Athena (Marvel Comics)

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caption=
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Athena
real_name=Pallas Athena
species=
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Thor" #164 (May 1969)
creators=Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=Olympian Gods
aliases=Minerva
powers=|

Athena is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.

Publication history

Athena first appeared in "Thor" #164 (May 1969), and was adapted from mythology by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

The character subsequently appeared in "Thor Annual" #5 (1976), "Champions" #2 (January 1976), "Thor Annual" #8 (1979), "Thor" #289 (November 1979), #291-292 (January-February 1980), "The Avengers" #283-285 (September-November 1987), "The New Warriors" #10 (July 2000), "Hercules" #4 (September 2005), "Ares" #1 (March 2006), #3 (May 2006), #5 (July 2006), "Incredible Hercules" #113 (January 2008), #115-117 (May-July 2008), "Hulk Vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide" #1 (June 2008), "She-Hulk" #30 (August 2008), and "Incredible Hercules" #120-121 (August 2008).

Athena appeared as part of the "Olympian Gods" entry in the "Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition" #9.

Fictional character biography

Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis, having emerged fully formed from her father's brow after Zeus consumed Metis in hopes of avoiding a male child who would succeed him, as he had his father. She took the place of the goddess of wisdom, war, and heroic endeavor in the Olympian pantheon. Her grey owl companion is named Pallas, a reference to her own name.

Her counterpart among the Eternals is Thena, for whom she evinces tremendous dislike.

In modern times, Athena is responsible for Aegis gaining his superhuman powers from her gift of her aegis breastplate. [revealed in "New Warriors" vol. 2, #10]

She has appeared in "The Incredible Hercules", offering shelter to Hercules and Amadeus Cho at her estate in Vermont, and warning Hercules both about Ares, and Amadeus' potential for becoming good or evil. After Hercules and Amadeus ultimately make it to her estate, she warns them of the threat of the Secret Invasion, and takes them to San Francisco, to convene a meeting of Earth's various pantheons, in the shadow of the Dreaming Celestial to discuss the threat. Following the "God Squad"'s victory, and Mikaboshi's takeover of the Skrull slave deities, Athena is shown watching from her scrying pool, and she says that this is an even better result than she had planned for. ["Incredible Hercules" #120 (August 2008)]

Powers and abilities

Athena is the mistress of many forms of knowledge. She is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant, swordswoman, and combat strategist, superior even to Ares.

References

External links

* [http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/athenami.htm Athena at the Marvel Universe Appendix]
*http://en.marveldatabase.com/Pallas_Athena_%28Earth-616%29