Athena is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek Goddess of the same name. Hera first appeared in the pages of Thor #164, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.
Athena first appeared in Thor #164 (May 1969), and was adapted from mythology by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The character subsequently appeared in Thor Annual #5 (1976), Champions #2 (January 1976), Thor Annual #8 (1979), Thor #289 (November 1979), #291-292 (January-February 1980), The Avengers #283-285 (September-November 1987), The New Warriors #10 (July 2000), Hercules #4 (September 2005), Ares #1 (March 2006), #3 (May 2006), #5 (July 2006), Hulk Vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide #1 (June 2008), and She-Hulk #30 (August 2008). Athena is a regularly recurring character in the ongoing "The Incredible Hercules", appearing in issues #113 (January 2008), #115-117 (May-July 2008), and #120-121 (August 2008).
Athena appeared as part of the "Olympian Gods" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #9.
Athena is the daughter of Zeus and Metis, having emerged fully formed from her father's brow after Zeus consumed Metis in hopes of avoiding a male child who would succeed him, as he had his father. She took the place of the goddess of wisdom, war, and heroic endeavor in the Olympian pantheon. Her grey owl companion is named Pallas, a reference to her own name.
Her counterpart among the Eternals is Thena, for whom she evinces tremendous dislike.
In modern times, Athena is responsible for Aegis gaining his superhuman powers from her gift of her aegis breastplate.[1]
She has appeared in The Incredible Hercules, offering shelter to Hercules and Amadeus Cho at her estate in Vermont, and warning Hercules both about Ares, and Amadeus' potential for becoming good or evil. After Hercules and Amadeus ultimately make it to her estate, she warns them of the threat of the Secret Invasion, and takes them to San Francisco, to convene a meeting of Earth's various pantheons, in the shadow of the Dreaming Celestial to discuss the threat. Following the "God Squad"'s victory, and Mikaboshi's takeover of the Skrull slave deities, Athena is shown watching from her scrying pool, and she says that this is an even better result than she had planned for.[2]
Meanwhile, Hera and Pluto have taken over the Olympus Group, the modern day seat of power for the Olympians, via the inherited shares of Zeus' and by buying out Poseidon, and have decided the company has a new major goal: the deaths of Athena and Hercules.[3]
Athena is the mistress of many forms of knowledge. She is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant, swordswoman, and combat strategist, superior even to Ares.