15+ Coincidences We Observed Between Stories Of Modern Heroes And Figures From Mythology

Have you ever wondered where so much creativity comes from in the conception of modern superheroes, like the Avengers or the Justice League and their stories? Or do you prefer more classic narratives like the Iliad and Odyssey, or Norse and Celtic myths?

Stories of adventure and mystery featuring superpowered figures have inspired and entertained people for thousands of years. The characters from then and now are a mixture of concepts, cultures, knowledge and even dreams, with a good dose of imagination.

Therefore, we awesome.club we’ve put together a list of mythological characters and show how their powers and stories inspired the creation of modern superheroes. Shall we check it out together?

Let’s, first of all, get the obvious out of the way. Marvel brought its readers their versions of the Norse gods of Asgard, starting with Thor, created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, in 1962. With the success of the hero, other characters from Norse Mythology were gaining their versions and their trajectories blending together, based on an adaptation of classical myths.

The Thor of mythology is the god of thunder, son of Odin, the father of all gods, and half-brother of the god of trickery, Loki. In order to become superheroes, Marvel artists had to make some adaptations. The mythological Thor, for example, needed a special glove to wield the Mjolnir hammer and wore a belt that increased his strength. Loki is basically: sometimes doing good, sometimes doing evil, assuming different forms and always very charismatic.

A little less known to the general public for (yet) not having their own movies, the gods of Olympus also got their versions in the comics. Marvel has its Hercules, a “swashbuckling” version of the demigod Heracles, and with him all the other gods as third-tier heroes. But who really took advantage of Greek mythology was DC, with the creation of Wonder Woman.

In the next topic we will talk more about it. For now it is important to know that her origin is all based on the myth of the Amazons, being herself the daughter of Queen Hippolyta and Zeus, the god of thunder and all gods. From that point on, all the other gods began to figure in the heroine’s stories, especially her archenemy, Ares, the god of war, inspired by the homonymous myth.

Now, let’s talk about the heroines and heroes created especially for modern stories, with origins and powers similar to those of ancient myths. Starting with her, the beautiful and powerful Wonder Woman. Her story is based on the legend of the Amazons, a nation of warrior women who participated in epics such as the Trojan War and the Twelve Labors of Hercules.

The idea of ​​having a nation inhabited only by warrior, strong and independent women is fascinating and inspiring. So much so that the origin of Wonder Woman was all allocated on the fictional island of Themyscira, where the Amazons of DC live. Marvel also took advantage of this concept very well with the Dora Milaje, from Wakanda, the country of the Black Panther. They are warriors who form an elite troop to protect the country. In the movies, they are led by General Okoye.

Artemis was the Greek goddess of hunting, wildlife, the moon, also magic and very much associated with the protection of girls. No wonder she is the most representative goddess of Wonder Woman and the Amazons, so much so that the heroine was baptized with the Roman name of the goddess: Diana. But, as we’ve already talked about them too much, let’s stick to Artemis’s main tools: the bow and arrow.

Although they seem harmless to heroes, anyone who is a fan knows the damage they can do, just by choosing the right arrow. The most famous archers among heroes are DC’s Arrow/Green Arrow and Marvel’s Hawkeye. None of them have superpowers, but they are excellent at aiming and making arrows of all kinds, in addition to being excellent in combat and in the use of melee weapons. Like Artemis, they are hunters, but of criminals.

Hephaestus was known as the blacksmith of the gods, having built for his equals tools and weapons such as Achilles’ armor and the magic shield that Zeus used in battle against the Titans. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths and artisans, metals, fire and volcanoes. Hephaestus built himself a magnificent bronze palace filled with mechanical servants. Metal, technology, armor… do they remind you of anyone?

Marvel’s Iron Man and DC’s Cyborg can be directly linked to the god Hephaestus, both for their technological nature and their metal-covered bodies. If they were ancient Greek superheroes, they would definitely be followers of Hephaestus. Both heroes don’t have superpowers, so they need their armor to act. And Hephaestus, in addition to making tools for the gods, also made them for humans.

While his brother Zeus dominated the surface, Poseidon was in charge of being the supreme god of the seas and oceans. His powers included controlling waves and tides, but he could also control coastal storms and trigger earthquakes — all thanks to his trident. This god is also linked to the lost city of Atlantis, which was believed to have sunk into the sea with its residents acquiring the ability to breathe in water.

All these myths together inspired DC to create the hero Aquaman. He is the result of a relationship between a surface human and the queen of the Atlanteans, so he was born with powers and characteristics of both peoples. He has powers to control aquatic animals, superhuman strength and agility, in addition to Poseidon’s trident that controls water. Marvel also has an Atlantean hero, Namor, who is set to make his theatrical debut in the upcoming Black Panther movie.

One of the sons of Zeus, Hermes is one of the oldest gods in Greece. That’s why the deities of fertility, magic, divination, in addition to travel and roads are attributed to him. Among so many functions, he was still considered the messenger of the gods, since he had wings on his feet that gave him very high speed. Some artists painted this deity with winged sandals, and also with a typical hat, also with wings.

Wings have always been present in DC’s Flash hero uniform, which has super speed power. So much so that the first Flash, Jay Garrick, wore the same hat as the god Hermes, wings and all. Afterwards, they were moved to the ears on the masks of the other versions of the character. The inspiration in Hermes is also explicit in Marvel’s super-fast hero, Mercury, since that is the name of the same god in Roman syncretism.

Do you know when someone is angry with a person who is too perfect? For Apollo may be considered one of these. For the Greeks, the Sun was a fiery chariot drawn by Apollo, who was also the deity of beauty, harmony, perfection, reason and balance. He was so powerful and so worshiped by mortals that all other gods feared him except his parents, Zeus and Leto. On top of all that, he was still the god of sudden death as he had infallible arrows.

There’s only one hero who brings together power, perfection, and beauty (we’re looking at you, Henry): Superman. He is a symbol of hope when he crosses the skies, as well as Apollo in his chariot, and his powers come precisely from exposure to the Sun. Apollo’s reason and balance are comparable to Superman’s moral code that he does not kill, despite having the power to do so, and we can say that his heat vision replaces the Greek god’s arrows.

Do you think Superman and Wonder Woman are very similar in powers? For the coincidences do not stop there: Apollo was the twin brother of Artemis, one of the inspirations for Wonder Woman, as mentioned above.

Many are wrong saying that Hades was the god of hell. In fact, he was considered the god of the dead and shadow creatures and his underground realm, which was also called Hades, was the destination of all the dead. Also, the Greeks considered him the god of riches, since all natural resources come from the earth. So much so that his Roman name, Pluto, means rich in Latin.

Well, there is only one hero who lives underground, works in the shadows and is extremely rich: Batman. If, on the one hand, Hades is the god most hated by mortals, on the other hand, we have Batman, the most feared hero. Bruce Wayne created the bat name and costume precisely to intimidate the criminals in his city, and he only acts at night. His personality doesn’t inspire much sympathy either: he’s cold, determined, and inflexible. Very close to Hades, the relentless lord of death.

If Hades was the god of the dead, Thanatos was the god of death. In fact, the personification of death, which meant that his visit was a sign that the person would die. He also lived in Hades, the realm of the god Hades, and was the brother of Hypnos, the personification of sleep. Thanatos was the son of night and darkness, and grandson of Chaos. With a family like that, he would hardly be the god of butterflies, agree?

Both the name and the motivation were direct and clear inspiration for the creation of the Marvel villain Thanos. In the comics, he is a mad demigod who seeks to destroy the Universe, only to conquer his beloved, Death. Already in the cinema, Thanos’ universal genocide has another motivation: he wants to destroy “only” half of the Universe.

We talk so much about Zeus, but he was missing a topic. Well deserved, since he is the father of the gods, responsible for maintaining order and justice, despite enjoying mischief among mortals. The most important thing for us now is that Zeus was the god of the skies, of lightning and lightning. So much so that he was commonly represented in statues and paintings holding a thunderbolt, as if it were a scepter.

There are several heroes and villains with electrical powers, such as SuperShock, Electro, and Black Lightning. But no one better than the Storm to represent powers to generate lightning and lightning, and even blizzards and hurricanes. In fact, she was considered a goddess by the inhabitants of the Kenyan tribes who protected her with her powers, in addition to bringing rain to the crops. Sure enough, the character used her powers much better than Zeus.

Eros was the god of love, son of the other goddess of love Aphrodite, better known as Cupid. Do you know the figure of a beautiful and slender boy, with white wings and arrows that make people fall in love? This is Eros. But you…