Episode 5 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ saw the introduction of Adam Copeland's Ares to the story.
As seen in the episode, Ares has a big role in the story of The Lightning Thief, the Percy Jackson novel adapted in the show's first season.
Given this, and his complete absence from the Percy Jackson movies, fans had much to look forward to from the god of war, and Episode 5 certainly gave fans a lot of new content.
Ares in Percy Jackson Episode 5
Warning - article contains spoilers for Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
Fans first met Ares (Adam Copeland) a couple of scenes into the fifth episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.
Percy, Grover, and Annabeth find themselves literally on the side of a road, seemingly planning to hitchhike their way to Los Angeles in order to complete their quest, before a man on a motorcycle stops to talk to them.
The man first reveals he knows of the quest, and then tells the trio that he is actually Ares, the god of war. He buys the heroes lunch at a diner and implies he may know a bit more about the situation surrounding the Master Bolt than he originally implied.
Ares discusses the story of Kronos, and how he is thrilled at the prospect of what is looking more and more like an inevitable war among the gods. Then, he sends Percy and Annabeth to Waterland, in order to retrieve his left-behind shield.
While the fan-named Percabeth duo sets out on their sub-quest, Grover and Ares get to talking. Grover coaxes some valuable information out of the war god, sharing with the viewers more about himself in the process.
Through Ares' conversation with Grover, both fans and the satyr learn that Ares seems to be involved in the theft of the master bolt, in some capacity. Of course, book fans know exactly what capacity that is, but Grover has not gotten there yet.
After Percy and Annabeth return, Ares fulfills his promise of a ride for their quest, sending them to meet Hermes at the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, via a truck full of live animals.
Before ushering the trio into the zoo-truck, though, Percy makes sure to make his anger toward the god known — a feeling toward Ares that stays present, and plot-relevant, throughout the rest of Percy's life so far in the books.
Will Ares Appear More in Percy Jackson?
If the books are any indication — and given what has been shown in various trailers for the series — this is not the last time fans will see Copeland as Ares in Percy Jackson and the Olympians' first season.
In fact, Percy and Ares have an iconic, one-on-one fight on the beach in the book, wherein Percy actually draws godly blood from the war god.
In doing this, Percy is able to take the final necessary steps to return Zeus' master bolt to the lightning god, and Hades' helm of darkness to the god of the Underworld.
Granted, it is not guaranteed that the show will follow the events of the book exactly — if nothing else, the Waterland sequence proved that, with several moments being added to the story that were brand new for Disney+.
However, the show's initial promise of book accuracy is still being maintained despite these (and other, similar) changes, as the inclusion, integrity, intention, and story impact of each sequence remain the same as the book.
The first five episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are available to stream on Disney+.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
