Zeus

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Zeus
Zeus in Godzilla: Rage Across Time
Species Olympian
Relations Olympians (immediate family)
Allies Olympians, Hydra
Enemies Godzilla
First appearance Godzilla: Rage Across Time #2

Zeus is the god of lightning, god of the sky, and king of the gods in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He appears in IDW Publishing's 2016 Godzilla comic Godzilla: Rage Across Time #2. When he and his fellow olympians’ worshippers mysteriously renounce their faith and engage in a massive war, Zeus and the other gods indulge in argument regarding their course of reaction until their own egos become their deaths at the hands of Godzilla.

Design

Zeus is a muscular humanoid with long white hair and a beard. His hair is pushed backwards, exposing Zeus’ forehead. He wears a golden laurel around his head, golden armbands on each wrist, and a short robe around his waist. After expunging his power, Zeus loses his muscular figure which results him turning very scrawny, his facial hair appearing longer, and his hair straightened. On the day of his death, Zeus wore a heavy, brown hooded robe and possessed a cane, giving him a hermit like appearance. It is revealed in his last moment of peace that he is right-handed.

Personality

Up until he became powerless, Zeus was self-centered, egotistical, arrogant, and aggressive, taking his worshippers for granted and letting his status as a God get to his head. Zeus didn’t hesitate to break into an argument with his fellow Olympians, showcasing his colors greatly. After losing everything but his life, Zeus flips a leaf in the form of gaining humility and self-reflection. He began to feel sympathy for humans and made an effort to regaining his power by acquiring an in-depth understanding of them. Sadly, he never got to make the fruit of his efforts a reality due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24th, 79 CE. Unbeknownst to him, the eruption of the volcano was caused by Godzilla, the creature he deemed his devil. Zeus was petrified as he was engulfed by a powerful blue glow, his remains and expressed horror being unknowingly discovered in the modern day.

History

Godzilla: Rage Across Time #2

After a war broke out unbeknownst to Zeus and the Olympians, an unknown entity destroyed both armies, causing Hermes, the messenger god to inform Zeus of the crisis and to help plan a course of action. Zeus however, did not care that the mortals were gone, and in fact resented them for their turning away from the gods and stopping their prayers and sacrifices. His children Ares and Aphrodite then suggested ways Zeus could regain the mortal's respect, with Ares suggesting he create tragedy, and Aphrodite suggesting that he give the mortals bountiful benefits to inspire them to give thanks. Zeus ignored them while his brother Poseidon went to investigate the attack on the mortal warships. While he was gone, Zeus's wife Hera tried to persuade Zeus to begin caring about the mortals again before disaster struck them, when they looked below them and saw that the city surrounding their home atop Mount Olympus had been flooded, and the monster Godzilla, whom Zeus identified as "his Devil" was swimming toward the mountain. Knowing that his brother was dead, Zeus summoned the Hydra to defend his home. Godzilla quickly defeated the Hydra by driving it into Mount Olympus, the impact of which brought the mountain down on top of it, killing it and every Olympian except for Zeus. Brimming with rage, Zeus summoned an enormous bolt of lightning that sealed away Godzilla, leveled the ruins of the city, and drained Zeus of his godly power and muscle mass. Zeus then went on to carve out a life in the Roman Empire in the city of Pompeii where he began to try to learn to empathize with the mortals to better himself before returning to godhood and began to record the tale of his fall. Just as he finished an illustration of the monster that brought his reign to an end, Mount Vesuvius erupted and Godzilla emerged from it in a blast of atomic fire, killing Zeus and preserving him in a position of utter terror and disbelief for thousands of years.

Abilities

Lightning manipulation

Zeus has the ability to send lightning down from the sky at will, or summon lightning in his hands. When he is angered, lightning also begins to appear in his eyes. As the god of lightning and the sky, Zeus naturally possesses electrokinesis and weather manipulation.

Physical abilities

It is inferred throughout the olympians’ argument that Zeus is the strongest and most powerful amongst themselves. Ares, the god of war himself, expressed sycophantic ideas regarding Zeus’ potential intent to intimidate or force their worshippers into reasserting their faith in the Olympians.

Durability

Zeus survived the collapse of Mount Olympus when Godzilla caused it to crumble down.

Hydra

Zeus is capable of summoning the Hydra, an enormous serpentine monster capable of regenerating its head(s).

Weaknesses

Despite being a god, Zeus was shown to be neither all-powerful nor immortal. Zeus drained himself of his power by unleashing all of it upon Godzilla, and was later killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius caused by Godzilla. Additionally, the issue infers a mutual connection between Zeus and his worshippers in which his power is affected by the amount of faith possessed in the people, hence both the moral of the story and the cause of Zeus and his fellow Olympians’ demise.

Gallery

External links

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