When fans first met Kratos in Greece, he was a madman who was obsessed with vengeance on the gods who had used him and thrown him away. His vengeance could not be complete until every last one of them was dead by his hands.
But that was the old Kratos from the first games in the God of War franchise. The most recent game caught up with him in Scandinavia where his wife had recently past away and he was left raising a young son named Atreus. This version of Kratos was not the bloodthirsty monster fans had come to know and love from the early games, though that didn't make him any less of a fearsome warrior.
10 He Looked A Lot Older
The time that elapsed between the events of God of War III and God of War (2018) has never been clearly stated. What is obvious is that a lot of time has passed, with some fans estimating that up to 1,500 years have gone by.
Even a borderline immortal demigod like Kratos will start showing his advancing age after that extended of a period has passed. He's put on a bit of weight, has a few extra winkles, and definitely has a more haggard vibe to him.
9 He Grew A Nasty/Epic Beard
The most obvious change in Kratos' appearance was the fact that he grew a big ol' beard. Throughout his time in Greece, Kratos was mostly clean-shaven except for his menacing little goatee.
But by the time fans caught up with him in the fourth main game, he had made a lot of changes in his personal style. The beard was the most noticeable, which was either epic or nasty depending on someone's personal aesthetic preferences.
8 He Moved Away From Greece
Fans of the God of War franchise had gotten used to slicing and dicing their way through Ancient Greece. By the time the third mainline game came out in 2010, Kratos had eliminated not only the Greek pantheon but also anyone remotely associated with them.
At some point between the games, Kratos left Greece behind and ended up in Scandinavia. What happened to him between has never been fully examined, but he was definitely trying to leave his old life behind. That being said, there was no one left to kill in that old life so moving on was his only choice.
7 He Left The Past Behind Him
Kratos was born a Spartan warrior, and found fame in the service of Ares. After accidentally killing his wife and daughter, he became even more fierce in combat, eventually renouncing Ares and slaughtering all of the Olympians and Titans.
But Kratos didn't travel to Ancient Norway to continue his murderous ways. He found love with someone new and had a child with her. All Kratos was looking for in Scandinavia was a new life that was quiet and not thoroughly coated in blood.
6 He Took Another Chance On Love
At the core of Kratos' genesis from a soldier and general to committing mass deicide was the death of his family by his own hands. This was not planned, but rather, his wife Lysandra and daughter Calliope just got caught in the metaphorical crossfire.
But he met Laufey in Norway, who was most often referred to as Faye and was secretly a giant. It was her love that helped heal Kratos, and her death that set him out on another adventure alongside his young son Atreus.
5 He Became A Dutiful Father, Again
Without question, Kratos loved his first child Calliope with every ounce of his heart. Ares manipulated the pain of that loss into making Kratos an even more formidable warrior. Even worse, Ares helped engineer the situation that put Kratos in the position of killing his family.
Becoming a father one more time was everything to Kratos. He worked to raise Atreus as a self-sufficient warrior who ended up standing by his father's side as they faced the threats and obstacles the Norse pantheon had to offer.
4 He Left Vengeance Behind In Greece
In the early scenes of the 2018 God of War game, fans got a bit of a look at Kratos' new life. He had settled down, gotten married again, and had another child. It was a much different version of the angry Spartan fans had gone on many brutal adventures with.
One of the biggest changes was that he had left his desire for vengeance back in Greece. That made sense as his hatred was for the Greek Pantheon, and he had already butchered all of them. At the point the most recent game started, he had no beef with any of the Norse gods— though they quickly changed that.
3 He Wasn't Out For Blood Anymore
There was a point in the olders games set in Greece that it seemed like Kratos was killing just for the sake of killing. There were more than a few gods, Titans, and other assorted beings that Kratos murdered who probably didn't deserve their fate.
But this more mature Kratos was seemingly no longer overcome with a bloodlust so powerful that he couldn't reign it in. Whether it was Faye's influence or something else entirely, Kratos no longer reveled in death the way he used to.
2 He Was Apprehensive About Killing
After Faye passed away, she left Kratos with the mission of spreading her ashes on the highest point in the Nine Realms. And with the help of Atreus, Kratos was able to do just that. But the Norse pantheon couldn't let this slide for some reason.
They threw obstacle after obstacle in front of Kratos and Atreus. While they killed anyone who got in their path, Kratos didn't seem to enjoy it as much as he used to. He had to kill beings like Baldur because they forced him into that position, not because he wanted to.
1 He Was Actually Relatable
Kratos is arguably one of the most popular video game protagonists of all time. While his daddy issues were somewhat relatable back in Greece, the unreal spree of murders he went on was certainly not.
In the most recent game, Kratos was a single parent who was just trying to do right by his son and late spouse. That's a lot more relatable, keeping in mind he still caused a lot of death and destruction along the way.