Interest in a character always returns when a new entry in the series is on its way. A new God of War game is set to be released in 2021, one which will further the story of Kratos. The character has been through a lot, from his days as a warrior in Greece to the Nordic lands in the latest game.
With such a long history, fans tend to have questions about Kratos, concerning his background and facts about his characterization. Since there has been a lot of creative dedication behind conceptualizing Kratos, it’s worth checking out the answers to the questions that fans have wondered about him.
10 Who Created The Character?
Given that the games are ranked so highly by critics, there’s always an interest over whose brainchild the character of Kratos was. This would be David Jaffe, who is also known as the creator of the Twisted Metal series. Jaffe’s intention for Kratos was to be a brutal character who didn’t resemble a classic Greek hero.
The credit for actually designing Kratos goes to Charlie Wen, who was the director of the visual development of the first God of War. Interestingly, Wen’s first sketches of Kratos were on napkins at a restaurant.
9 Who Are In His Immediate Family?
Technically, any child spawned from Zeus is a sibling of Kratos, making his family tree enormous to trace down. This has led to confusion over his immediate family, which is relatively easier to list. As far as full siblings are concerned, Kratos had one brother in Deimos.
His father is well-known to be Zeus, while his mother was a woman named Callisto. Kratos has had two wives, Lysandra and Laufey the Giant. Calliope was his daughter with his first wife and Atreus with his second. Jörmungandr the World Serpent, is Atreus’ son sent from the future, making him Kratos’ grandchild.
8 How Tall Is He?
There’s been a discussion over who between Thor from Marvel Comics and Thor from God of War is stronger due to their hulking frames. And yet, Kratos is by no means a short man himself, with an early God of War script listing him as 6 feet 6 inches tall.
His height has been a topic of debate, as the stature of half-brother Hercules in God of War III raised questions if Kratos might be extremely tall himself. With Hercules standing at about 12 feet, the difference in their heights aligns with Kratos’ scripted height based on visual evidence.
7 Is He Immortal?
Since Kratos has been seen as a child and has aged a bit over the course of the series, there have been questions about his mortality. Cory Barlog, director of 2018’s God of War, confirmed that Kratos really cannot die and has accepted his fate to walk the Earth.
This doesn’t mean that Kratos can’t be killed, as he has perished before and is predicted to die with Atreus by his side. However, Kratos is immortal in the sense that he can’t die of natural causes and becomes stronger after resurrection, given that he survived being impaled by the Blade of Olympus.
6 How Many Greek Figures Did He Kill?
While the Greek gods of the God of War games aren’t nearly as powerful as the Olympians seen in Marvel Comics or other media, Kratos still has an impressive kill list. From the chronological beginning of the games in God of War Ascension to its end in God of War III, Kratos killed as many twenty-eight Greek figures.
These include everything from the gods themselves to the Furies and heroic figures like Perseus and Hercules. Of these beings, only Charon has defeated Kratos without any trickery, although he was later killed in their second fight.
5 Was There A Kratos In Actual Mythology?
The series has been lauded for having its characters match their legendary counterparts. The meaning of Kratos translates to “strength,” which is why the creators chose the name. However, there actually was a Kratos in mythology, who appeared in the tragedy of Prometheus Bound. This Kratos was the son of Pallas and Styx and was a loyal servant of Zeus.
Ironically, while Kratos saves Prometheus from his fate in God of War II, the mythological figure was responsible for chaining Prometheus as told in legend. The God of War creators were unaware of this fact but consider both versions as pawns of the gods.
4 How Many Actors Have Portrayed Him?
Fans generally wonder which person portrays Kratos, but the truth is that there are a lot of actors involved. As far as motion capture is involved, Kratos has been played by Brendan Morale, Joseph Gatt, Terrence C. Carson, Christopher Judge, Eric Jacobus, and Shad Gaspard.
Of these, Terrence Carson and Christopher Judge have voiced the character, with the latter taking over the role starting from 2018’s God of War. As a child, Kratos was voiced by Antony Del Rio. This brings the number of performers up to a count of seven.
3 What Other Media Can Kratos Be Found In?
A few comic fans, who aren’t gamers, are surprised to learn that DC’s Kratos is based on an older character. That’s right, Kratos has featured in his own series from DC Comics. Along with that, he’s branched into a number of different types of media.
Kratos’ story is told in further detail in God of War novels. He’s also guest-starred in a lot of other gaming franchises, including Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds, LittleBigPlanet, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, Modnation Racers, Mortal Kombat, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, and Shovel Knight.
2 How Old Is He?
Kratos can easily find himself as among the oldest DC characters there are. While it’s never been outright stated as to how old Kratos is, there’s enough evidence to reach an estimate. 2018’s God of War stated that Tyr’s Temple had been submerged for 150 years, inside of which a vase had depicted Kratos’ time as the Ghost of Sparta.
As Spartans were only allowed to marry at 30, it meant Kratos was about that age when he had his daughter, who died eight years later. Kratos then served the gods for ten years, making him 48 at the beginning of the series. All things considered, Kratos is, at the very least, around 200 years or older.
1 What Accolades Has The Character Received?
Kratos, and the series as a whole, has received wide praise for him being an amazing character who fans find extremely engaging. His list of achievements has become too long to note in full, but his most significant ones are worth mentioning.
For his portrayal of the character in 2018’s God of War, actor Christopher Judge earned the BAFTA Award for Performer, along with the title receiving the award for best game. Kratos was also nominated for the Character of the Year at the 2010 Video Game Awards, winning for “Biggest Bad*ss.”