Tony Stark, Odysseus, and the Myths Behind Marvel

Ancient Heroes in the Modern World

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by Peter Meineck

Type

Essays

Subject

Studio > Marvel Studios

Keywords

Marvel, myth, ancien epic, superheroes

Publishing date

2026 (February 17, 2026) (Upcoming)

Publisher

William Morrow & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Hardcover • 256 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-06-338264-0

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Book Presentation:
"By connecting our modern heroes to the archetypes of ancient myth, Peter Meineck's marvelous book bestows thrilling contemporary resonance upon those bygone legends." —Christopher Markus, coscreenwriter of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame

What connects Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of transformation, and Spider-Man, a modern-day superhero?

Since its inception, Marvel has created—in comics and on the silver screen—a vast, intricate universe brimming with superheroes and superhumans. Yet Marvel exists in a much larger mythological tradition, one that dates back to the ancient Greeks and their tales of gods and heroes.

Professor of Classics Peter Meineck embarks on a captivating pilgrimage through ancient Greek mythology through the lens of some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, including Captain America, Wolverine, and Black Widow, and traces their lineage to the dawn of human culture. Some connections are astounding and eye-opening, like Black Panther’s ties to the legend of Atlantis and Daredevil’s relationship to the mighty Herakles, while others are uncanny in their resemblance. What, for example, do Scarlet Witch and the sorceress Medea have in common? As grieving mothers cast out from society, quite a lot, actually.

As Meineck reintroduces ancient figures like Achilles and Odysseus, he demonstrates how themes that appeared in the likes of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey continue to emerge in our stories today. He explores why these tales endure and how they have shifted to reflect society’s changing values. Through his endeavor, one important question arises: What do our modern myths say about us?

A fascinating and entertaining read, Tony Stark, Odysseus, and the Myths Behind Marvel is a rollicking journey from the legends of old to the pop-culture stories of today.

About the Author:
Peter Meineck holds the endowed chair of Professor of Classics in the Modern World at New York University. Originally from South London, Meineck trained with the Royal Marines and later discovered the theater, working as a technician, designer, producer, and director, from rooms above pubs to the Royal National Theatre. He founded his own company, Aquila Theatre, to mount bold new stagings of the classics, including a public program that works with veterans and refugees through Greek drama. He holds a PhD in Classics, has published widely on ancient performance, and has been teaching mythology for nearly thirty years.

Press Reviews:
"By connecting our modern heroes to the archetypes of ancient myth, Peter Meineck’s marvelous book bestows thrilling contemporary resonance upon those bygone legends." - Christopher Markus, co-screenwriter of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame
"The ancient Greeks were into myths—traditional tales, multiply manipulated—in a mega way. So too are today's devotees of the MCU, as Professor of Classics Peter Meineck so brilliantly demonstrates in a daringly pioneering book. Scholarship and storytelling have rarely been so well matched as in this treasure house of tangled techno-mythological tales." - Paul Cartledge, bestselling author of The Spartans and Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University
"Endlessly malleable, changing and adapted with every telling, mythologies ancient and modern are windows into the human heart and mind. Peter Meineck works his magic untangling the threads that link the electric, modern Marvel Universe and its heroes with the mythic worlds of Homer, Euripides, Virgil, and more." - Annette Giesecke, author of Classical Mythology A to Z
"Great Odin's beard! Like a superpowered Edith Hamilton, Peter Meineck guides 21st-century cape-and-cowl fans back millennia and through Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and even American esoteric mythologies to find the lines that connect Kirby to kleos and to reveal that, beyond the corporate demarcations that define Marvel, there is a storytelling multiverse that belongs to us all." - Sean Howe, author of the Eisner Award-winning Marvel Comics: The Untold Story
"Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and their cohort stand as fantastic incarnations of great heroes from the past. Stories of strength and hubris, ingenuity, and craft live on in comics. Meineck, a professor of classics at New York University, invites us to find new meaning in these myths. . . . A lively introduction to world mythology, read through the lens of modern Marvel heroes." - Kirkus Reviews

See the publisher website: William Morrow & Co