5 Mythological Superheroes Who Could Star in Marvel Movies

The Goddesses Reimagined

Writers like Madeline Miller and Pat Barker and rock star classicist Natalie Haynes have brilliantly recovered and reimagined some of the women in ancient mythology. In that spirit, we’ve scoured the archives for our top 5 female goddesses who would make fantastic superheroes. Hollywood scriptwriters, take note!

1. Nemesis

Isn’t it time to call on Nemesis, the goddess of retribution and revenge? Nemesis punishes wrongdoing and is unforgiving. And let’s face it, forgiveness is overrated. When she learned that Narcissus had cruelly spurned the nymph Echo she enacted divine retribution. She led him to a pool where he fell in love with his own reflection. Realizing he could never woo himself, he fell into a deep depression and died. Nemesis would make a good teammate for She-Hulk or Captain Marvel. However, she is definitely less Avengers, and more Revengers!

2. Themis

Speaking of divine justice, Themis is the goddess of divine law and order. Forget Superman and the Justice League. It is Themis who is the original bringer of truth and justice. She is not wrathful like Nemesis. She is a calm organizer of law and order, overseeing committees and assemblies. You will often see a Lady Justice statue outside courthouses. Her unbiased and intelligent approach might be useful in the legal wranglings of the US Supreme Court today!

3. The Furies

If you are looking for an extreme case in delivering justice, look no further than the Furies. These women will hound culprits relentlessly. Commit a crime or break an oath. There is no escape: These dark angels are coming for you. Often described as monstrous demons, they in fact uphold morality in a chaotic world. Orestes was pursued by the Furies to madness for killing his mother until Athena stepped in. The Furies are surely the supreme Avengers Team!

4. Galatea

In Ovid’s classical poem Metamorphoses, a mortal peasant shepherd called Acis falls in love with Galatea. The giant Cyclops Polyphemus, also in love with the sea nymph, smashes the peasant to death with a boulder. In response, Galatea turns Acis into an immortal river spirit, so the two lovers can be reunited. No toxic masculinity or jealous violence allowed around this goddess! Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy would surely approve!

5. Penthesilea

Wonder Woman is an Amazonian Princess. But do you know Penthesilea? This warrior goddess was the Queen of the Amazons and the daughter of Ares, the god of War. The Amazons offered their fighting skills to Hector in the Trojan War. Penthesilea was killed by Achilles, but some say that Achilles fell in love with her at the moment of her death. Both Wonder Woman and Penthesilea are famed for their bravery, agility, and strength. The patriarchal retellings of Amazonian life see them either killed in battle or trained into housewifely duties by men. That ending might need some work!

Subverting Old Stories

Rereadings and subversions of old myths may be frowned upon by the purists, but a narrative is never set in stone. Stories must live and breathe if they are to mean something to us. Goddesses (and we lesser women) are neither weak nor helpless.  The tales of the goddesses of old are an inspiration to us all. We hope you have enjoyed imagining our goddesses fighting the good fight in our modern world. But WHO did we miss out on? Tell us in the comments!