‘The Odyssey’ Character Guide: Who's Who In The Greek Myth

The heroes and monsters of The Odyssey (2026) are some of the oldest characters in the established lore of Greek mythology. The story boasts several Gods and giants, along with noble kings and desperate soldiers. Many of the key figures in the tale had stories about them in other corners of the mythology, giving artists who’ve been adapting their stories for centuries plenty of styles and tones to experiment with.

While the cast of The Odyssey has been established for a while, it’s worth looking at the characters in the film and their overall histories. Some only really factor into this tale, while others have storied histories across the breadth of Greek mythology. Here are the characters who have key roles to play in The Odyssey and what other stories they factor into. 

Odysseus

Played by Matt Damon in the Christopher Nolan film, Odysseus is the primary character of The Odyssey and one of the great heroes of ancient Greek myth and poetry. A brilliant strategist and the King of Ithaca, Odysseus is a key figure in the Trojan War and the mind behind the strategy that finally won the conflict for the Greeks.

His journey home is complicated when he enrages the Gods, setting him and his crew on a lengthy adventure that ends with most of them dead and Odysseus a changed man. Odysseus is one of the great Greek heroes and one of the few to survive his trials, although the efforts to return home left him embittered—and yet, not inhuman, as his reunion with his wife and son is the driving force behind his actions. Other stories focusing on Odysseus’s later life came out of this era, including ones that described his final fate.

Penelope

The Queen of Ithaca and the wife of Odysseus, Penelope, is a crucial character with her own story arc in The Odyssey. Left to watch over the kingdom while her husband wages war in Troy, Penelope is forced to hold control over the kingdom. While her husband is gone from the kingdom and presumed dead by many, Penelope holds out hope that her husband has survived and is lost upon the sea—forcing her to resist the advances of suitors who seek to steal the throne from her family. Played by Anne Hathaway in the blockbuster, Penelope is the enduring rock by which Ithaca survives long enough for Odysseus to have a home to return to—even as some other myths hint that she later had affairs with Gods like Apollo and Hermes and was banished from Ithaca for it.

Telemachus 

The son of Odysseus and Penelope, Telemachus is one of the most crucial characters in The Odyssey. Young, bold, and lacking the world-weary experience that his father has, Telemachus spends a large portion of the story searching for information about his father and, ultimately, helping him combat the suitors who have taken over their home.

Telemachus serves as a contrast to the older Greek soldiers of the story, like his father, with a certain amount of innocence and nobility that he is forced to abandon in the end to survive. Played by the MCU’s Spider-Man, Tom Holland, Telemachus is quietly the heart of the story in many ways and crucial to the opening and climax of the story, appearing in other stories that depict his own adventures later in life.

Athena 

The Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War, Athena is one of the deities who takes a vested interest in the journey of Odysseus. Born of Zeus and a mortal woman but springing fully formed from the Thunder God’s head, Athena is a key figure in many Greek myths.

Having supported the Greeks during the Trojan War and having developed a concern for Odysseus—in many ways an ideal champion for the clever Goddess—Athena involves herself in Telemachus’ search and convinces her father Zeus to let the King of Ithaca finally return home. While others like Hermes are also called to aid in this mission, it is Athena who actively works to send Odysseus home and later intervenes at key points in the story to assist him and his family. Played by Zendaya, Athena is the most important divine intervention in support of Odysseus during his journey.

Circe 

Known in myth as both a minor Goddess in her own right and a Nymph of the Sea, Circe is one of the more morally tricky figures who factor into Odysseus's journey. In the original story, Circe uses her sorcery to turn Odysseus' men into pigs. However, with the help of Hermes, Odysseus resists her influence and even ends up briefly winning her heart.

In other stories, Circe helped Jason and the Argonauts and later became enamoured with the Sea-God Glaucus and transformed her rival for his affections Scylla into a fearsome monster. Worshiped in places like Mount Circeo and seen both as a predatory woman and a heroic ally in various stories and myths, Circe is played by Samantha Morton in Nolan’s adaptation of the mythology.

Calypso 

Another woman of mystical origin that Odysseus encounters on his journey, Calypso, was a nymph who held Odysseus on her island for seven years against his will. Having fallen in love with the hero when he ended up on her island, she makes it one of the primary reasons for his delay. Played by Charlize Theron in the film adaptation, Calypso only releases Odysseus once the Gods themselves intervene.

Calypso is one of the more intriguing wildcards for the adaptation, as she’s one of the few characters in The Odyssey who doesn’t have many other appearances across mythology. Calypso can be portrayed as a tragic or a horrifying figure depending on the telling, one whose mystical abilities prove crucial to the final stages of Odysseus’ journey home.

Poseidon 

One of the most antagonistic forces within The Odyssey is Poseidon’s ire that keeps Odysseus lost at sea for a decade. As with many members of the Greek Pantheon, it is a dangerous thing to enrage the deity—for although Poseidon is a boon ally to some figures in mythology, his wrath is also something terrible to behold.

After enraging the Ocean God by blinding his son Polyphemus, Odysseus finds himself frequently lost at sea and sent spiralling into various grim adventures at the behest of Poseidon. It is only through Athena’s intervention—which in turn wins over Zeus—that Poseidon relents in his quest to torture the King of Ithaca. Although there is no formal casting for Poseidon, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his influence and impact on the narrative of the Christopher Nolan film.

Polyphemus 

The Cyclops that Odysseus and his crew encounter on their journey home, Polyphemus, is a fearsome foe that Odysseus only defeats through subterfuge and trickery. Initially intending to kill Odysseus and his crew for stealing some of his livestock for themselves, Polyphemus intends to eat them all. Without an easy way to defeat the Cyclops, Odysseus is forced to outsmart him.

Blinding the creature on the way out of his cave, the tricky hero briefly escapes divine punishment by claiming his name is “No One,” leaving the creature to call out for revenge against no one. However, Odysseus’s hubris leads him to claim responsibility for this action, leading to Poseidon’s intervention. Played by Bill Irwin, Polyphemus is one of the fiercest physical threats that endangers Odysseus on his quest home.

Antinous 

The leader of the suitors and played by Robert Pattinson in 2026’s The Odyssey, Antinous is the final great challenge that Odysseus faces in the story. Having spent years in the home of Odysseus and winning over the loyalty of Mia Goth’s Melantho, Antinous is the one who most exemplifies the villains lying in wait to kill Odysseus if he returns, slay his son, steal his wife, and take his throne.

While the others are largely content to use the home as their own, Antinous has stronger ambitions. Antinous may not have the mystical qualities of many of Odysseus’s other foes, but he still proves to be a formidable final foe for the story, setting him up as the final challenge that the hero will need to overcome to truly be home.

Kings And Queens Of Greece

The Odyssey is full of Kings and Queens of ancient Greece, with many of them teased for the film. Lupita Nyong'o plays Helen of Troy and her twin sister Clytemnestra. The former was the cause of the Trojan War, while the latter is the wife—and eventual killer—of Agamemnon. Benny Safdie plays the Mycenaean King, who served as the commander of the Acheans during the Trojan War.

Helen's husband is Menelaus, the King of Sparta, who is played in the Nolan film by Jon Bernthal. These lords and ladies have an important role to play in several other myths, while their paths cross with Odysseus on his journey and help expand the setting of the story and the dangers of the world that Odysseus travels.

Odysseus’s Crew And Servants

The other notable characters to know in The Odyssey are the soldiers and servants who follow Odysseus, ranging from his fellow warriors to simple sheepherders. The more notable figures who serve on the ship alongside Odysseus on his ship include Eurylochus, a loyal second-in-command who gradually grows to doubt his brother-in-law.

Played by Himesh Patel, Eurylochus is one of the more tragic casualties of Odysseus' quest home. Others, like Cepheus and Polites (played by Jimmy Gonzales and Andrew Howard), also offer their efforts to return home. Sinon, played by Elliot Page, was a soldier who fought in the Trojan War and was crucial to the success of the Trojan Horse. Meanwhile, Eumaeus is a swineherd who helps Odysseus in the last leg of his journey and is played by John Leguizamo.