Kratos, the main protagonist of the God of War franchise, is one of the most recognizable figures in video game history. Even if gamers haven't played a single God of War game, they can at least recognize Kratos' tattooed ghost-white face. Fans of the franchise, though, know more than just the details of Kratos' design; they also know the story behind it.
On top of being a staple mascot for the PlayStation brand, there are so many more things about Kratos that make him a highly interesting character. Those who have only played the soft reboot of the game in 2018 may not know any of these things. Even some long-time fans may have missed some of them due to these details being so obscure and hidden.
10 Hera Wanted To Have Him Killed Upon Birth
If Zeus had learned to keep his carnal urges to himself, the story revolving around Greek mythology would be much less lengthy -- and much less interesting. As everyone knows, Kratos is one of Zeus' many illegitimate children. When Hera learned of this, she opted to have Kratos murdered at birth.
Hera wanted Zeus himself to murder the child Kratos, but the God took pity on his son and refused to execute him. As fate would have it, Zeus' decision to spare Kratos would turn out to be a mistake on his part as Kratos later hunted him down to end him.
9 Kratos Has A Brother
Kratos' godly parentage is common knowledge at this point. What not many people know is that Kratos has a brother who is also a demigod progeny of Zeus. Kratos' brother's name is Deimos and his story is just as interesting as his brother's.
Deimos is the younger among the demigod brothers. He was born with an odd birthmark across his face and body. This birthmark coincides with a prophecy foretelling the destruction of Mount Olympus at the hands of a "Marked Warrior". When Ares and Athena set eyes upon Deimos, they mistook him for the Masked Warrior and abducted him. In reality, the prophecy was referring to Kratos.
8 Kratos' Mark
When Ares and Athena found Deimos and thought of him as the "Marked Warrior," Kratos was with him at the time. They were still young then and Kratos' attempt to save his brother proved completely fruitless. Kratos' effort left a permanent scar over his right eye, courtesy of the god of war himself. Of course, the identity of the gods would be forgotten by Kratos until after the death of Ares.
Ares would have killed Kratos then and there, but the pleas of Athena saved his life. This momentous event in Kratos' life forced him to be more relentless. In honor of his brother, Kratos tattooed his body with the same birthmark his brother had.
7 Kratos Killed His Mother
As if Kratos' journey wasn't already traumatizing, with the accidental death of his wife and daughter at his own hands, he was also forced to kill his very own mother Callisto. On his journey to Atlantis, Kratos discovered his mother lying on a bed. He initially believed that this was a trick perpetrated by the gods, but upon closer inspection, Kratos realized that it was indeed his mother in the flesh.
As Callisto was about to reveal the identity of Kratos' father to him, which was unbeknownst to him at the time, Callisto was transformed into a monster. The monster kept on attacking Kratos and he was forced to battle and kill her.
6 Kratos Is Immortal
During the ending of God of War III in the aftermath of his battle with Zeus, Kratos was shown to be left mortally wounded, lying on the floor heavily bleeding. In the post-credits scene, however, the spot where Kratos lay was shown empty with a trail of blood leading to the edge of the cliff.
It was here that Kratos discovered that he can never die from his own hands nor from aging, as a form of a curse for the sins he committed throughout his life.
5 How Kratos Ended Up In Midgard
How Kratos was able to cross between worlds was one of the biggest mysteries after the release of the soft reboot of God of War in 2018. Many people believed that he crossed dimensions since the world was destroyed after Kratos destroyed the Greek pantheon. However, it was later revealed that the game's world doesn't work that way.
As it turns out, the gods don't necessarily control the world, but only their respective regions. When Kratos eliminated the Greek pantheon, he essentially destroyed Greece. The rest of the world, like Scandanavia, was all fine and well. As for how he arrived at Midgard, during his travels after leaving Greece, he was attacked by a woman and three giant wolves who later dragged him to Midgard.
4 Kratos' "Tests"
Kratos' arrival at Midgard essentially granted him a chance at a second, reformed life. He met a woman named Faye and they later gave birth to their only son Atreus. Living life as a new person (and as a father and a husband), Kratos wanted to make sure he'd be able to keep his rage in check. For this, he conducted a series of "tests".
Kratos would often venture in the words to search for enemies. However, instead of attacking, he would only defend himself, keeping his rage in check during the process. He frequently failed, but also managed to succeed a couple of times. He would do these tests often, resulting in him being away from home for most of Atreus' childhood -- right up to Faye's death.
3 The Character Design
Kratos, during his conception, underwent a couple of design changes before the creators finally found the right look for him. There were a couple of design ideas intended for Kratos and one of them saw the character being completely masked. Another design saw Kratos carrying an infant on his back.
Finally, Charlie Wen, the director of visual development for the first and second God of War games, came out with the design for the character we all know and love today. However, Kratos' massive tattoo was originally going to be blue before they changed it to red.
2 Etymology And Mythology
Kratos' name in Greek means "power" or "strength". This, of course, is an obvious and fitting description of the god of war. Kratos, unlike many of the characters in this universe, wasn't based on a mythological figure. There is, however, a character in Greek mythology named "Cratos", a being of strength and power.
In the Norse World, Kratos is known as Farbauti by the Jotnar which literally translates to "cruel striker". Farbauti is the actual name of Loki's father in Norse mythology.
1 Kratos' Boat Stories Have Meaning That Resemble His Journey
In the latest God of War game, if you haven't acquired Mimir's head yet, Atreus will goad Kratos into telling him stories to pass the time which Kratos reluctantly obliges. If you listen intently to Kratos' stories, you will catch a ton of parallelism to Kratos' journey and experience.
The story of the horse who sought vengeance mirrors Kratos' journey to destroy Ares. The Hare and the Tortoise story is similar to Kratos' fight with Hermes. Another one of his stories, The Woodcutter and the Trees, resembles Kratos' own real story and how he eliminated the Greek pantheon. Whether he does this intentionally or not, his stories will always mirror his experiences or those he has personally encountered.