Must have been a pretty cool god to get a planet named after you.
And a month.
Heck....two Roman Emperors that lived just before Jesus's time have months named after them....which is one more than Jesus has.
Roman god of war and somewhat analogous to the Greek god Ares, Mars was generally thought of more positively than Ares. Perhaps the Romans were a bit better at war than the Greeks, thus colouring their opinion of the related god? (not being a historian of ancient greece or rome I'm just throwing that out there).
He was also a god of agriculture, owing to his godly virility. Virile god = healthy plants. It just makes sense.
In one of the more well-known Roman myths, he was the father of Romulus and Remus, who after being left out to die by their uncle were nursed by a wolf, fed by a woodpecker (Mars' sacred animals) and carried to safety on the river before being raised to adulthood by a lowly shepherd.
After some adventuring involving a regicide, they decided to found a city. Romulus won out on the location and killed his brother so he got naming rights. And Rome was founded. No big deal. Just a crappy little town in the middle of a boot. Probably never amount to anything.
