With the appearance of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the arrival of the Dark Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all but a certainty. And while John Walker/U.S. Agent seems likely to become one of the team's members, casting news from Thor: Love and Thunder makes clear another Dark Avenger is also on his way.
Russell Crowe's role in Love and Thunder was a mystery after being spotted on the film's set in March, until the actor casually revealed that he's playing Zeus on an Australian radio show. Zeus may be a target for Christian Bale's Gorr The God Butcher, but also opens up the possibility for the rest of Marvel's version of the Greek Pantheon to join the MCU. Chief among them is Ares, a former Avengers villain and member of two different incarnations of the team.
Ares first appeared in 1966's Thor #129 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which established his sibling rivalry with Hercules when he refused to fight on his half-brother's behalf against Pluto. Ares' antipathy towards Hercules deepened over the years, as the jovial Prince of Power retained his popularity with god and mortal alike, while Ares was shunned for his warmongering.
Ares' rivalry with Hercules extended to his Avengers teammates. Ares teamed up with established Avengers villain the Enchantress multiple times, which included a failed attempt to conquer Olympus. He also formed his own team, the Warhawks, to incite violence on Earth through the spells of Satyrs. Many of the Avengers briefly fell under that spell before Thor and The Vision put a stop to it.
Ares attempted to turn over a new leaf when he ended the Siege of Olympus by Pluto and his army of the dead. Expecting to be embraced by the gods, he was still hated because of his lust for battle. Tired of being the black sheep of Olympus, he gave up his godhood, renounced warmongering and lived as a mortal. During that time period he fathered a child named Alexander, who later joined Nick Fury's Secret Warriors.
While working construction in post-superhero Civil War New Jersey, Ares was recruited by Iron Man and Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) for their pro-registration Mighty Avengers squad. With his cover blown, Ares registered under threat of being deported to Olympus by S.H.I.E.L.D. director Tony Stark, who did at least match his hourly wage. Ares became a full-fledged Avenger, working alongside heroes like Wasp and Black Widow. He played a pivotal role in battles against Ultron and Doctor Doom, and even came into conflict with Hercules again when his half-brother opposed Earth's heroes during World War Hulk.
Ares was one of two Avengers to join Norman Osborn's government sanctioned Dark Avengers team after the former Green Goblin rose to power. Unlike the supervillains posing as established heroes that made up the rest of the team, Ares simply reasoned that he was continuing the battle Stark's team started. Unfortunately for him, The Sentry was the other holdover from the Mighty team. In an infamous fight during the Siege of Asgard, the Sentry tore Ares in half. Like any god worth their salt, he was eventually resurrected.
It's easy to see Ares as a member of the MCU Dark Avengers team Val appears to be recruiting in place of Osborn. He could slide into the enforcer role that characters like Crossbones have played, as his battle lust and intimidating presence would make him a perfect heavy. While he doesn't yet have a rivalry with him, Ares could be the antithesis of Thor on the team. A potential Hercules film or Disney+ show could take place before the Dark Avengers make their debut as a team, giving him more depth and motivation.
While Ares has played the villain as often as his DC counterpart, he's grown into a tragic anti-hero over the years. It wouldn't be shocking to see him have the same evolution in the MCU. Whether he's a Dark Avenger or not, Ares should be a force to be reckoned with.
Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Love and Thunder stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Jaimie Alexander as Lady Sif, Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula and Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. The film arrives in theaters May 6, 2022.