Ares has joined Norman Osborn’s Avengers team and is assigned by his new boss to train the next round of HAMMER troops, called “Team Shade.”
Besides the slick reference to General Patton…
…Ares does in fact train an elite fighting force.
As a result of a trick by Hera, Ares goes to take his son back from Nick Fury (who has been training the boy to be part of his Secret Warriors). Ares and Fury had an agreement, which was that as long as Fury took care of Alex, Ares would not pursue him. But Hera tells Ares that his son has been hurt and goes after Fury. But when he finally reaches the location where Alex is supposed to be, he instead finds a different son.
It is Kyknos, who is out for revenge–and Ares must kill him in the end.
Ares’ expressed regret at this outcome–which parallels his reasoning for letting Nick Fury raise Alex: Ares knows he’s a crappy father.
This is perhaps the highest water mark for the Dark Reign era. The dialogue is excellent, as is the art and character-work. The story is unpredictable but a perfect war-based tale of violence and its consequences. Most excellent.
English (US) · 