We all know that the god of war loves a good fight, and he’s developed a reputation for being unbeatable. It makes us wonder: How would he fare if he had to go into the ring with the one person who could best him, i.e. himself? That’s right, it’s time for Ares and Mars to duke it out for the title of Baddest God Around.

Warring Styles

Ever since reading The Lightning Thief, we all envision Ares as the prototypical leather-clad biker dude from hell. But when he goes to war, Ares upgrades his look to gleaming armor and a helmet that strikes fear in his enemies’ hearts. Mars keeps things simple and sports whichever military uniform best suits the occasion. The one thing they have in common: neither has a very flattering haircut.

Big Fishes, Small Ponds

If you ever find yourself facing Ares in person, your best strategy is probably just to turn around and run. He has that effect on mortals everywhere on Earth. Up on Olympus, though, he’s kind of a chump. Even Apollo beat him in a fight once, and that guy can’t even defeat face acne these days.

Call to Arms

Mars, on the other hand, always had a commanding presence among the Roman forces. Countless soldiers stormed into battle chanting his name, and more often than not, they emerged victorious. This isn’t to say Ares doesn’t have his own fair share of support, but who would you rather follow into battle: a seasoned military leader, or a greasy-haired biker who was once defeated by a twelve-year-old demigod? We all have bad days, but that was straight-up embarrassing.

Apples Don’t Fall Far from the Tree

Both Ares and Mars have left behind legions of demigod children, the two most famous currently being Clarisse La Rue and Frank Zhang, respectively. Don’t get us wrong—Clarisse is incredibly strong and ruthless, but of the two, only one is a legendary hero of Olympus. Also, we don’t remember Clarisse ever transforming into a handsome elephant. We do remember her getting splashed by toilet water, though . . .

We’re going to be honest here . . . Ares never really stood a chance in this toss-up. The big Greek lets his temper get the best of him too often compared to the more dignified and controlled Mars. But you can be sure of one thing: Ares is always ready to come back for a rematch.

Which one would you crown as the champ? We’d invite you to let us know, but it could be too dangerous . . .