many of these gods are already well-known figures in other fictional universes. We will delve into Greek mythology today and fill you in on all there is to know about the Greek Gods in the DC universe.
A quick history of the Gods!
The Greek Gods were introduced as an extra-dimensional race of beings in the DC world who people on Earth had revered. These Gods, who had their beginnings in Ancient Greece, were still revered by the Amazons and the Atlanteans in the larger D.C.
These Gods, known as “Olympians,” were prevalent throughout the extended cosmos, including on Earth-1, Earth-2, New Earth, and Prime Earth. They were created as a result of the energy that the Godwave emitted when the “Fourth World” was created. The Fourth World idea gave mythology a sci-fi edge, and New Gods — ancient space gods — were developed.
The Olympian Gods eventually came into power after they vanquished the Titans in the ancient world after the Godwave created them. Hecate, the Greek Goddess of magic, worried that the Olympian Gods may be seen as a danger by the Gods of the other world, so she performed a spell that led everyone to believe that these Gods were actually much younger than they appeared to be.
Uxas came to Earth with the purpose of disseminating stories about the Gods’ misadventures and exploits, despite Hecate’s success in persuading the populace that the Olympians were not worth worrying with. These tales were disseminated by Uxas, who subsequently rose to power as “Darkseid,” the God of Tyranny.
As a result, people began to give the Gods more attention, and they began to worship the Olympians in great numbers. The Gods separated into Greek and Roman versions when the worship became out of control, and these versions subsequently took on whole new personas.
Finally, the Olympians understood that Uxas had come to Earth to divide the Gods’ powers and had planned for things to spiral out of control.
Over time, some of these Gods took part in the development of the Themyscira Amazons and later oversaw their activities.
Now that we have covered the Greek deities present in the DC universe, it is time to examine their individual histories and beginnings.
The Presence
The Presence, who was the supreme ‘God’ revered by many religions, was the all-powerful creator of the universe. The Voice, The Hand, and The Source are some of the other names for The Presence, which has many other names in various religions and mythology. He was created during the Big Bang and later produced the Omniverse and different types of life.
The Presence is seen differently and has diverse story arcs in different mythology. In Greek mythology, Zeus manifested the Source to create the “Urgrund” in the “Sphere of Gods.” The Old Gods’ domain later fractured, and the Urgrund once again became it. When Urgrund broke, it unleashed the Godwave, which subsequently planted the seeds of potential godhood throughout the Multiverse.
The result was the creation of the Apokolips and the New Genesis. The second-born gods known as the “Gods of Olympus” were produced later, as the Godwave traveled deeper through the cosmos. Furthermore, after the God Wave event, any deity born in Apokolips or New Genesis was granted god-like status, which explains why there are so many Greek Gods in the DC universe.
The Presence was marginalized in modern times as newer beings emerged as personifications of God’s anger and fury. But this God did occasionally appear, once even raising the entire Justice Society from the dead. The “Council of Eternity,” which was founded by the Presence and collaborated to regulate the use of magic and provide magical abilities to deserving people, was also created by the Presence.
Zeus
Zeus, the almighty God of thunder and lightning, also plays an extensive role in the D.C. Universe. Zeus is considered as the father of the Olympians and has quite an exciting story arc, much like Zeus in original Greek Mythology.
One of the most fascinating things about D.C.’s Zeus is that he has been introduced as Wonder Woman’s father on Prime Earth. Besides that, Zeus also fathers Hercules, Athena, Ares, and various other powerful Greek Gods and demigods.
Zeus was born to the Titan ‘Cronus’ and Rhea, who together had six children. Cronus had come across a prophecy that stated that one day his child might overthrow him, and the Titan had eaten all of his children to ensure that this didn’t happen. Zeus was the only surviving child of the lot since Rhea gave birth to Zeus in secret and sent him away as a child. Zeus later grew up and waged war against his father and was even successful in overthrowing the rule of the Titans.
After killing Cronus, Zeus became the leader of the Olympians and soon married Hera, Goddess of women and marriage. He had many children with Hera and was also notoriously known for having affairs with multiple women and fathering many children on Earth.
During the New 52, Zeus intervened in Wonder Woman’s life by sending Ares’s sons to implant false memories in her head.
When Zeus came out of hiding to protect Wonder Woman on Earth, he was almost killed by the demon lord ‘Darkseid.’ Darkseid had absorbed the energy of many Gods, which helped him fight against Zeus, but he soon depleted all his energy and was unsuccessful in defeating the mighty Zeus.
Hera
Hera, queen of the Olympian Gods, was married to Zeus and was considered to be the Goddess of marriage, women, and family; as well as the protector of women during childbirth. She was the mother of many powerful gods and goddesses and was the glue holding the Olympian gods together. While Hera was the Goddess of family, Zeus was often unfaithful to her. He often disguised himself as a mortal and fathered many mortal children.
Hera had helped the Amazon warrior ‘Hippolyta’ by guiding her when she wanted a child of her own. However, it was later revealed that Hippolyta had an affair with Zeus, resulting in the birth of Wonder Woman, also known as Diana. Hippolyta concealed this information from Hera to avoid her fury, and an unsuspecting Hera also bestowed Diana with powers that helped make her one of the most powerful Amazon warriors.
As the Goddess of marriage, Hera was ruthless towards anyone involved with Zeus. On one occasion, Hera discovered that Zeus fathered daughters with ‘Lamia of Acacia,’ and she killed the young girls and transformed them into immortal gorgons.
Athena
Athena played a prominent role in the D.C. universe, especially in the Wonder Woman comics, and she was the Greek Goddess of wisdom and warfare. Fathered by Zeus and Hera, Athena was also the Goddess of strength, arts, justice, and many other such dimensions. Her powers and abilities were unparalleled, and even Ares, God of War, could not hold a candle to Athena’s strategies when it came to war. No other Greek God could defeat her even in combat, and Athena was essentially considered to be Zeus’s second-in-command, who received all his powers after his death.
Athena was also allegedly responsible for creating Wonder Woman out of clay, although this is later clarified as untrue. Regardless, Athena lent many of her powers to Wonder Woman and always showed up whenever the superheroine required her help.
Athena was also one of the five deities who created the ‘Amazons’, and she gave them their wisdom and strategic planning. During the Infinite Crisis, Athena protected the Amazons and the Olympians by taking them to a new dimension.
Though Athena was a mighty goddess, the extent of her powers depended on her followers. Just like the other Olympian gods, her powers were bound to decrease over time if her followers lost faith in her abilities.
Hercules
Hercules has always been a famous Greek God who shows up in various media, and D.C.’s version of this legendary God can be considered to be a somewhat toned-down version of the original God. Nevertheless, his stories are pretty consistent with those in mythology, and Hercules was a celebrated warrior in the D.C. Rebirth.
Fathered by Zeus and a mortal woman, he had always been under Hera’s radar, who had been trying to kill Hercules ever since he was born. Hera then induced madness within Hercules, which compelled him to kill his own wife and children. Unaware of the fact that this was Hera’s doing, Hercules carried the guilt of destroying his family for his entire life.
In the ‘Children of the Gods’ comic arc, Hercules lived a low-key life under the fake name ‘Paul Jackson.’ However, his true identity was uncovered by ‘Grail,’ a descendant of the New Gods. Since Hercules was the son of an Old God, Grail desired to kill him and take his life force, and she finally succeeded in doing so.
After Hercules’s death, a disguised Zeus meets Wonder Woman and tells her that she has been chosen as Hercules’ only heir. Wonder Woman then uncovers the truth behind his death and avenges him by getting rid of both Grail and Darkseid. Hercules also helps Wonder Woman reunite with her brother ‘Jason’ who had once stumbled across Hercules and had sought help from him.
Besides being connected with Wonder Woman, Hercules was also a part of Aquaman’s storylines and even appeared in the Aquaman comics.
Poseidon
Poseidon was one of the eldest among the Gods of Olympus, and he was first introduced in the D.C. universe in Flash comics in 1940. He was the Greek God of the Seas and was born to the Titan Cronus. In Roman Mythology, Poseidon went by the name ‘Neptune’ who appeared as an Aquaman villain on Earth-One and Earth-Two. He also appeared in the D.C. animated universe in the Justice League series.
On Prime Earth, Poseidon was the Atlantean God of the sea, earthquake, horses, and even storms. He primarily appeared as a supporting character in storylines concerning Aquaman and Wonder-Woman. Aquaman possessed ‘the Trident of Poseidon’, which gave the superhero some of Poseidon’s power. Poseidon was actually Wonder Woman’s uncle, but he had once attacked her in a disillusioned reality that was created to keep Wonder Woman away from her birthplace.
Poseidon was always seen with his trident, as this weapon carried the ‘Life Force’. The Life Force was one of the Seven Forces of the Universe that connected living beings to their very souls.
Hades
Most popularly known as the Lord of the Underworld, Hades was one of the most important Olympian Gods in Greek Mythology. Hades was first introduced in the D.C. universe in Wonder Woman comics in 1986, and his Roman counterpart ‘Pluto’ played quite an extensive role on Earth-Two. King Pluto often came to Earth to kidnap young women and use their emotions and memories to power his energy sources. After using up their memories, Pluto made them work as servants back on his planet.
When Pluto abducted ‘Lorrie’ from the ‘Holliday Girls’ group, Etta Candy and some of the Holliday Girls traveled to Pluto to bring her back. The girls were also accompanied by Wonder Woman, who had brought along a dynamo from Earth to inform Pluto about alternative energy sources. Pluto did get the hang of the dynamo, but he still tried to abduct the rest of the Holliday Girls to turn them into servants.
On New Earth, Hades led the fight against Athena when she tried to take Zeus’s position at Olympus. Hades was joined by Zeus, Poseidon, and Ares when Athena sent Wonder Woman to rescue Hermes from the Underworld realms. Hades almost killed Wonder Woman during this fight, but he was murdered at the last minute by Ares, who was trying to protect Wonder Woman. After killing Hades, Ares then became the new king of the Underworld.
Hephaestus
Widely known as the Greek God of smithing and fire, Hephaestus was the Gods’ armorer in the D.C. universe. He had also wielded Wonder Woman’s ‘lasso of truth,’ a golden weapon that forces her victims to obey her commands and tell the truth. Hephaestus often appeared in Wonder Woman’s storylines as a supporting character and even appeared in the DCAU in the Justice League Unlimited series.
In Roman Mythology, Hephaestus went by the name ‘Vulcan,’ considered the God of fire. This Roman counterpart of Hephaestus was widespread across the D.C. universe, and several characters took the name ‘Vulcan’ in different pieces of media.
Christopher Pike went by the name Vulcan when he worked in the Secret Society of Super-Villians, where he opposed the Justice Society. On New Earth, a vigilante named ‘Erich Thonius’ worked under the alias Vulcan, along with his sidekick, who was referred to as ‘Son of Vulcan.’ Another version of Vulcan was introduced in the animated series ‘Super Friends’ where he went by the name ‘Black Vulcan’ and had electrical powers.
Ares
Ares, famously known as the God of War, was born to the powerful duo, Zeus and Hera. He was considered to be one of Wonder Woman’s most powerful enemies, even though they were both half-siblings fathered by Zeus. Ares was born in the ‘Skyland’ dimension located in the Sphere of the Gods, and was raised among the other Greek gods on Mount Olympus. He later fell in love with the goddess ‘Aphrodite,’ and the two had many children together. Ares was also known to be the father of the ‘Amazons of Themyscira.’
As the God of War, Ares often went into frenzies of madness and started becoming a threat to others. The other Greek Gods agreed that he had to be contained, and then Ares was imprisoned in a land below Themyscira. The Amazons were responsible for guarding Ares’s prison to ensure that he never comes back to the Multiverse and unleashes his wrath. Moreover, the Gods wiped the memories of anybody who left Themyscira to ensure they had no way of returning there to free Ares.
Ares ran into Wonder Woman when she was a young girl on Themyscira and then took the form of a snake to bite her. This then allowed her to come and visit Ares whenever she wanted, but she eventually left to be a part of the Justice League.
After a brief while, Darkseid’s daughter ‘Grail’ was sent to Ares’ prison, and the Greek God finally realized that he should strive to maintain justice in the world rather than unleash wars. Ares then managed to free himself from his prison by making Grail kill him with the ‘Godkiller’ sword. This act almost destroyed the entire Olympus, and Wonder Woman and Aphrodite later intervened. They helped Ares grasp the true meaning of justice and become the God that he wanted to become.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman, also known as ‘Diana of Themyscira,’ is one of the most beloved members of the Justice League and even the entire D.C. Universe. Diana’s mother, ‘Hippolyta’, was the leader of the Amazons. In ancient mythology, Hippolyta was the daughter of the Greek God ‘Ares’ and the queen of Amazons ‘Otrera’.
In the D.C. universe, Hippolyta was blessed by the Gods with a child made of clay, and thus ‘Diana of Themyscira’ aka Wonder Woman, came into existence. Later, it was clarified that Diana’s birth resulted from Hippolyta’s secret affair with the all-powerful Zeus and that Hippolyta had kept this secret to protect her daughter from Hera’s wrath.
Wonder Woman also had a twin brother named ‘Jason’ who Zeus also fathered, and she later reunited with him after Hercules’ death led her to discover her twin.
As the daughter of Zeus, Diana was an incredibly powerful being who had been bestowed with powers from the Gods of Olympus. This meant that she got all the strengths of the various Olympian Gods, such as the wisdom of Athena, the strength of Hercules, and so on. Wonder Woman used these powers to fight crime and soon became a widely popular superhero and a founding Justice League member.
Wonder Woman often had brushes with the Olympian Gods, and once even visited Ares in his prison realm that lies beneath Themyscira. After she left Themyscira, Zeus and the Olympian Gods were determined to make sure she didn’t find her way back and cast an elaborate illusion that preoccupied her and kept her away from her birthplace.
Hermes
Hermes was one of the mightiest Greek Gods to ever exist and has quite an extended role in the D.C. Universe. He was also born to Zeus and was a half-brother to Wonder Woman. Hermes often acted as a messenger of the Olympian Gods and also aided Wonder Woman in her adventures on many occasions. He was most famous for his speed and was considered the fastest being in the entire universe, surpassing Flash and all the other Gods. Besides his speed, Hermes was also quite intellectual and used his intelligence rather than brute force to defeat his opponents.
He first appeared in Wonder Woman comics and then later continued to play a supporting character in the Prime Earth continuity in the New 52 D.C. universe.
Demeter
Demeter, Greek Goddess of Harvest, was one of the very first Olympians to ever exist. She was born to Cronus and Rhea, who was first eaten by her father but then later revived by Zeus and her mother ‘Rhea.’ Demeter was also the Goddess of sacred law, and she overlooked the cycle of life and death.
In the mainstream D.C. universe, Demeter first appeared in Wonder Woman comics in 1985. She was mostly in touch with Diana of Themyscira, also known as Wonder Woman. Demeter bestowed Wonder Woman with super strength and durability, helping her become an even more powerful superheroine and warrior. She was also a part of the Prime Earth continuity in the ‘New 52 D.C. Universe’, later appearing in the fourth volume of Wonder Woman comics. A lot of the story arcs in New 52 covered a disillusioned reality, which the Gods created to keep Wonder Woman away from Themyscira. Since Demeter also got in touch with Wonder Woman during this era, it is unclear if the two ever met or if Demeter’s role in her life was also a part of the illusion.
Artemis
Artemis, the Greek Goddess of hunting, plays several different roles in the D.C. universe. Primarily, Artemis of ‘Bana-Mighdall’ was a fierce warrior that resided on Themyscira and fought alongside the other Amazons.
In the New Gods, Artemis was one of the members of the ‘Female Furies,’ a team of evil warriors who worked for Darkseid of Apokolips.
On Prime Earth, ‘Artemis Crock’ was a member of the Injustice Unlimited, a team of villains that opposed the Justice Society.
While Artemis takes various forms in different storylines, all of these versions are somewhat inspired by the original Goddess Artemis. They are all fierce warriors that fight in a team and share similar powers in terms of fighting and hunting skills.
Apollo
Originally, Apollo was considered to be the God of Light and is often associated with the sun. He was born to the titan ‘Leto’ and was fathered by Zeus. Like his twin sister Artemis, various versions of Apollo were spread across the D.C. universe.
In the 30th century, Apollo appeared as ‘Tal Obrin,’ a villainous character who fought against the Legion of Super Heroes.
In another version, Apollo was a member of the StormWatch and the Authority. Here, he was portrayed as an openly gay character who was married to ‘Midnighter.’ He first appeared in the Stormwatch comics in 1998 and was later included in the Prime Earth.
In the New 52 era, Apollo plays a major role in bringing the Gods together when Zeus goes missing. Apollo was also aware of a prophecy that stated that Zeus would be killed by his own son, but that this son hadn’t been born yet. Apollo later finds out that a woman named Zola was expecting Zeus’s child at the time, and he made a deal with Hera to assassinate the child in exchange for getting Zeus’s throne at Olympus. However, Wonder Woman takes the child under her protection, and Apollo then decides to let the child live. However, he only agrees to this on the condition that Wonder Woman should herself kill the child if he turns out to be the boy mentioned in the prophecy.
Apollo also appeared in some comics related to Aquaman and Superman, but these versions of this God were only minor supporting characters.
Darkseid
Formerly known as Uxas, Darkseid was the God of Tyranny who also ruled Apokolips. He was a sadistic New God on a mission to create chaos and disharmony and conquer various worlds across the universe. He also had his eyes on the ‘Anti-Matter Equation,’ which would help him enslave all the beings in the world to succumb to his will. He was born as ‘Uxas’ to Heggra and the Old God known as ‘Yuga Khan, who was the former ruler of Apokolips. Over time, Darkseid replaced his father and declared himself as the new ruler of Apokolips, and often fought against his brother and arch-enemy ‘Highfather’ of the New Genesis.
Darkseid later fathered a daughter named ‘Grail’ who set out to destroy him and overtake his spot at Apokolips.
In his early life, Darkseid personally confronted Superman and traveled to Earth in order to conquer it. However, he was distracted by Batman and other Earth’s defenders, who sent him back to Apokolips through a ‘Boom-Tube.’
During the Final Crisis, Darkseid launched a plan to draw out the negative source known as ‘Great Darkness’ on Earth. While his plan succeeded, it cost Darkseid his life, and his ‘godhead’ was split up into various multiversal aspects.
In the New 52, Darkseid stayed in a special chamber after his death in the Final Crisis. While Darkseid slept in his chambers, his followers stirred up trouble on Apokolips, which finally brought Batman to Apokolips. A fight emerged, and Darkseid finally awoke from his slumber and fought against Batman.
During the Darkseid war, he was killed by his own daughter ‘Grail’, but was later brought back to life when Wonder Woman and Grail’s mother talked her into doing so. Though Darkseid returned to life, his spirit was contained in the body of a frail infant, and Grail killed many Old Gods to help Darkseid grow stronger with the help of their life forces.
Grail
Grail was the daughter of Darkseid, a mighty New God considered one of the most powerful beings in the universe. Darkseid impregnated the Amazonian assassin ‘Myrina,’ who then gave birth to Grail secretly at the isolated Themyscira islands. Grail trained among the Amazon warriors in her early life and very quickly became one of the deadliest demigods on Earth.
Grail later played a prominent role in ‘Justice League: The Darkseid War’ and was determined to kill her father. She also went head-to-head against many Justice League members, and even the entire Green Lantern Corps were unable to subdue her. Grail also summoned her father to the battleground and then paired up with Anti-Monitor to kill him.
After killing Darkseid, Anti-Monitor’s body released the ‘Anti-Life Equation,’ and Grail seized this equation for her own self. She later used it to revive her father, who had now become her mind slave. Grail ordered Darkseid to destroy the Justice League, but she was restrained by Wonder Woman and her mother Myrina, who ordered her to open her eyes and let go of her rage.
Finally, Grail undid the effects of the Anti-Life equation and separated Darkseid from it, which made the demon-god turn into an infant state. Grail was then determined to restore her father to his normal state, and she went into a frenzy to kill Zeus’s children and drain their life forces in order to restore Darkseid.
Highfather
As the ruler of the New Gods on New Genesis, Highfather was one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe. Highfather’s real name was Izaya and he was one of Darkseid’s oldest, most powerful enemies. Izaya and Darkseid were actually biological brothers, who held entirely different views about the world. While Izaya strived to bring peace to the universe, Darkseid was the God of Tyranny, resulting in the two brothers becoming each other’s eternal enemies.
Izaya and Uxas were brothers who rose in ‘Galactica’ in the Third World, which was actually created from the living atoms of the Old Gods. The two went along well until Uxas murdered Izaya’s wife and started a civil war resulting in Galactica’s destruction. Uxas later left Galactica and claimed Apokolips to be his domain and then took the name ‘Darkseid.’
On the other hand, Izaya built a utopia known as ‘New Genesis’ on the ruins of Galactica and was determined to bring peace into a world that Darkseid was intent on destroying.
Later, the Highfather fathered a son with an unknown woman, and this child was named Scot Free. In a peace treaty, Darkseid and Highfather exchanged their sons, and Darkseid then raised Scot on Apokolips. Meanwhile, Highfather raised Darkseid’s son ‘Orion’ and trained him to destroy Darkseid one day.
In New 52, Highfather sent Orion to Earth to check up on a threatening situation that he had seen through ‘The Source Wall.’ Orion later brought Wonder Woman, Hera, and other foreigners to New Genesis after facing the evil ‘First Born’ on Earth. Highfather reprimanded Orion for bringing foreigners here, and Orion later teleported them back to Earth.
Orion
During an eventful battle between New Genesis and Apokolips, the two rulers of these places, ‘ Highfather’ and ‘Darkseid,’ exchanged their sons to establish a truce. While born to the evil Darkseid, Orion was then raised to become a mighty warrior of New Genesis under the watchful eye of Highfather.
Highfather was convinced that one day Orion would have to face Darkseid, and started training Orion to defeat his father from a very young age. As a New God, Orion was extremely dedicated to his training and even earned the title ‘Dog of War.’ He was quite ruthless on the battlefield and sometimes struggled to control the rage he inherited from Darkseid. Finally, Orion obtained the ‘Anti-Life equation’ that his father was searching for, and then went to Apokolips to finally face Darkseid. Orion defeated the demon lord and then gained control over Apokolips. However, Orion later learns that Darkseid let him think that he beat him so that his son could understand the true potential of the Anti-Monitor equation.
Eventually, Orion gave up this equation and then went on to work alongside the Justice League for a brief period.
When the New Gods were being killed off, the Justice League suspected that Darkseid was responsible for their deaths and came to Apokolips. Orion then set out to trap the god killer by offering himself as bait and later returned to Apokolips for one final battle against Darkseid.
He killed his father, and finally, put an end to Darkseid’s tyranny by ripping out his father’s heart from his chest.
Takion
Born as a human on Earth, Takion was formerly a blind psychologist who went by the name ‘Josh Sanders.’ However, his life took a turn when the ruler of the New Gods, Highfather Izaya, picked him to become his successor and lead the New Gods. Takion was then bestowed with a connection to the divine force known as the ‘Source,’ which was the limitless energy that gave life to all things in the universe.
The Source’s energy made him a target of various superheroes, and he was cornered by Captain Atom, Green Lantern, and the Flash after his initial transformation. However, Takion easily managed to defeat all three of them and became one of the most skilled manipulators of the Source’s energy.
Izaya essentially created Takion with the intention of having a back-up in case Darkseid ever attacked the Highfather, and Takion’s powers threatened even Darkseid. When Ares murdered Izaya, Takion hesitated to become the ‘Highfather’ but soon accepted the position. He even moved to New Genesis to fulfill his cosmic role, and he was an omnipotent New God who even received Izaya’s ‘Wonder Staff’ after his death.
Steppenwolf
Surely we have all heard of the God of tyranny ‘Darkseid,’ but little is known about his uncle Steppenwolf, who was also an evil New God. Born on Apokolips, Steppenwolf was a military general in Darkseid’s army. Though he was related to Darkseid, Steppenwolf could not stand being mere military personnel serving his nephew, and he betrayed Darkseid by siding with his enemies. He soon realized that he was wrong and then tried to defeat these enemies on his own, but Darkseid exiled him from Apokolips for his betrayal in any case. Moreover, Darkseid also ordered Steppenwolf to conquer fifteen thousand planets as his punishment.
Steppenwolf is now gaining recognition due to his involvement in the Justice League movies, but he has been around for thousands of years and has stirred up a lot of trouble, especially on ‘Earth-2’. He aided Darkseid in destroying this alternate planet and then took the role of the ruler of Earth-2. Moreover, Steppenwolf was also responsible for killing Wonder Woman in this alternate universe. His reign did not last for long, as an evil version of Superman ultimately killed him.
X-Hal
X-Hal, God of the Tamaranians, was one of the most powerful cosmic beings in the entire D.C. universe. She used to be the leader of the alien race ‘Okaaranas’ but was later captured by the evil ‘Psions’. The Psions were another race of alien species who resided on Vega, and they performed a series of tortuous experiments on X-Hal, which finally resulted in her death.
Later, X-Hal was resurrected in a deadlier and more powerful form than before, and she sought vengeance against the Psions and their Vega System. She destroyed about three planets in the Vega System and could not be contained even after the collective efforts of thousands of beings.
X-Hal appeared in the New Teen Titans and was often mentioned by the Teen Titan ‘Starfire,’ who also originated from Tamaran. When the Teen Titans met X-Hal after her reanimation, they discovered that her mind was not in the right state and that the Goddess often switched to her manic, destructive side.
In New 52, X-Hal appeared in the Green Lantern: New Guardian series that covered events after Flashpoint.
Rao
Rao was one of the most powerful Kryptonian entities, who was regarded as a ‘god of the sun’ and was widely revered in Krypton’s ancient past.
The planet of Krypton orbited around a red star, also named ‘Rao’ in honor of this entity. House of El was a noble family on Krypton, and Erok-El especially worshiped Rao and even believed that the sun god blessed any males born with red hair on Krypton and that they must immediately be accepted into the military. The Kryptonian leader ‘Jaf-El’ also established a monotheistic culture, where Rao was the sole God worshiped by the Kryptonians. Rao had many churches named after him, and many Kryptonians gave up their lives to become ‘Raoists’ and act as a priest to this revered God.
In the modern timeline, Rao was considered to be a mythological figure in timelines that took place after the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Kryptonians often said the word ‘Roa’ or ‘By Rao’ out loud as a slang word to express their surprise or distress. One of the most popular Kryptonians that followed Rao was ‘Superman’, one of the few survivors of the explosion on Krypton.
Big Barda
Big Barda was one of the most popular New Gods from Apokolips and was the daughter of the Apokolips warrior ‘Big Breeda.’ At a young age, Big Barda was taken away from her mother by Darkseid and put in a Gestation lab where the demon god could imbibe genes of cruelty and ruthlessness. Darkseid’s aim was to genetically create a team of warriors, and he later sent Big Barda to Granny Goodness’s orphanage to work as a part of ‘Female Furies.’
However, Big Barda soon recognized the evil spread by Darkseid and went over to the good side after meeting Scott Free. Barda and Scott then worked along the Justice League but soon left the team to form her own defense training program known as the new Female Furies. Barda also worked alongside the Justice League of America and the Birds of Prey and was overall a very powerful presence across the universe. Barda’s powers came not only from her heritage but also from her skills and training from her formative years. She was one of the strongest New Gods in the D.C. universe, possessing the strength and skill to even go against Superman and Wonder Woman.
Gog
Gog was actually one of the ancient Old Gods to exist in the universe and had a unique ability to grant wishes. He was an extremely powerful entity, who was on a mission to wipe out any fake gods, which also included superheroes. Gog initially resided in the heavenly ‘Third World’ but ended up on Earth after a war between the Old and New Gods destroyed his home.
In ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, Gog had attained a mass of followers and had been rooting himself into the Earth. The concerned authorities concluded that they needed to separate Gog’s head from the Earth as soon as they could, before the Earth started getting dependent on this God for its existence.
The Justice Society of America tried to protect Gog but soon turned on him after seeing his attempts to transform Jay Garrick, also known as the Flash, into lightning. Gog even lost his followers after this, and the Justice Society then separated his head from the Earth. Gog accused Superman and the other superheroes of being exactly as fake as he thought them to be, and he often returned back in time to repeatedly kill Superman over and over again.
Lucifer
Lucifer Morningstar, referred to as Eosphorus in Greek Mythology is most popularly known as the devil. While Lucifer mainly has origins in Christianity, his name also has some origins in ancient Greek mythology. Lucifer means ‘light-bringer’ in Greek, and he was also known as ‘Eosphorus,’ which was a term used for the planet, Venus. He was a rebel archangel who later ruled Hell, and soon became known as the king of Hell and demons. While he does not have many crossovers with Greek Gods in D.C., Lucifer has appeared in some crossover episodes in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earth.
In New 52, Lucifer makes an appearance as the sadistic fallen angel who rules Hell, but this version was more inspired by Christian theology and not Greek mythology.
In any case, Lucifer is a cunning, evil presence in the D.C. Universe who takes pleasure in torturing the inhabitants of Hell and keeps the demons under his control.
The Wizard Shazam
Mamaragan, also known as the Wizard Shazam, was an ancient god of thunder who existed for thousands of years before Billy Batson was introduced as Shazam on Earth. Nine thousand years ago, the Wizard was chosen by six forgotten gods to become their hero when he was only just a child. Ever since then, the Wizard Shazam kept advancing up the ranks and soon became a member of the Council of Eternity that controlled magic from a place called ‘Rock of Eternity.
Here, Wizard Shazam was one of the council members who punished any beings violating any magic laws on Earth. However, at some point, the Council was attacked by ‘Black Adam’, and only Wizard Shazam survived the attack. He then visited Pandora and told her he was wrong in punishing her for being curious about opening a box. Wizard Shazam further tells her that he has given up his power of magic to a new champion on Earth, who we know as Billy Batson, a.k.a. Shazam.
Even after passing away, the Wizard keeps an eye on Billy Batson and helps him during certain situations. When Grail severs Billy’s powers, the Wizard’s spirit arranges for Billy to get his powers from the New Gods. He also reveals that the ‘Wizard’ was just a name that he had been given and that he was actually one of the New Gods known as Mamaragan.
Metron
Metron was a New God, who was introduced during the Fourth World story arc. Metron was one of the most intelligent minds of New Genesis, who always tried to look at this more scientifically. Metron was dedicated to finding knowledge in further corners of the universe. He traveled to these places with the help of a dimensional chair that he had received from ‘Mobius.’
Metron was always pursuing knowledge and once allied with the Highfather of New Genesis to look for the Life Equation. This mission led him to the Source Wall, where he learned that he would find this equation with the White Lantern.
Metron’s chair was one of his most unique possessions, and it allowed him to travel to any location and timeline in the universe. The chair also had a mind of its own and could not be tamed by just any being. During the Darkseid War, Wonder Woman tried to get her hands on the chair, but it flew right out of her control and almost disappeared before Batman got his hands on it. Later on, this chair was taken away by Batman’s evil counterpart ‘Owlman,’ and Metron was relieved to be free from the burden of the chair.
Yuga Khan
Yuga Khan was the very first ruler of Apokolips and was one of the most feared New Gods of the Fourth World. Before Darkseid, it was Yuga Khan who spread chaos and tyranny in the universe while ruling Apokolips. He later fathered Darkseid, who grew up to be an evil god who only feared his father.
Yuga Khan was a near-invincible being who existed even before the Fourth World was created. He was married to Heggra, an Apokoliptian noblewoman, who was later killed by the actions of their own son ‘Darkseid.’
Though Yuga Khan was one of the most feared Gods, he became obsessed with ‘The Source,’ which then led to his downfall. Yuga was determined to find the mystery behind the creation of the ‘Source,’ which drove him to insanity, and he ended up being trapped in the Source Wall. However, Yuga managed to free himself and then returned to Apokolips to find that Darkseid was attempting to kill him. Yuga effortlessly dodged Darkseid’s attacks and once again exhibited just how powerful he really was. Besides manipulating the ‘Source,’ Yuga Khan could also travel through hypertime and even drain the life force of any being in the universe.
Trigon
Trigon was an interdimensional demon with one of the most terrifying appearances among the New Gods of the D.C. Universe. He was a primary antagonist to the Teen Titans and was also the archenemy of his own daughter ‘Raven’.
Trigon was an immensely powerful demon, whose powers are still unknown to a large extent. He formerly ruled an alien planet, where three aliens known as ‘Divine’ showed up in order to cleanse Trigon’s soul. The Divine then summoned the ‘Heart of Darkness’ to cleanse Trigon’s soul, but the demon entity absorbed this heart and became an even more powerful force in the universe. Since the heart had collected evil souls from hundreds of galaxies, it gave an unimaginable level of power to Trigon and made him almost invincible. Trigon then killed the Divine aliens and revealed that they were actually his parents.
In a twisted act, Trigon then ripped off the Divine alien’s flesh and wore the skins of his dead parents. He often summoned women from different worlds to his dimension and then impregnated them before sending them back to their worlds to create more evil.
Morpheus
Morpheus was the Greek God of dreams, who appeared in the D.C. universe in the form of ‘Dream’ in the ‘Endless’ family. The Endless was a dysfunctional family of seven siblings, each representing aspects of life such as dreams, destruction, desire, and so on.
Dream was the personification of dreams, stories, or anything that was beyond the scope of reality. He possessed a helm made from the bones of a dead god, which protected him from any evil and kept him safe. Moreover, Dream also had a ruby that gave him his powers to warp reality and cast illusions. Dream even had a unique ‘sand of sleep’ which put people to sleep and enabled him to release dreams in the world.
Besides being a part of Endless, Morpheus was also adapted into the Wonder Woman comics, and he first appeared in the D.C. universe in 1963. He later appeared as a villain known as ‘Doctor Morpheus’ on New Earth and was also a part of the Superman T.V. series, where he played the same role as a doctor.
What happened to all the Greek Gods in D.C.?
The Greek Gods were exciting new additions to the D.C. universe in the Fourth World, but they hardly played any role in the DCEU. This is because Ares killed all the Gods in the DCEU, and then Wonder Woman killed Ares, which ended the story of the Greek Gods.
However, they are still quite widespread in the comics, especially in works that follow Wonder Woman, Zatanna, and John Constantine’s storylines. Though these Gods do not directly intervene in the lives of mortals, they do show up as supporting characters from time to time to aid the superheroes. Wonder Woman comics are especially very closely intertwined with the lives of Olympians, and we mostly see Greek Gods appear in Wonder Woman’s story arcs. Indeed there is a lot of potential to develop the scope of these New Gods in the D.C. universe and extend their roles to more comics and storylines!
Conclusion
To sum it up, incorporating Greek Gods into the D.C. universe has undoubtedly helped keep things interesting. These Gods come from a variety of origins to form a wonderful blend of mythology and sci-fi, and their presence has surely amped things up in the D.C. universe!