Greek mythology has been a huge part of the DCU for almost 80 years now, with the ancient Greek gods mentioned in the original Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel comics. As the universe has expanded into movies, shows, and other forms of media, the role of Greek mythology in it has only developed further, with various important characters related to the old Aegean stories often showing up. DC also delved into other ancient mythologies for inspiration, most notably the Egyptian gods, but it’s the Greeks who are the most utilized in the DCU — specifically Wonder Woman, where most get their first (and sometimes only) mention.
Nowadays, there’s a huge cast of Titans, gods, and demigods battling evil (and sometimes causing it) in the DCU, but just how many of our favorite characters are based on, or related to, Zeus and all his fellow powerful beings who reside on Mount Olympus? If you want a comprehensive list of every Greek god and demigod to appear in DC Comics, as well as the Titans who started it all, then read ahead!
Every Greek god to appear in the DC Universe
There are a number of Greek gods in the DCU, some of whom have appeared directly and some who are only mentioned, but still have an important bearing on plots and other characters. The gods were ruled over by Zeus. In alphabetical order, the gods are:
- Aphrodite – a daughter of Zeus and the goddess of beauty; Aphrodite is also related to Wonder Woman
- Apollo – a son of Zeus and god of the sun
- Ares – a son of Zeus also known as Mars; he was the god of war and instigated the War of the Gods, which led to Zeus’ eventual death. Zeus created the Amazonians (among them Wonder Woman) to keep Ares’ power in check
- Artemis – a daughter of Zeus and goddess of the hunt
- Athena – a daughter of Zeus and the goddess of wisdom; Athena only appears in the Amazon Fury games
- Dechalafrea Ero – also known as Dolos; he is the god of lies and creator of the Dreamstone
- Demeter – the goddess of the harvest; Demeter has appeared in the Wonder Woman comics
- Dionysus – the god of wine; he is also Zeus’ son but is only mentioned in the DCU, never appearing
- Hades – also known as Pluto and the god of the dead; Hades was Zeus’ brother, but was slain by Ares
- Hephaestus – the god of smithing and fire; he’s mentioned in the Wonder Woman comics
- Hermes – a god with super speed; Hermes is mentioned in Shazam!
- Hestia – the sister of Zeus and goddess of truth; Hestia is also Diana Prince’s aunt
- Poseidon – the god of the sea and another of Zeus’ siblings; Poseidon was also slain by Ares
- Zeus – ruler of the old gods who created the secret island of Themyscira; the wizard Shazam draws some of his power from Zeus
Every Greek demigod to appear in the DC Universe
The Greek demigods aren’t quite as powerful as the gods but still have a lot of abilities that mere mortals could only dream of. They all have one god ancestor, which is how they draw their power. The divine ancestor is usually male but is occasionally female. There are usually multiple versions of the demigods in the DCU, depending on what universe they are appearing in, but for the purposes of this list, we’ll only put down names once. Many of these demigods do not exist in actual Greek mythology but are creations by DC writers. The characters that actually have counterparts in real Greek mythology have a star next to their name.
In alphabetical order, the Greek demigods are:
- *Achilles – the son of a nymph and a king; Achilles appears in multiple DC comics, often with Captain Marvel
- Anthea – the daughter of the Titan Atlas; Anthea appeared in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and has many powers, including magic and super strength
- *Cassandra – a daughter of Zeus; Cassandra has the power to control people with her voice
- Cassandra Sandsmark – Zeus’s granddaughter; Cassandra Sandsmark is blessed with super strength and agility, and can even defy gravity
- *Circe – the daughter of a Titan and a nymph; Circe is a powerful witch who often comes up against Wonder Woman
- Devastation – created by the Titans to destroy Wonder Woman; Devastation is an excellent swordswoman
- Diana Prince/Wonder Woman – the daughter of Zeus and one of the DCU’s most famous metahumans; Wonder Woman is an Amazonian dedicated to saving the world from evil. She is a founding member of the Justice League, and most recently has been played by Gal Gadot.
- Donna Troy/Wonder Girl – Wonder Woman’s sidekick is bestowed with the same powers as other Amazonians, although we don’t know her official parentage
- *Euphemus – the son of Poseidon; Euphemus appears as an antagonist to Wonder Woman
- *Helen of Troy – the face that launched a thousand ships; Helen has appeared in multiple DC comics, starting from the 1940s
- *Herakles/Hercules – the son of Zeus and blessed with super strength, Herakles (or Hercules) appears in multiple Wonder Woman comics
- Hespera – another daughter of Atlas; Hespera also appeared in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and can control the elements
- *Hippolyta – daughter of Ares and mother to Wonder Woman; Hippolyta is a powerful queen who mostly interferes on the side of good, but can be morally ambiguous
- Hippolyta Milton – the daughter of Circe and Ares; Hippolyta Milton is a neutral force despite her parents being antagonists in the DCU
- Jason – Wonder Woman’s twin brother; Jason is blessed with similar powers to his sister, and appears in the Justice League comics. There is a character in Greek mythology also called Jason, but he is not related to Hippolyta as the DCU Jason is.
- Kalypso – daughter to Atlas; Kalypso hates humans and has the power of mind control
- Lennox – the son of Zeus; Lennox teams up with his half sister Wonder Woman in the Wonder Woman comics
- *Lycus – another son of Ares; Lycus has his father’s lust for blood, and has appeared in Teen Titans
- Milan – blessed with the ability to see even though he has no eyes; Milan is another son of Zeus and half brother to Wonder Woman
- Nubia – Wonder Woman’s sister; Nubia has the same powers as Diana Prince
- *Perseus – yet another son to Zeus; Perseus appeared in DC comics from the 1960s up until the ’90s. The character exists in real Greek mythology, and while his mother remains the same, his father isn’t Zeus anywhere except in the DCU.
- Siracca – appearing in the Wonder Woman comics; Siracca is another child of Zeus who can control the wind
- *Thrax – the son of Ares; Thrax has only appeared in the DCU once, in the 2009 Wonder Woman film starring Keri Russell
Every Titan to appear in the DC Universe
In Greek mythology and in the DCU, the Titans were the beings in power before their children, the gods, took over. There are 12 original Titans in total, and they make multiple appearances in the DCU. They have played a vital part in the universe, especially when it comes to the wizard Shazam, who drew much of his power from them. Atlas and Prometheus are two children of the original dozen Titans who are also considered Titans, and they have also appeared in the DCU, bringing the total number up to 14.
In alphabetical order, the Titans who’ve appeared or been mentioned in the DCU are:
- Atlas – In Greek mythology, Atlas was condemned to carrying the sky for eternity, and in the DCU, this means he has a special hatred for humans. He appears in many pieces of Shazam content, including comics and films.
- Coeus – appears in multiple comics
- Cronus – has appeared in the Wonder Woman comics
- Crius – has only appeared in one comic, New Teen Titans #11
- Hyperion – appeared in multiple comics
- Iapetus – has also only appeared in New Teen Titans #11
- Mnemosyne – appeared in New Teen Titans #11
- Oceanus – appeared in multiple Teen Titans comics
- Phoebe – has appeared in both the New Teen Titans and New Titans comic series
- Prometheus – confusingly the name of some other famous villains in the DCU, Prometheus the titan also appears in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Rhea – has appeared in the Justice League comics
- Tethys – appeared in New Teen Titans #11
- Themis – New Teen Titans #11
- Thia – mother to Lilith; Thia appeared in numerous comics
