Throughout Greek mythology, Medusa has always been perceived as a monster with the power to turn people into stone simply by looking at her. Although there have been stories pointing to Medusa as a misunderstood victim, let's take a look at the character in the revamped series. Is Medusa bad in Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
Who is Medusa?
Medusa was written by the Roman author, Ovid, as a beautiful mortal maiden who has taken a vow of celibacy as her devotion to Athena. But after being seduced by Poseidon in the temple of Athena, Athena punishes her by turning her hair into snakes.
In mythology, her story begins with her death. The hero Perseus decapitated Medusa after getting some help from Hermes and Athena. Medusa's head was then used as a weapon to turn people to stone once they looked into her eyes.
Is Medusa Bad in the Percy Jackson Books?
Throughout the Percy Jackson books, Medusa has always been described as ruthless, cold, and merciless. She gains pleasure from turning people into stone and adding them to her collection in her stone garden.
In the previous Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movies, the role of Medusa was portrayed by Uma Thurman, who tries to lure Percy, Grover, and Annabeth into her garden to turn them into stone. Not much about her character was explained in the movies.
In the revamped show, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we finally get a more understanding look into Medusa's character. This is because there has always been some controversy about Medusa's character in the original books written by Rick Riordan.
In an interview with Variety, Rebecca Riordan, Rick Riordan's wife and an executive producer of the series, shared that they decided to make some changes to Medusa's backstory.
Rick further added:
The passage in the book reads:
Some have interpreted the books as Poseidon raping Medusa. And upon learning this, Athena only punished her.
Is Medusa Bad in Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
Thanks to this slight change in narrative, we finally see Medusa with kinder eyes— one that shows her as a misunderstood and judged person.
This change was credited to Daphne Olive, who did a great job at keeping the original myth intact while maintaining an age-appropriate backstory.
In Percy Jackson and the Olympians episode 3, Medusa gets to tell her side of things to Percy and Annabeth. Played by Jessica Parker Kennedy, Medusa says:
But ultimately, she petrifies her enemies as her way of processing Athena's curse. No matter what, Medusa is evil. But thanks to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV adaptation, we finally understand that underneath all of that, Medusa is a traumatized victim too.
Follow our Facebook page for more news coverage and other explainer articles.
RELATED: How Many Sons Does Poseidon Have in Percy Jackson and the Olympians?