ARGES

Real Name: Arges

Identity/Class: Cyclops/Olympian god

Occupation: Weapon-Maker

Group Membership: The Cyclopes (Brontes, Steropes)

Affiliations: Kottus, Loki, Typhon, Yellow-Crested Titans;
formerly Zeus

Enemies: Apollo, Hercules, Olympian gods, Ouranus, Thor (Odinson), Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson)

Known Relatives: Ouranus (father, deceased), Gaea (mother), Brontes, Steropes, (brothers), the Titans, the Hecatocheiroi (AKA the Centimanes; including Kottus), the Giants of Olympus, the Furies (brothers and sisters), the Olympian Gods (nieces and nephews)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Tartarus;

First Appearance: Avengers Annual I#23 (1994)

Powers/Abilities: Arges possesses several conventional attributes with the Olympian Gods such as superhuman strength (Class 50 at least), stamina, resistance to injury and an immortality enchantment. He has exceptional skills in blacksmithing alongside Hephaestus. Like the rest of the Cyclopes has only one eye in the center of his head.

History:
(Greek/Roman Myth) - Arges is one of the three Cyclopes born to Ouranus and Gaea. Because they were disfigured with only one eye each, Ouranus became dissatisfied with the Cyclopes and exiled them to Tartarus. Ouranus also exiled the many-armed Hecatocheiroi (also known as the Centimanes) into Tartarus in order to conceal them from mortals. He gave the heavens to his children known as the Titans, but Gaea desired the release of all of her children from the underworld. She requested one of the Titans to rise up against his father and release their captive brothers, but they all fell afraid except for Cronus. Taking a sickle given to him, Cronus killed and dethroned his father, Ouranus, who as he died predicted that Cronus would be overthrown by one of his own children.

   Cronus, however, did not live to his promise to release the Cyclopes or the Hecatocheiroi and instead imprisoned his children by the goddess Rhea in the underworld in order to prevent his father's prediction. With Gaea's help, Rhea was able to conceal a sixth pregnancy and gave birth on Earth to Zeus who as an adult released his siblings as well as the Cyclopes and the Hecatocheiroi. They joined forces in overthrowing Cronus and the Titans and Zeus became the king of the Olympian Gods. Arges and the other Cyclopes undertook the task of creating the thunderbolts of Zeus as the Hecatocheiroi guarded the Titans now exiled to Tartarus.

   In ages past, Asclepius, a son of Apollo, became so adept at curing mortals of disease that no one died. Pluto, the god of dead, complained to Zeus that Asclepius had found means to bring the dead to life and Zeus slew Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Upset over the death of his son, Apollo slew Arges, Brontes and Steropes to stop them from further creating more thunderbolts for his father. Zeus momentarily stripped Apollo of his godhood and made him mortal to teach him a lesson for a time before restoring the Cyclopes to life.

(Avengers Annual I#23 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Arges was once again sent to Tartarus.

(Avengers Annual I#23) - He was freed by Loki to assist Typhon in their mission against Hercules, and later in their attempted conquest of Olympus. In combat against the Avengers, Arges fought Thunderstrike with a thunderbolt he had crafted, boasting he was a "thunder god"-- but Thunderstrike, while not Thor, still had more than enough power to defeat him.

Comments: Adapted by Roy Thomas (writer) & John Buscema (pencils/inks).

These first three Cyclopes were different from the others encountered in mythology, such as Polyphemus and Argus.

This second set of Cyclopes were sons of Poseidon and the Nereid, Thoosa. Living as shepards on Sicily, one of them, Polyphemus, encountered Odysseus during his wandering and was both blinded and humiliated by his craftiness.

Profile by Will U, Prime Eternal and Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Arges is not to be confused with:

• Argus, sentry of Olympus @ Thor I#289
• Argonauts, 13th Century BC band of heroes which included Hercules, @ Marvel Preview#10
• Argon, a hero assimilated by Death-Metal, @ Death-Metal#1
• Argon of Elder Earth, a hunter with a monstrous pet to test others, @ Savage Sword of Conan#64
• Argor, native of the Negative Zone, @ Fantastic Four III#19
• Argos, Hyborian Age country that would later become Greece, @ Official Handbook of the Conan Universe#1
• Argos, Eternal who monitors the computer banks of Olympia, @ Eternals II#9
• Argo of Earth-982, son of Hercules from an alternate future, @ A-Next#2
• Argos the Hunter, of the Sword of Damocles, @ X-Force I#83
• Argus, weapons dealer and leader of the Terror Alliance, @ Marvel Comics Presents#1
• Argus, first king of Greek Argos and first mortal son of Zeus, (Not seen in the MU)
• Argus of Earth-UV, native of Vahldala, @ Giant-Sized Rune#1
• Argus Panoptes, Sentry of Olympus later slain by Hermes @ Incredible Hercules#138

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