Percy Jackson’s Ares Actor Teases A Different Tone For Season 2

Adam Copeland, who plays Ares in Disney+’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians, hints that season 2 will take a more grown-up approach. The first season closely followed Rick Riordan’s popular books, showing Percy Jackson (played by Walker Scobell), Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries), and Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) on their journey to find Zeus’ Master Bolt. Season 2 will bring the story of Riordan’s second book, The Sea of Monsters, to life, where Percy and his friends go on a risky adventure to find the Golden Fleece and use it to protect Camp Half-Blood.

In an interview with Screen Rant’s Liam Crowley ahead of AEW Dynamite’s streaming debut on Max on January 1, Adam “Edge” Copeland shared his thoughts on how Percy Jackson & the Olympians matures as its young characters grow older. The story explores more dangerous adventures, monstrous foes, and even betrayal among friends. After the dramatic finale, where Copeland’s character, the god of war Ares, swore revenge on the half-bloods after being defeated by Percy, the show also revealed that Luke Castellan (played by Charlie Bushnell) is the traitor at Camp Half-Blood, working with the evil titan Kronos. Reflecting on his involvement with the series, Copeland remarked:

I mean, it felt great because the first season we filmed everything, and it felt like this is a good show, but you still don’t fully, fully know until you see the finished product. So fast-forward to December of 2023, and you see it, and we’re at the premiere and everything and my girls are there, and we watched it and it kind of blew me away.

I felt so honored to be a part of the world and the Percy Jackson world and to be brought into it. Seeing that finished product, really it hit home with me. And then once you get out and about, and you start having families come up and grandparents come up and kids coming up and asking if I am Ares or if I’m Adam Copeland and not due to wrestling, that’s when I realized the show was onto something. Now, 16 Emmy nominations later, it’s pretty mind-blowing just to be a part of the whole thing.

Copeland also shared his appreciation for the chance to bring Ares to life, describing the character as dynamic and layered.

“I realize that actors wait their entire careers to get on a show like this and some never do. I don’t look past it at all, and I realize what a gift I’ve been given with the writing and with the character of Ares, because it’s the kind of character that is just open for exploration. There’s really no handcuffs with this character. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s some, we’re Disney, but just in terms of facials and movements and big and just making everything feel really big, which is what wrestling was all about.

So yeah, it’s been a pretty crazy ride. It felt good to get out there and film some scenes for this season. Yeah, I mean it’s not a tough gig, man. I fly to Vancouver, one of my favorite cities. I spend time with great people. I have loads of friends out there, so it feels like a homecoming every time I go. I love working with the cast, with the crew. It’s just a phenomenal group of people who all have the same goal.”

Reflecting on what’s to happen on Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Copeland added.

“Well, I think just with the characters naturally growing older there becomes more serious issues, but they’re following the books, but there’s always going to be some things added in like the diner scene in the first season that wasn’t in the books, but I’m so happy it was included in the scripts because that’s what I auditioned with, and I went, ‘Oh, there’s so much fun to be had here.’ I think there’s always going to be fun in this show. I mean, how can it not be when you look at what is happening and going on and the fantastical nature of everything?

The kids are growing, and they’re not so much kids anymore. I think it naturally follows the progression of what happens to you as you’re going through your teens. I think that’s why the books always connected, because I feel like people saw a bit of themselves in these characters and the awkward phases that you go through, but if you got friends it doesn’t feel quite as awkward. And I feel like at the heart of Percy Jackson, that’s really what they’re about.”

Season 2 of Percy Jackson & the Olympians promises to heighten the mythological stakes and explore the seductive nature of power. Ares’ vow of revenge at the end of season 1 suggests that Adam Copeland’s character will return, creating new challenges for Percy and Annabeth as they strive to recover the Golden Fleece. At the same time, Grover is on a quest across the seas in search of Pan. While the trio focuses on their individual missions, the threat of Luke’s loyalty to Kronos grows, as more disillusioned half-bloods and demigods join his cause, adding tension to the unfolding story.