Ares
We’ve unarguably reached the stage in the development of the comic book movie genre where most of the villains being faced by our heroes are CGI creations. Sure, there are human and humanoid examples – such as Lex Luthor, Ego, General Zod and Ivan Vanko, for example – but these are far outnumbered by the likes of Thanos, Steppenwolf, Ultron, Doomsday, and the Chitauri. The point here is that human and humanoid villains remain far more terrifying than CGI monsters, because they’re familiar and relatable – making stories that rely on CGI monsters feel somewhat cowardly at this stage.
This is why Ares, as portrayed by David Thewlis in Wonder Woman is such a great comic book movie character. Firstly, his identity constitutes one of the two big plot twists of the film. We think, as does Diana, that the Nazi General Ludendorff is Ares, because he’s so thoroughly evil. But Diana kills him and nothing changes. When Sir Patrick then reveals himself to be Ares, we’re faced with the unsettling truth – the true villain has presented himself as an ally, all along. This means that, when Ares begins to ‘monologue,’ and reveal his nefarious plan to Wonder Woman, he does so in the voice and visage of a friend.
He tries to convince Diana of the worthlessness of mankind, and manipulate her into joining his cause. His longterm actions lead to the death of Steve Trevor, and this inspires such rage in Wonder Woman that she momentarily lashes out, with indiscriminate force. Such is the power of this depiction of Ares – he does not need to create computer generated maelstroms, nor fill the screen with motion-capture shenanigans. All he needs to do is take hold of Wonder Woman’s Lasso Of Truth, and speak quietly of his hopes and dreams.
Inevitably, a giant showdown occurs and the two Gods clash on a computer enhanced battlefield. But, even then, the CGI on Ares constitutes only a suit of armour, drawn from the debris on the airfield on which they’re fighting. We still know who’s inside because the majority of his screen time has been spent as a human man whom we once considered a friend.
