Ares

Most people know of the Ares (or Mars in Roman mythology) from mythology. Most people do NOT know that the God of War is presently living on earth, and don't necessarily believe the fellow that might occasionally crop up on the news is the genuine Ares of mythology. Even if they did, few would genuinely accept him as a "god" and would likely just assume he's another metahuman, if one that's more formidable than many.

John Aaron is a high-steel construction worker in New York City. Those that work with him know him to be the biggest and strongest guy on any site, very good at his job, and hard to get to know. Those that are EXTREMELY well connected in mercenary or espionage circles (or very well-acquainted with those who are) may know of a "John Aaron" who was one of the world's most dangerous and successful mercenaries for several decades (basically from just after World War II to the early 2000s). However any connection between the two is far from immediately clear, especially given that the construction worker looks to be about 35 years old.

Background
The Greek god of war, Ares was born to Zeus and Hera in the alternate dimension of Olympus, several millennia in Earth's past. Like many of his siblings, Ares was raised and tutored in Olympus, groomed for the role he would one day play. Unfortunately for Ares, his own nature and role was one that would forever set him apart from much of his family. Ares grew into a powerful but savage warrior, unmatched in ferocity and skill at arms but unpleasant in his bloodthirsty demeanor. Still, Ares craved nothing more than the acceptance and acknowledgment of his parents and peers, but unfortunately his attempts to earn that acceptance were ever-tained by the brutal acts he undertook in its' pursuit. While not fully an outcast, Ares was often seen as more of a pawn and useful (but distasteful) tool by gods such as Zeus, Hera, and Hades. Still, when the worship of the Greek Pantheon was at its' height (including through the Roman period), Ares was relatively content, often battling on the mortal plane and empowering champions such as Achilles and Hippolyta to fight with his blessing. Oh, he was mildly resentful when Athena took on some aspects of war into her sphere of influence, but it wasn't so bad as to Ares' mind she took all the boring bits, anyway. At one point, the ancient goddess Nox disguised herself as Aphrodite, and seduced Ares, giving birth to the gods Phobos and Deimos. Ares did not care for his children, however, seeing them more as "spawn" than "children." Still, both they and the goddess Eris often accompanied Ares on his adventures on Earth.

It was not until the days of Hercules that the seeds of discontent truly began to bear fruit. As a demigod-hero, Hercules had already earned Ares' wrath by slaying the monstrous Stymphalian Birds during his legendary Twelve Labors. When Hercules was brought to Olympus and granted godhood at the end of his mortal life, Ares was immediately resentful that the fledgling god already had more love an acceptance from their father Zeus than Ares had ever enjoyed. Matters were further strained when Zeus chose to allow the worship of the Olympians to fade with the fall of the Roman Empire and advent of Christianity. Ares began to doubt the strength of his father.

As the millennia passed, Ares would alternate between rising up against Zeus (often with the prodding of Hades or Hera), and kowtowing to his every whim in order to try to gain the love and acceptance he sought. He would often run afoul of Hercules, who stood against him and defeated him many times during Ares' occasional coup attempts. Despite those attempts, Ares was usually only lightly punished (though on more than one occasion he was sent to Hades for a time)...largely because he still had his uses. Ares would also still occasionally manifest in the mortal world, fighting in the various conflicts that still gripped it, not caring which side was right or wrong, and just looking for an outlet for his skill. Zeus allowed these dalliances so long as Ares did not turn the tide of entire wars through his actions (thus forcing Ares to restrain himself considerably during these jaunts to Earth).

Finally, the day came when Hades attempted his own takeover of Olympus, using armies of the dead to assault the Olympians. When neither Hercules' strength nor Athena's wisdom (or the efforts of the other gods) proved enough to stem the tide, the Gods of Light once again called on Ares to protect Olympus. Given free reign, Ares annihilated the forces of Hades in his usual savage and brutal fashion, ending the threat of takeover at no small risk to himself. Ares returned to Olympus, certain that he would finally be accepted among the rest of the Pantheon as an equal, but instead he happened upon the gods describing him and his actions with great disdain, condeming them as "dishonorable" and "unseemly." Realizing that he would never truly be welcome among his siblings, Ares denounced his family, washing his hands of them and retreating to the mortal world in the mid-20th century.

For a few decades, Ares did as he had always done...fighting on the various battlefields of Earth, initially by "signing on" to various armies and placing himself where the fighting was thickest, and later by operating as a soldier of fortune. He was careful to hide his true nature from allies and enemies alike, fighting well enough to distinguish himself as a highly skilled "mortal" but not so much as to make his superhuman nature clearly evident. He adopted the identity of "John Aaron" and under that name became one of the most feared and accomplished mercenaries on the planet, amassing and spending a considerable fortune for his efforts.

Eventually, Ares ended up conceiving a son with a mortal woman. Naming the boy Alexander, Ares took him from his mother (though whether this was unwilling on her part remains a mystery), and chose to raise him as a mortal. He levied his black market contacts to forge an identity for himself and sunk much of what was left of his money into buying a home and setting up a "normal" life for himself and Alexander. He received training as a high-steel construction worker and carpenter, and eventually worked his way into a decent-paying job doing that work. For the next several years John maintained the masquerade, his son none the wiser about his father's divine nature. Amazingly, Ares found himself genuinely emotionally involved with Alexander (a far cry from his uncaring attitude towards past offspring), and determined to be a "good" father for him. Ares tried to cultivate the boy's strength while still letting him be "normal." However, Ares also watched the rise in metahuman activity with no small degree of concern...and no small desire to test himself against some of these new champions. Whether intentional or not, it was likely to be only a matter of time before the opportunity arose....

Personality

 * Cunning: While Ares can be brash and is often spoiling for a fight, he's not a stupid brute. While he cares little for strategy prior to battle, he is exceptionally creative, clever, and quick-thinking once the fight has actually begun. He can readily develop tactics and tricks "on the fly" that lead the way to victory, though most of these tactics are more centered around himself than operating as part of a team. Against worthy or tricky opponents he can be very patient and calculating, always striking at the precise moments to cause the most damage, and attacking in ways his foes may not likely expect.
 * Proud: While Ares has largely turned his back on Olympus, and even tried to temper his godly nature so as to be a better father to his son, he is still proud of his heritage, his skill in battle, and his title of "God of War." He can be very arrogant and humility is in large part often a problem for him. Not that he doesn't find himself capable of mundane tasks (he actually kind of enjoys his construction work and facade as a mortal man), but those that directly challenge him or mock him in some way are very likely to get a fight on their hands. Part of this also drives Ares' resentment towards his family and desire for acceptance: He (perhaps rightfully) feels as though his family looks down upon him simply for following the nature he was born with, and discounts the contributions he has made to their causes or the accomplishments he has achieved because of the manner in which they were won. After a few millennia of being nearly continually slighted by your family, it's probably only natural that Ares' ego is a little bit prickly.
 * Jaded: As a god of war, Ares is forced by his very nature to be witness to many of the worst atrocities of both men and gods. One cannot spend thousands of years amidst near-genocides and the most violent and bloodthirsty aspects of war and not be affected by them. Ares is pretty tired of what he sees as the Gods' BS, and isn't super-keen on humanity in general, either (largely because for the most part they no longer glorify war). He can be bitter and acerbic a good portion of the time because of this.
 * Cold: War does not discriminate between "good" and "evil" when blood starts getting spilled. War does not feel remorse when combatants perish in pursuit of its' aims. Battle is a harsh mistress, and Ares is its' herald, prophet, and champion all in one. There is little room for compassion and warmth and kindness in Ares' world, and nearly all of it that he can muster has been directed almost solely at his son, Alexander, and even then he is a stern and stoic father. While Ares can certainly get "hot blooded" and has no problems venting anger or other negative emotions, he has great difficulty with the softer side of things. He verges on almost not being able to fathom such emotions, so can get somewhat confused, frustrated, or disdainful when they crop up. "Pity" and "Mercy" are not concepts Ares has much use for, though he might be convinced to allow the latter for either exceptionally worthy or particularly pathetic opponents.
 * Honorable: Despite all his faults, Ares does have a certain sense of honor that makes him more than simply a crazed killer. He has respect for those with strength of purpose and character, even if they might not be gods or warriors themselves (oh, he might deride a man of faith or a pacifist physician for weakness and cowardice at first, but if they show no fear and hold true to their beliefs in the face of his verbal abuse, he becomes much more willing to accept their viewpoint, though not share it). He believes in honesty between allies and camaraderie between fellow warriors. He keeps his word, and expects others to do the same. He punishes betrayal with death. Those that face him with honor and valor can expect the same in return (though Ares' idea of "honor" and theirs might be two different things...he often fights very dirty regardless of the circumstances).
 * Alpha Male: Ares is a god, and as such feels he should be the top of virtually any "pecking order." Oh, he doesn't necessarily want to be the overt leader (though he can function as such well enough when necessary), but he expects to be accorded a certain level of respect and deference from those that could be considered "lesser" than him. He can also be very competitive and will constantly test those around him, pushing them to either step-up their game to try to keep up with him, or keeping them "beat down" and well aware of their place in his eyes. He may not always be the "shout orders and come up with plans" sort, but when he does, he expects to be listened to and heeded. In short...Ares is big jerk much of the time, at least with anyone he doesn't have respect for...or Alexander.
 * Fatherhood: Ares might be loathe to admit it, but his parenting of Alexander has changed him, and largely for the better. He is keenly aware of the impact he has on his young son's life, and has actually made an attempt to be a better, less violent person because of that. He wants to be a better father to his son than Zeus was to him. It doesn't hurt that Alexander may be the only person in Ares' long and bloody life to genuinely love him unconditionally. Ares isn't a perfect father...he can be overly stern and authoritarian and he can't help but try to foster competitive and aggressive instincts in his son...but he -does- genuinely want his son to end up better off than he is. Strong, but not bloodthirsty. Tempered with humanity and untouched by the machinations of the gods. What Ares doesn't seem to realize is that his efforts to give his son a normal life have actually gone a long way towards fostering some humanity in himself. He loves his son, and there is nothing he would not sacrifice for him.
 * Outsider: Ares has spent the better part of several millennia as the "black sheep" of his family, constantly torn between a desire for the acceptance of his brothers and sisters and parents, and his own savage and bloodthirsty nature. He was all-too-eager to let himself be used as the "dirty work man" of the gods, hoping that showing himself as willing to do what must be done would earn the acceptance of his peers, but instead it only earned him the moniker of "Dog of War" and his family grew even more disgusted with his savagery. As such, Ares has spent much of his life isolated and alone, and has fostered a great deal of resentment towards his parents and siblings. He's used to being by himself and operating by himself, so finding people that do accept him for what he is would be something he would have to adjust to.
 * Fearless: Ares has no real fear of any physical threat to himself, not even death itself. He can throw himself into seemingly unsurvivable situations or overwhelming odds with abandon. About the only thing that's likely to inspire any sort of fear in Ares (short of direct emotional manipulation via magical means) are threats to Alexander.