comScore
  1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser

Great Hera!

Our Favorite Superheroes Recast as Greek Gods

by Kellie Foxx-Gonzalez | 3:32 pm, July 23rd, 2012


Okay, so technically Wonder Woman is Diana, a Roman goddess, but they’re equivalent deities so just roll with it. I’m pretty sure artist Tim Maclean is trying to explore the relationship between religion, idolatry, and the modern superhero with these awesome portraits of superheroes painted as Classical gods, but I’m mostly just nerding out over how cool they look. Hit the jump to check out more of these quirky, allegorical mashups!

(via i09.)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

TAGS: | | | |


  • Lucas Picador

    Not to be a colossal nerd or anything, but Diana is the Romanized version of Artemis (the virgin goddess of the hunt), not Athena (the goddess of wisdom portrayed above with the Aegis, spear and owl).

  • http://www.facebook.com/aaron.treat.75 Aaron Treat

    Exactly! I love Athena so it annoys me when people screw it up.  :)
    The Roman equivalent of Athena is Minerva.

  • http://twitter.com/cameragrrl Wendy Whipple

    And Hercules is the Romanized Heracles 

  • Anonymous

    Read the title and the post, guys. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/aaron.treat.75 Aaron Treat

    But we’re not complaining about the Roman part, just the Diana/Minerva mess up.

  • http://www.commonplacebook.com electrasteph

     The shield, spear and owl belong to Athena/Minerva.

    Diana Prince, wonder woman, isn’t supposed to be Artemis/Diana as portrayed in the comic books, although Greek mythology figures into the comics heavily. She’s an Amazon, daughter of Hippolyta, not a deity. Artemis and Athena appear in the comic books with her as separate characters.

  • http://twitter.com/AbelUndercity Abel Undercity

    OK, Hulk as Heracles, Spider-Man as Hermes (the Trickster figure in Greek mythology), and Wonder Woman as Athena, I get.  I’m blanking on who Batman is supposed to be.  Little help?

  • Anonymous

    Take a look at the flower he’s holding.  He’s supposed to be Narcissus.
    Now, you ask me, does this make sense? And I’d have to say, as much sense as giving Diana an owl, or casting Spiderman as Hermes.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/RWJQWAR6FZZJMJK4TLIQ4HIXKI Alexandra

    I’m drawing a blank too.

  • http://twitter.com/Totz_the_Plaid Totz_the_Plaid

    I’m not sure why they’d cast Hulk as Hercules when Hercules is already a character in Marvel comics and a former member of both Heroes for Hire and the Avengers…

  • Anonymous

     I’m assuming that Batman is Hades.  Since Hades is associated with both wealth and the underworld, it would fit. Not sure about the flower…if those are lilies, then that is also a symbol of death and the underworld.

  • Anonymous

    wait, so who is Batman supposed to be compared with?

  • Anonymous

     http://lnk.co/I2VI9

  • http://twitter.com/AbelUndercity Abel Undercity

    A comment on the inherent self-absorption of the character?  I dunno, I can’t see Batman gazing longingly at his cowl in the mirror while a mugging is going on behind him…

  • http://twitter.com/giapet gia manry

    Spidey looks kind of depressed to be Hermes.

  • http://twitter.com/giapet gia manry

    I’m with the others who say Hades. Narcissus wasn’t a god, at least in any version of the myth I’ve read. :)

  • Robert Vary

    Batman’s supposed to be Hades. According to a few sources I found, the narcissus is associated with Hades due to its toxicity. Not many sources made that connection, but it does seem to be agreed upon that the narcissus was the flower Hades used to lure Persephone to the underworld.

    http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2258/

  • http://twitter.com/EpicPseudonym Epic Pseudonym

    I love these! I want to see more!
    Interpretation of the flowers held by Batman/Hades ranges from Narcissus to Daffodils. Asphodels (where we get the name Daffodil) are a Mediterranean flower that mythologically grew in the Underworld (in the Fields of Asphodel). I do think it wouldn’t have been inappropriate to add some jewels or money to Batman’s image, seeing as most people aren’t familiar with the flowers—though it’s great for getting people to read the myths a bit more closely.

  • Carmen Sandiego

     Hades, it seems.

  • http://twitter.com/artemna Monica Gallagher

    This is great! Can’t wait to see more, especially more superheroines!

  • http://twitter.com/Steambrew Bruce Townley

    Wouldn’t the Golden Age Flash make a better superhero than Spiderman? I mean he already looks a bit like Hermes. http://bit.ly/fNjMJv

X