Kratos (God of War)
In the Norse era, Kratos finds himself controlling his rage and learning how to be a father and mentor to his son, Atreus, who he helps to come to terms with his divinity.When designing Kratos, God of War (2005) creator and game director David Jaffe attempted to create a brutal-looking character that did not resemble a typical traditional Greek hero.[11] In the series lore, the scar is eventually to be the result of a childhood encounter with the Olympian god Ares, while the tattoo is a tribute to his dead brother Deimos, who had similar birth markings.[14] The designers of God of War (2018) gave Kratos a Nordic look that includes a full beard and changed his main weapon to a magical battle ax to make the combat more grounded.[17] Zoran Iovanovici of California State University, Long Beach, said while the mythical Kratos is best known for chaining Prometheus, in God of War II, the video game character releases him.In Ghost of Sparta, it is revealed the oracle had foretold the demise of Olympus would not happen by the hands of the Titans, who were imprisoned after the Great War, but rather by a marked mortal warrior.As the temple burned, a village oracle cursed Kratos and condemned him to wear the "mark of his terrible deed", the ashes of his family, which turned his skin pale white, earning him the title, the "Ghost of Sparta".[30] In Chains of Olympus, Kratos was reluctant to help the gods when Helios was kidnapped and openly abandoned them when Persephone offered him a chance to be reunited with Calliope.Knowing intervention would save Calliope but would separate him from his family forever, a bitter Kratos killed Persephone, imprisoned Atlas, and freed Helios.[27] Still haunted by the visions of his mortal past in Ghost of Sparta, and against the advice of Athena, Kratos embarked on a quest to find his mother Callisto in the city of Atlantis.At this point, Thanatos realizes Ares, Athena, and Zeus chose the wrong Spartan; it was Kratos who should have been taken, the mark being his red tattoo and his skin turned white from his family's ashes.Kratos, fueled by anger at his betrayal, agrees to aid the Titans and is instructed to find the Sisters of Fate, who are capable of returning him to the moment of Zeus's treachery.Kratos becomes determined and utterly ruthless; in the pursuit of his goal, he wounds a Titan, kills several Greek heroes without hesitation, and sacrifices two scholars, restoring his god powers.Stranded in the Underworld, and now betrayed by both the Olympians and Titans, Kratos learns from the spirit of Athena, who also provides the Blades of Exile, he needs to find the Flame of Olympus, which is the key to defeating Zeus.[35] Decades after the events of God of War III, Kratos, having survived his apparent death from releasing the power of hope in Greece, arrives in ancient Scandinavia in the Norse realm of Midgard, and fathers a boy named Atreus, who is unaware of his true nature.Around this time, Atreus falls ill; to cure him, Kratos must recover his old weapons, the Blades of Chaos, to battle the beings of Helheim because the Leviathan Axe, which inflicts frost damage, is useless there.Returning home to Midgard, Atreus, as Loki, decides he needs to find any remaining giants and bids farewell while Kratos learns he is destined to become a revered god.[39] As a pre-order bonus for LittleBigPlanet from GameStop, customers received a Sackboy Kratos costume along with ones for Medusa and a Minotaur, as well as a God of War level sticker kit.[69] Kratos appears on the Guts of War II: Entrails of Intestinox kiosk at E4, a parody of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), in The Simpsons television episode "The Food Wife".He was first parodied in season 5, episode 15, "The Core, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover", which shows how far Kratos (voiced by Brian Austin Green) will go to collect blood orbs.[83] Knowing of the talks about a God of War film at the time, both Jesse Schedeen of IGN and Marissa Melisa of UGO Networks described Kratos as a character who deserved his own movie.[89] Patrick Shaw of GamePro said it was "Kratos' tragic fall and brutal ascension to the peaks of Mount Olympus that made the original God of War so memorable".[90] GamesRadar+ staff described Kratos as "one of PlayStation's most popular representatives", and described him as the "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games, writing: "Being insanely violent isn't exactly an uncommon trait amongst game characters, but driven by a rage wrought from his guilt (slaughtered thousands, including—oops—his wife and daughter) Kratos kills with such convincing visceral aggression it elevates him way beyond the status of brain-dead murder-bot".[95] Nathan Ingraham of Engadget, though saying it was an exaggeration, wrote: "Kratos is more nuanced and shows more emotion in the game's opening hour than he did in the entire previous trilogy".[97] Briana Lawrence of The Mary Sue said Kratos and Atreus's father-son adventure reminded them that they were not alone,[98] while Jakejames Lugo of Red Bull said the father-son-duo shared a remarkable relationship and made for a stunning virtual photography subject.[101] Jeremy "Norm" Scott, creator of the comic strip Hsu and Chan, stated in Electronic Gaming Monthly Kratos was average and "did not exist, except as an avatar for the player".[103] Dante Douglas of Paste referred to power fantasy as the "Muscle-Bound Warrior Man" and said it was the commonest way men are sexualized in video games.[112][113] For both God of War (2018) and Ragnarök, Judge's portrayal won him and the creative team the Outstanding Achievement in Character awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[118] In October 2009, United Cutlery created a scaled replica of Kratos's Blades of Chaos that included a custom display stand with the God of War logo.Santa Monica designed the limited edition (500 units), polystone statue, which is over 26 inches (66 cm) tall and includes leather, cloth, and metal pieces.
Kratos (mythology)God of WarNorse eraDavid JaffeFárbautiNorse mythology2018–presentTerrence C. CarsonChristopher JudgeJoseph GattDemigodAtreus "Loki"SpartaAncient GreekΚράτοςprotagonistSanta Monica StudioGreek mythologySpartantragicVengeanceOlympian godsAtreusgods of the Norse realmRagnarökRedemptionPlayStationGod of War IIIbonus playtraditional Greek heroGod of War IIOlympian godepauletGolden FleeceHermesrole playing video gamePlayStation Storemythical god named KratosPrometheus BoundStig AsmussenCalifornia State University, Long BeachPerseusTheseusAchillesHeraclesHerculesCory BarlogOlympusMarvel ComicsTeal'cStargate SG-1motion captureSunny SuljicGod of War (DC Comics)antiheroTitansGreat WarThanatosMarv WolfmanplagueAsclepiusAthenaGod of War (2005 video game)FuriesHeliosPersephonePandora's BoxAtlantisGreek eraRhodesUnderworldTartarusSisters of FateCronosPoseidonPandorapsycheGod of War (2018 video game)MidgardLaufeynine realmsMímirJötunheimBaldurModi and MagniHelheimFimbulwinterGod of War RagnarökAsgarddownloadable contentValhallaHot Shots Golf: Out of BoundsLittleBigPlanetGameStopSackboyMedusaMinotaurModNation RacersMortal KombatPlayStation VitacrossoverPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royaleboss battlePlayStation 4Shovel KnightLittleBigPlanet 3God of War III RemasteredTearaway UnfoldedTC CarsonPlayStation 5Astro's PlayroomAstro BotFortnite Battle RoyaleNintendoAndroidWindowsGhost of TsushimaemotesDestiny 2Xbox OneXbox Series X/SbreechclothThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons Gamedevelopment hellstreaming television