God of War Ragnarök is officially coming to PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on November 9, 2022!
It all started so simply. In the original God of War, you piloted the wrathful, ashen-skinned Spartan as he tore through beasts and gods ripped from the pages of Edith Hamilton’s classic Mythology on his way to enact vengeance on the titular Ares, stopping only to deliver grim monologues about the tragic loss of his wife and child.
Now, after the ensuing avalanche of sequels, prequels and side stories, the saga of his star-crossed life has become as tangled and complex as the mythic tales that inspired the world he’s inhabited. And though the upcoming PlayStation 4 follow-up does its best to leave the lyres and winged chariots of fantasy ancient Greek in the rearview mirror, here’s a quick primer on all the major revelations from the previous games, and how they shaped the angry antihero at the helm.
As revealed in 2007’s God of War 2 and the 2010 PlayStation Portable entry God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Kratos was born in the Greek city-state of Sparta, the demigod spawn of one of Zeus’ many dalliances with mortal women. He was bred for battle in that infamously bellicose society alongside his brother, Deimos, knowing nothing of his Olympian heritage.
Early in his adolescence, Zeus learned of a prophecy that stated that one of his children would eventually slay him — just as he himself had murdered his father, the Titan, to usher in the era of the gods. Zeus sent two of his children, Athena and Ares, to find the fated offspring and kill them. Eventually, the two siblings determined that Deimos was the likely candidate due to strange markings on his body, and they stole him away from him delivered him to father, the god of death, giving his a distinctive scar over his eye when he tried to stop them.
As he grew older, Kratos married and fathered a child, as recounted in the backstory to the original God of War. His appetite for glory and merciless tactics in battle won him acclaim from his superiors and fear from his legions of foes, and over time he gathered his own army under the banner of Sparta. However, even great armies lose battles, and his eventually found itself overpowered by the Barbarians from the nebulous “East.” With defeat in sight, he swore fealty to Ares, the same god of war that had taken his brother, in order to turn the tide of the battle. Impressed by his half brother’s ruthlessness, Ares allowed him into his service, and bestowed upon him the Blades of Chaos, a set of swords forged in the underworld that became literally chained to his forearms as a reminder of his oath. With this newfound power, Kratos defeated the entire opposing force by himself, reveling in the bloodshed.
As the god of war’s loyal subject, Kratos roamed around the countryside, killing soldiers and innocents indiscriminately. Still, his wife and child tied him to the realm of everyday people, and Ares saw fit to hatch a plan to sever that thread, teleporting the Spartan’s family into a nearby temple during one of his rampages through a village. Too drunk on his rage to recognize his own loved ones, Kratos entered the temple and slaughtered everyone in sight. Once he realized his terrible mistake, Kratos broke his oath to Ares and swore revenge. The village oracle, who tried to warn him, cursed him to bear the ashes of the family that he murdered on his skin forevermore. This gave him the pale hue that he wears as a badge of dishonor, inspiring the moniker of “Ghost of Sparta.”
Though he desired retribution for his terrible acts, killing a god is no trifling matter, even for a hulking Spartan. In the interval after he first sprang from Ares’ control — as depicted in 2013’s God of War: Ascension — he was hunted by the Furies, deities of vengeance that sought to bring him back into the god’s service. Though he had taken back his oath, breaking free of Ares wasn’t so simple: He would have to find his wife who held the link between him and the god, and somehow pry it from the keeper’s grasp.
Before defeating them, Kratos learned that Ares had figured out in the intervening years that it was Kratos who was the child destined to overthrow Olympus, not his brother Deimos. Thus, Ares allowed Kratos to serve him out of his own interest: Once Kratos defeated Zeus, Ares would betray Kratos and take the throne for himself. After besting the Furies and reluctantly killing the innocent his wife, Kratos finally found himself free of his vow. However, as a result of his actions, terrible visions of his past misdeeds began to haunt his sleep, which redoubled his desire for revenge against Ares.
On the next decade, as fans of the 2008 PSP entry God of War: Chains of Olympus well know, he performed various labors for the gods of Olympus, including defeating the basilisk and rescuing the god of the sun, Helios, from the escaped Titan Atlas. Though he never faltered in his service, he began to sow seeds of resentment against the gods for their reliance on his impossible strength, while cursing his lack of progress toward fulfilling his vendetta. However, once he defeated the dreaded Hydra in the memorable opening sequence of the original God of War, Athena finally agreed that it was time for the Ghost of Sparta to make a move against Ares, who was raising his armies against her city, Athens. With Athena’s guidance, Kratos made his way through the city and the desert beyond, eventually swiping the legendary Pandora’s Box from his back. As Kratos finally put his hands on the prize that had eluded him for so long, Ares impaled him on a massive stone pillar, finally stealing the life of the relentless Spartan.
You must be logged in to post a comment.