With Zeus making an MCU appearance in Thor: Love and Thunder, Russell Crowe’s is just one of many takes on the king of the gods in the pantheon of media depictions of the Greek gods. The Greek gods have been appearing in movies, TV shows, video games, and more, with many of these depictions proving memorable.
However, it should be noted that the creative minds behind these adaptations occasionally take liberties with the gods, goddesses, and figures of Greek myth. This means that many gods are misrepresented frequently, with creators often being forced to soften their image to fit the narrative they’re telling.
Kratos Wasn't Actually That Big Of A Deal
Kratos, of God of War fame, has proven to be quite sympathetic, but that's only come recently after years of slaughtering his way through Ancient Greece long before. His counterpart from actually Greek Myth however never did any of that, in fact, he barely did anything.
According to Mythology and Fiction Explained, not only was Kratos not the son of Zeus, he was far from being the god of war. Instead, he was the son of Styx, one of the few Titans to pledge allegiance to Zeus. The biggest role he ever got to play was helping to chain Prometheus to a rock so that a massive eagle to peck out his liver.
Medusa Wasn't A Snake Woman
As modern media has proven, one of iconic visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen's most iconic monsters is his take on Medusa, a version of the character that debuted in Clash of The Titans and has proven to be a favorite. That said, while the original incarnation is properly horrifying as opposed to the more beautiful version from the remake, both have some visual inaccuracies.
As Mythology and Fiction Explained puts it, the earliest depictions of Medusa and her sisters were as hideous, snake-haired harpies with menacing wings who hunted men for doing unspeakable acts. As time passed, many variations of the character painted her in a cornucopia of lights, from Ovid's more problematic origin story for Medusa, to the Greeks' re-revision which gave her more agency. However, her snake-like body is an invention of the screen.
Thanatos Was A Rare Positive Look At Death
Nowadays, death is seen as a negative thing, so whenever the Greek god of death known as Thanatos makes an appearance these days, he is portrayed as a villain akin to the Grim Reaper. That isn't always the case though, as Thanatos' characterization in Hades is a lot more accurate to his true self.
According to Mythology and Fiction Explained, their video on Thanatos details his role in Greek myth. Back in Ancient Greece, the Greeks strived to go to either the Elysium Fields or the Asphodel Meadows, so death was looked at more positively. Thanatos was portrayed as a beautiful young man with a dark pair of angel wings and was far more kind than his more villainous takes in media.
Persephone Was As Feared As Her Husband
In most of her modern depictions, Persephone is either a captive of Hades stuck in a loveless marriage or a meet-cute of epic proportions. Her marriage to Hades isn't as enforced as many believe, nor is it some grand fairy tale love story. Instead, it was somewhere in the middle.
Nonetheless, according to Overly Sarcastic Productions, her reputation as Queen of The Underworld made the Ancient Greeks afraid to even utter her name. In fact, Persephone's power had such a reputation that Persephone, when her name was used, was referred to as "Dread Persephone."
Ares' Role Wasn't As Important As Most Would Think
Ares is the god of war, who has appeared in numerous media such as God of War and as a Wonder Woman villain. That said, Ares wasn't significant enough to be even considered a villain in Greek myth, yet according to Mythology and Fiction Explained, he performed some relatively questionable actions.
The most notable thing Ares did was have an affair with Aphrodite, which was exposed by her husband Hephaestus. Ares also wasn't held in high regard by his father Zeus, who preferred his daughter Athena's approach to war, which prompted Ares to deeply resent his sister.
Hera Was Only A Villain Because Of Zeus
The long-suffering wife of Zeus is portrayed as a villain in most media, especially in Blood of Zeus, where she was one of the many gods shown. While she was perhaps a bit harsh towards the illegitimate children of Zeus, her contempt towards them is completely on her husband.
To paraphrase Mythology and Fiction Explained, there are numerous stories where Hera caught Zeus in the act yet refused to take any of the blame. Zeus horribly mistreated Hera, as he constantly cheated on her, thus provoking her vengeful jealousy and acts of malice.
Poseidon Had A Really Bad Temper
Though he's about to join his son Percy Jackson in his upcoming Disney+ series, Poseidon wasn't as chill as that depiction portrays him as. According to Mythology Source, it wasn't difficult to offend Poseidon, as his anger created geological anomalies that put a lot of people in danger.
Poseidon's wrath puts many mortal lives in danger, most notably the hero Odysseus, and he was involved in the creation of the Minotaur. When Minos, the king of Crete, failed to sacrifice a white bull that was gifted to him by the god of the sea but rather than simply correct the king, Poseidon made Minos' wife fall in love with the bull, leading to the birth of The Minotaur.
Heracles Murdered His Family
If Disney's Hercules were mythologically accurate, it would be a lot darker. First off, according to Overly Sarcastic Productions, his name in Greece was actually Heracles. Second, the famous 12 Labors of Heracles only happened because Heracles murdered his wife and children after being driven mad by Hera, one of the goddess' less sympathetic moments.
As a result, he had to perform 12 tasks for his cousin King Eurysthis, each labor seemingly being more impossible than the last. Though he ultimately accomplishes these tasks and achieves his freedom, Heracles' actions during a good deal of these labors were underhanded, to say the least.
Zeus Was The Worst
Zeus, the king of the gods, is a good example of how sometimes taking creative liberties is a good thing. There is no way that Zeus could be portrayed as he is in Greek myth and still be played off as a heroic figure, which is how he is often portrayed.
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According to Britannica, the list of Zeus' horrible actions is lengthy, including seducing and having his way with many people, and many have suffered simply for the glorification of Zeus' ego, many including people he called his friend. For someone with an insane amount of power, Zeus' levels of recklessness and depravity are extremely troubling, thus explaining why most media has softened his image.
Hades Was Not The Devil
Whereas Zeus proves creative minds occasionally need to alter the Greek gods' characterization, Hollywood went the opposite direction with Hades, as the character is often made an analog for Satan. Often portrayed as a stereotypically devilish villain, the real Hades wasn't so chaotically evil.
According to Mythology and Fiction Explained, Hades' actions and judgment were actually rather fair, with the god of The Underworld being seen as being more reasonable than his brothers Zeus and Poseidon. While he wasn't always a good guy, the manner in which he got Persephone to marry him being a testament to that, he was a bit more complex than the evil depictions he's been subjected to.