Let’s begin with my name, Phil, which of course is short for Philip. One of the most famous Philips in all history would have to be Philip II of Macedonia, AKA Philip of Macedon, noted for his own tremendous conquests and for being the father of Alexander the Great. The Athenians once described Philip as a “Macedonian Ares.” Ares, of course was the Greek god of war. His Roman name — Mars.
Growing up, my favorite book was Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein. The subject of Red Planet? It’s an adventure story set of the planet Mars.