Ares (Hercules and Xena) - Ares On Xena: Warrior Princess

Ares On Xena: Warrior Princess

Suave, charming, witty, yet ruthless and amoral, Ares often represents, especially in the early seasons, the seductive power of war and the dark side. He repeatedly attempts to lure Xena away from her quest for redemption alongside Gabrielle, and to win her over as his Warrior Queen. He offers her huge armies and historic victories, great wealth and great power, and in later seasons his love, offers which she consistently rejects despite being sometimes tempted.

Much of Ares' relationship with Xena remains ambiguous, including whether he is at least partly redeemed by his love for Xena, or to what extent Xena reciprocates his feelings. He says several times that he has "a thing" for Xena, and this seems to prevent him from killing her, even when pitted against her in deadly combat., yet he pursues her sexually and romantically.

Their relationship prior to the show's timeline is also a mystery. The dialogue in an early episode strongly suggests that this is their first face-to-face meeting; subsequent episodes, however, establish that at some point in the past he trained her and may have been her lover as well. It is also stated that Ares gave Xena her signature weapon, the chakram.

"They had this idea for the God of War," Kevin Smith remembered. "They wanted a foil for Xena - someone who could beat her in battle, and a former mentor. The weird thing is there's sympathy for the character, because he's done terrible, terrible things and yet, at the bottom of it all, the only way this works is if you believe he truly loves Xena. Of course Ares did admit his love for her and Xena never said it but she loved Ares."