Alien Power
Mars in Taurus & the Birth of the Heroes
What if I told you Mars in Taurus is actually strong? Superhero strong.
When I saw Mars in Taurus in the inception chart of Superman’s 1938 debut in Action Comics #1, the ‘traditional’ astrologer in me had to double-take.
Shouldn’t a hero as nearly omnipotent as Superman possess a ‘strong’ Mars? A powerful Mars — like in Aries, Scorpio, or Capricorn?
But planets aren’t Popeye, and the zodiac signs aren’t spinach. Planets don’t get strength from their zodiacal locations like nutrients.
In classical astrology, the planet-sign relationship is commonly framed around the idea of “resources.” Each sign contains resources that are more suitable for some planets and less suitable for others. For example, Mars is relatively inept at using the resources of Taurus and Libra, but the planet is especially adept with resources of Aries and Scorpio, signs it calls home.
This framing isn’t wrong, but it’s missing important clarity.
“Resources” here are less akin to food, fuel or tools. They are more akin to social resources like recognition, belonging, and the benefit of the doubt.
A planet with strong dignity doesn't have more power in a muscular or material way. It just has the right credentials for the room it's in. The power it has is legible within a social context. A dignified planet doesn't have to explain itself — its authority is assumed. A planet in detriment (e.g. Mars in Taurus) may have the same raw strength as a planet in domicile. The difference is, when the detriment planet walks into the same room, nobody vouches for it.
Through this lens, Superman’s Mars in Taurus makes perfect sense. As an outsider to planet Earth, he has no social legibility or credentials. He is a Kryptonian, an outsider — and so in his superhero identity he has no social legibility or credentials to lean on. His power is alien, so even when he saves the world, he is still viewed as a threat by earthly society.
Superman is perpetually under investigation — by governments, by the military, by the very people he rescues. The question that follows him is never whether he has the power to save us or not; it's “who gave him the right?”
The core drama of Superman is not about the hero’s power itself, but rather how he chooses to use his power in a world that doesn’t recognize him as their own.
What’s the drama of a hero with Mars in Scorpio, the planet’s home sign?
Captain America. A genetically manipulated super-soldier, the Captain’s power is engineered by his own civilization and deployed to defend it. Unlike Superman who fights for a world that isn’t his, Captain America fights for the home that’s literally in his name.
Where Superman is faced with outsider questions of legitimacy, the Captain faces insider questions of integrity. Is the institution that legitimizes him worthy of his loyalty?
If you liked this teaser article, then you’ll love my recently recorded talk, “Masks of Power: Mars & the Astrology of Superheroes.”
Superheroes give us modern mythologies for thinking about Mars in each of the 12 signs. Along with Superman and Captain America, we will explore more than a dozen other superheroes and what their stories can teach us about the 12 zodiacal dramas of Mars. We’ll also see how Mars retrograde and Mars combustion manifests in some characters.
The talk is pre-recorded, and you will receive the download instantly upon purchase. The price goes up at the end of the week.
Register for the talk here: MASKS OF POWER REGISTRATION
Wow, this is brilliant Drew. I'm so happy someone is saying this. The social part of dignity is so misunderstood. And heres the thing: social dynamics have changed A LOT since this system was built. So given that, why would we think they just automatically apply today as they did 2,000 yrs ago? For instance, triplicity dignity was tied to the ability to attract followers (because it links 3 signs of the same element) and followers are considered one of the most important resources these days. So I think maybe the powers of the various dignities might wax and wane, at least a bit, according to the social dynamics of the time
Also, isnt Mars on Algol there in the superman chart?
one of the most powerful stars in the sky -is still definitely a superhero Mars
So on point! It instantly made me think of Muhammad Ali—another iconic hero with Mars in Taurus who had to constantly fight for his right to have his opinions and choices recognized by „the others", starting with reclaiming his own name. Again, outsider struggle for legibility. Love this approach, thank you!