| Athos | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Olivier d'Athos de la Fère |
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First Appearance |
Les Trois Mousquetaires (March 1844) |
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Created by |
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Origin[]
Athos being summoned by Kid Eternity in issue #4.
In The Three Musketeers, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, are friends of the novel's protagonist, D'Artagnan. Athos has a mysterious past connecting him with the villain of the novel, Milady de Winter. The oldest of the group by some years, Athos is described as noble and handsome but also taciturn and melancholy, drowning his secret sorrows in drink. He is very protective of d'Artagnan, the youngest, whom he eventually treats as his brother. By the end of the novel, it is revealed that he is the Count de la Fère. He was once married to Milady de Winter and attempted to kill her after discovering that she was a criminal on the run, an event which left him bitter and disillusioned. However, during the course of this novel, he is able to get his revenge on Milady.
In the second novel, Twenty Years After, he has retired from the Musketeers and abandoned his nom-de-guerre of Athos. He has fathered an illegitimate son, Raoul, with Marie de Rohan (Aramis's former mistress) and then adopted the boy, making him the vicomte de Bragelonne. Fatherhood makes Athos a much happier man, but after launching Raoul into a military career, Athos looks for new causes to occupy his life. He embraces the Fronde and then a doomed mission to rescue Charles I of England. He is uncharacteristically terrified by the appearance of Mordaunt, Milady's son, who is attempting to avenge the death of his mother. Athos, despite his reluctance to engage with the son of his ex-wife, ends up forced to slay him in an underwater fight in the English Channel.
In the third novel, The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Athos takes a major behind-the-scenes part in historical events, first helping with the restoration of Charles II to the throne of England and then being entrusted with the diplomatic task of arranging the wedding of Henrietta of England and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans. Athos eventually falls out with King Louis XIV of France, who has seduced his son Raoul's fiancée and is briefly thrown into the Bastille for voicing his contempt. After being pardoned at d'Artagnan's instigation, Athos withdraws to his home, where he dies of sorrow after Raoul is killed at war.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- The Three Musketeers (1844)
- Twenty Years After (1845)
- The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later (1847)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Black Cat Mystery #49
- Jackpot Comics #6
- Kid Eternity #4
- More Fun Comics #13, 15-17, 19, 29
Public Domain Film Adaptations[]
- The Three Musketeers (1903)
- La maschera di ferro (1909)
- The Three Musketeers: Part 1 and Part 2 (1911)
- The Three Musketeers (1914)
- The Three Musketeers (1916)
- A Modern Musketeer (1917)
- Les Trois Mousquetaires(1921)
- The Three Musketeers (1921)
Public Domain Television Appearances[]
- The Three Musketeers (1933 - 12 episodes)
Notes[]
- Athos's first name is never told in the novels. However, in Dumas's play "The Youth of the Musketeers," the young Milady, then named Charlotte, calls him "Olivier."
- The character is on a highly fictionalized version of the historical musketeer Armand d'Athos (1615–1643).