Do we like Ares?
A character from Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)
Our score: 3 out of 10. He's great company and terrible for the world. He's a smooth-talking warmonger, and you'd enjoy a drink with him right up until he started a war over it.
Xena: Warrior Princess follows a former warlord who is trying to atone for her bloody past by helping people, with the bard Gabrielle at her side. Ares is the Greek God of War, and he first turns up early in the series. He sees Xena as the best warrior he has ever known and wants her back on the battlefield.
He's a seductive tempter. He offers Xena power, glory and whatever she wants, and he's smooth, funny and dangerous in equal measure. He also has a bitter rivalry with his half-brother Hercules, and he looks down on Gabrielle's idealism.
He scores low because war is his whole business, and he pushes people toward violence for his own ends. His persistent, obsessive pursuit of Xena also makes him hard to root for. The flirtation, the wit and the odd flicker of something like honesty make him one of the most entertaining villains on TV, but we wouldn't back him.