Have you ever stopped to think about what would happen if Zeus retired from Mount Olympus?
With a little help from Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus and Salma Hayek as his wife, Hera, BMW reimagined the Greek god in a hilarious new Super Bowl 2022 ad for their all-electric vehicle, the BMW iX.
Throughout the minute-long spot, Zeus is navigating life during his transition from Mount Olympus to Palm Springs. He tries to adjust to retired life on earth, a feat that includes getting used to all of the various electric powered objects that he now needs to use rather than relying on his own powers.
Life on earth might not have been everything that Zeus expected, though. At one moment, he struggles to use a microwave by manually pressing the buttons, and can’t even enjoy a float in his pool or a round of golf without people asking for his assistance to jump start their golf carts or yard tools with a little of his magic touch.
“That’s it! I’m done with this place!” he declares at one point in frustration, which Hera finds amusing. In the next scene, his anger appears to escalate, as he accidentally makes the entire city lose power as he tries to work the light switch in his home.
Hera, noticing his growing frustration with life on earth, decides to treat her husband to something right up his alley: an all-electric vehicle.
“I figured you could use a little pick-me-up,” she tells him.
In the most fitting fashion, the ad ends with both actors singing the 1982 hit "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant as they drive down a California street with all green lights. Well, Zeus might have had something to do with that luck…