The planet probably got this name from its red color, which to the Romans suggested the war god's bloody proclivities. The Romans thought enough of the planet to name a month after it. March derives directly from Mars. Over the last few centuries, astronomers and science-fiction writers have always looked to Mars first when they were looking for life in the solar system. Life depends to a large degree on the temperature of the planet, and temperature depends in part on the distance of the planet from the sun.
Earth is the third planet from the sun.
Mars is the fourth. If any planet besides Earth resides in the temperate zone of the solar system, it must be Mars. We shouldn't expect the balmy climes of Earth, however. Earth averages 93 million miles from the sun. Mars averages almost 150 million miles, 1.5 times that distance.