Poseidon is the name of a

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

deity who is based on the Greek god of the same name. Due to his status as Greek

god of the sea A water deity is a deity in mythology associated with water or various bodies of water. Water deities are common in mythology and were usually more important among civilizations in which the sea or ocean, or a great river was more important. Ano ...

, the character has figured primarily in stories relating to two of DC Comics' main

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

properties:

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

(an Amazon warrior with various connections to the

Greek pantheon A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of d ...

) and

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...

(the king of the underwater city of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

Publication history

Poseidon first appears in ''Flash Comics'' #9 and was adapted by

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (co ...

Fictional character biography

Poseidon's history in Greek mythology is the same in the DC Comics universe, including the fact that he's the brother of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

and

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

. When the Amazons freed themselves from enslavement arranged in part by

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...

, the founding Goddesses of that people received the help of Poseidon, who had a deep grievance against the war god, to get the Amazons to safety by parting the sea waters to create a path to the island of Themyscira. When

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

was fighting the undersea creatures called the Kogats, he received help from Poseidon who helped to destroy them. With the help of Proteus, Poseidon sees into the future where he takes an interest in Mera and plans to make her his wife. Proteus provides Poseidon with "time pods" that allow him to travel back and forth in time. When Poseidon abducts Mera,

steals one of the Olympian's time pods and follows him. Zeus proposes a contest to retrieve a golden apple beneath the sea, with Mera going to the winner. Despite Poseidon's cheating, Aquaman manages to win the contest. Angered, Poseidon takes Mera and flees to Aquaman's time. Aquaman and Aqualad follow with the help of Zeus and save both Mera and Poseidon from a berserk creature created by Mera. Poseidon vows to mend his ways, and Aquaman gives him a pod with which he can travel back to his normal era. After

was defeated by

, Poseidon was with the Gods when they rejoiced. With Wonder Woman dying from the wounds she sustained in her fight against Ares, Zeus orders Poseidon to take Wonder Woman underwater to heal her. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon meet atop the corpse of their father and revise their pact. They will join forces to build a new Olympus. After Aquaman had defeated Poseidon's son Triton in combat, Poseidon decrees that the humiliation of a God is something to which no mortal should ever play witness. As punishment, Poseidon blinds Aquaman. Aquaman tells Poseidon to go to Hell, but Poseidon merely laughs at him and disappears.

The New 52

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

reboot of DC's continuity, Poseidon is reintroduced when Wonder Woman arrives at the Thames River in order to gain an audience with him. Poseidon appears to Wonder Woman in the form of a massive, furry, tentacled

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...

. Poseidon senses Zeus' blood in Diana and warns her that her heritage has no meaning with Zeus' death, and demands that she step aside. Acknowledging Poseidon's claim to the heavens, Diana warns that Hera has already claimed them as her own. Poseidon is angered, lifting her up by the neck as citizens watch in horror from the bridge. Poseidon is skeptical that Hera hopes to gain control over all of Olympus. If it is true, he will make her kneel to him. The world was split between the three brothers - sea, heavens, and hell. The rest were scraps left to the other gods. Now, he has the power to destroy those scraps or leave them be. It will be up to the others to decide which they want. Without a king, he says, Hera has nothing. Wonder Woman is not making much progress with her bargain to Poseidon as he swats her up onto the London Bridge. When Lennox and Hades arrive at where Wonder Woman and Poseidon are, Wonder Woman makes her proposal: that Olympus could be ruled by the sea by day and the underworld by night, all while sharing a queen. Poseidon finds the deal laughable. Just then, the group is approached by Hera. Poseidon is amused by the fact that Hera played him and Hades as fools. Poseidon regards this as a mistake that will not be made again, swallowing the First Born whole. The First Born later confronts Poseidon who regrets Zeus' decision to let the First Born Live. Within the belly of Poseidon, the First Born and Cassandra find their way to Poseidon's true home where Poseidon offers him a deal. He will return the First Born's weapon and allow him to overtake Mount Olympus in exchange for leaving the sea and the Underworld to its current rulers. Naturally, the First Born refuses. Poseidon warns that if the First Born kills him there, he will forever be trapped within the god's corpse. As such, it behooves him to make a deal. The deal will be sealed in blood, and the First Born slits his finger, and mingles his blood with Poseidon's own. With the deal made, Poseidon warns that the ruler of Olympus is now Apollo. After letting the First Born on his way, Poseidon and Hades note that the two enemies the First Born faces are formidable. They hope that one will be destroyed by him, while the other will destroy him. While on Mount Olympus, Apollo is looking at his reflection until it is interrupted by Poseidon who mocks Apollo's claim.''Wonder Woman'' (vol. 4) #20

Powers and abilities

Like the other Olympian Gods, Poseidon possesses super-strength, super-speed, shapeshifting, immortality, and invulnerability. Poseidon can control the seas and all life that dwells within them.

In other media

* Poseidon appears in flashbacks depicted in the ''

Justice League The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

'' episode "The Terror Beyond". In Atlantis' ancient past, he battled demons called the "Old Ones" before gathering all of Earth's mystical energy into his trident to force the Old Ones far from Earth, at the cost of Atlantis sinking into the ocean. * Poseidon appears in flashbacks depicted in ''

'', in which he is killed by

References

External links

Poseidon
at DC Comics Wiki {{Aquaman Comics characters introduced in 1940 Characters created by George Pérez DC Comics deities DC Comics male characters DC Comics characters who are shapeshifters Fictional characters with immortality Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Fictional characters with water abilities Fictional gods Classical mythology in DC Comics DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters who use magic DC Comics characters with superhuman strength Poseidon Greek and Roman deities in fiction Wonder Woman characters Aquaman