Ben Jennings, the award-winning Guardian cartoonist, has taken aim at Elon Musk in a new cartoon published today, recasting the billionaire entrepreneur as the hero of Homer’s Odyssey. The illustration, titled ‘Ben Jennings on Elon Musk and The Odyssey’, uses the ancient Greek epic to lampoon Musk’s larger-than-life persona and his sprawling business empire.
The cartoon shows Musk as Odysseus, navigating a stormy sea of controversies and ambitious projects — from SpaceX’s Mars ambitions to the turbulent ownership of X (formerly Twitter). Jennings’s characteristic wit draws on the Odyssey’s themes of hubris, wandering and the struggle to return home, suggesting that Musk’s relentless pursuit of grand visions may be as fraught as the hero’s legendary journey.
Published in The Guardian’s comment and culture section on 23 July 2026, the cartoon arrives amid renewed debate about the influence of tech billionaires on public life. Musk, who also leads Tesla and Neuralink, has faced criticism in the UK over his handling of content moderation on X and his comments on British politics.
The cartoon has already sparked discussion on social media, with some praising its cleverness and others accusing Jennings of unfair caricature. It is the latest in a series of Jennings’s political cartoons that have tackled figures from Boris Johnson to Donald Trump, cementing his reputation as a sharp commentator on power and ego.
For UK readers, the cartoon taps into broader concerns about the unchecked influence of private wealth on democratic discourse. As Musk continues to shape global technology and media, Jennings’s work reminds audiences that satire remains a vital tool for holding the powerful to account.