Great

Because it's the Feast of the Epiphany (tangential as that may be): Why is Herod “The Great”?

Surviving through the Crisis precipitated by Caesar’s assassination, he still was the sort of person who gives Reactives our bad name.  Christians know him for attempting to kill the infant “King of the Jews” by massacring two-year-old boys in the area. He was a client king for the Romans, which you would think would make him less than appealing to those who trace their heritage to Judea. And while he managed to keep the peace during his lifetime, it seems that he took whatever steps he could to stay on the right side of whoever was in charge in Rome - to the point of eliminating his own family members when needed.  Still, you don’t hear him referred to as “Herod the Cruel” or “Herod the Politically Nimble” or “Herod the Dangerously Unhinged.” 

In the tradition of post-Crisis Highs, he initiated some significant public works: Caesarea, Masada, rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. This can be a way to garner a good name for yourself. Maybe his sons, who took over after Herod’s death, were such a step backward that he was “the Great” by comparison. Or maybe he really was a savvy enough ruler that the other issues were considered relatively unimportant infractions. Which is, in fact, another way that Reactives make their names.