This previously unknown side of Medusa makes her depiction in the series KAOS all the more interesting. Without giving too much away, in the show Medusa is reduced to a bureaucrat in the land of the dead. Her power to turn people to stone no longer works, because the souls are already dead. However, in this world she is a supervisor level of bureaucrat, so she still does retain some bit of power, and ends up using this power to help the heroes along in their journey. So ok, she is actually reduced to a plot device, but it does show the fascination people still have with her, even if they aren't aware of her entire backstory.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your brief summary of her role in KAOS. I haven’t seen the show myself, but based on your description, it’s interesting to consider how her inability to petrify others in the underworld could represent a release from one of the most harrowing aspects of her punishment. In mythology, her gaze was both a curse and a defence—a power forced upon her by Athena as part of her unjust punishment, isolating her from all human connection. Stripping away that ability in KAOS could symbolise a form of liberation, even if it occurs in the bureaucratic confines of the underworld. This framing might suggest that Medusa, freed from her monstrous role, can begin to redefine herself outside the identity imposed on her. It’s an intriguing lens through which to view her character, even as it invites reflection on how systemic constraints—whether mythic or mundane—continue to shape her journey.
This previously unknown side of Medusa makes her depiction in the series KAOS all the more interesting. Without giving too much away, in the show Medusa is reduced to a bureaucrat in the land of the dead. Her power to turn people to stone no longer works, because the souls are already dead. However, in this world she is a supervisor level of bureaucrat, so she still does retain some bit of power, and ends up using this power to help the heroes along in their journey. So ok, she is actually reduced to a plot device, but it does show the fascination people still have with her, even if they aren't aware of her entire backstory.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your brief summary of her role in KAOS. I haven’t seen the show myself, but based on your description, it’s interesting to consider how her inability to petrify others in the underworld could represent a release from one of the most harrowing aspects of her punishment. In mythology, her gaze was both a curse and a defence—a power forced upon her by Athena as part of her unjust punishment, isolating her from all human connection. Stripping away that ability in KAOS could symbolise a form of liberation, even if it occurs in the bureaucratic confines of the underworld. This framing might suggest that Medusa, freed from her monstrous role, can begin to redefine herself outside the identity imposed on her. It’s an intriguing lens through which to view her character, even as it invites reflection on how systemic constraints—whether mythic or mundane—continue to shape her journey.