Back when we were receiving the teaser of Fear Itself, I wondered about the possibility of this event marking the return of Phobos, the God of Fear. Marvel events are not renown for bringing back characters but rather killing one, but there have been some exceptions such as Mockingbird at the end of Secret Invasion and Captain America at the end of Reborn. I thought about the possibility of Phobos working as a mastermind villain but the idea just didn’t sit right and I am glad that it didn’t happen. Still Phobos coming back and being a Scarlet Witch kind of danger would have made for a much more interesting storyline than hammers falling out of the sky.
Another thing I would like to clear up is that I’m not a fan of characters coming back to life because usually it hurts the stories that went before it and makes them less meaningful. Captain America is perhaps the best example. Although we were later told that he didn’t actually “die” but rather was shot with a sort of magical bullet that sent him traveling through his own memories, his “death” at the end of Civil War only made the event that much more pivotal and consequential. His return later ret-conned Civil War to being just a cool concept. It’s no longer meaningful because almost everything from Captain America to Iron Man to the Registration Act were all reverse engineered. But Phobos stands outside the mortal realm whose life was cut short and there is a lot that can be done with him.
Right when Alexander Aaron was killed by the Gorgon and the Godkiller sword, it was already alluded that he would return. Although, he was born a mortal Phobos was deemed worthy by Balder, Hera and another god and was ascended to a status of godhood. Upon completion of that ceremony, Ares told him that he felt proud of his son and Alex said that he felt great, but Ares told him that what he felt now was nothing. He said:
So the question is not really if he should come back but rather of when. I think for him to come back right now, would be a bit of a waste of story and would downplay his recent demise. More importantly, with Secret Warriors currently disbanded and the series at an end, there may not be a proper place for him anymore. Currently, I think Alex should stay alongside Ares and take some time off to learn and grow (he’s only ten!) and then make a triumphant return together as father and son.
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