I Love How ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Brings Ares Into the Modern Age

Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has been such a fun ride so far that I thought it couldn’t get any better. Then Ares rolled in.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians follows the titular character as he finds out he is the son of a human woman and the god Poseidon. Now, Percy (Walker Scobell) must navigate the complicated and hidden world of the Greek gods while on a quest to find Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt. It’s a lot for a 12-year-old. At least Percy has the help of Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) on his journey.

After getting the attention of authorities when the St. Louis Gateway Arch exploded, the trio resorts to walking all the way to Los Angeles. Unexpectedly, Percy’s cousin Ares drives up and reveals all of Zeus’s children are out looking for the lightning thief. Instead of taking Percy in, Ares offers to help the trio and grab a burger together.

Who plays Ares in Percy Jackson?

Ever since I watched Kevin Smith’s outstanding take on Ares in Xena: Warrior Princess, I’ve been low-key obsessed with how the god is portrayed in media. Episode 5 of Percy Jackson didn’t disappoint. Played by Adam Copeland, this version of Ares was everything I needed him to be.

Many may be familiar with Copeland from the WWE, where he is known as Edge. Back in 1998, when Edge first hit the ring, I was an avid fan of wrestling, and Edge quickly became my favorite, so when he appeared on the back of a motorcycle, wearing a leather duster as the god of war, I may have screamed a little in excitement.

The Percy Jackson series masterfully reimagines how these ancient gods would operate in our modern world full of technology and capitalism, and Ares may be my favorite so far. He meets with the kids at a diner to discuss a deal while eating a plate of burgers and a pile of french fries. This version of Ares still looks tough and scary, but the sarcastic and catty side of him comes out, too. While he may not be starting wars in his name, he does love to “start burn wars on Twitter.” He’s a modern god who can have lunch and get people raging on the internet.

Grover butters Ares up by fangirling over Ares’s wars. He goes for the “deep cuts” to show how much he appreciates the work Ares does, and Ares loves every second. Ares opens up about how irritating his sister Athena is because she always wants to be the smartest in the room. Listen, Ares has a lot to deal with when it comes to his messed up family. The way he describes the family drama proves both accurate and hilarious.

The kids may not be able to trust Ares, but he does help them … kind of. He may not be the most trustworthy, yet I want to hang out with this Ares and listen to him being a catty brat all day long.

(featured image: Walt Disney Pictures Studios)