Kratos is back at the forefront of everyone's mind following the launch of God Of War Ragnarok. An instantly recognizable character who strikes fear into anyone he crosses paths with based on looks alone. However, somehow, when you strip all of that back, Kratos might look even more intimidating.God of War's art director Raf Grassetti shared images of Kratos before a number of layers were applied to make the character the finished article (thanks, IGN). In one of the images, a bare-faced God of War is yet to have his paint, textures, or even his beard applied, rendering him completely unready to face the nine realms.The lack of a beard might be the most striking thing about the unfinished Kratos. It might also be worth going back on the comments about him being more intimidating than the completed character. While beardless Kratos might look like the last person you'd want to cross paths with in a ropey pub you've stumbled into, he wouldn't be nearly as intimidating as bearded Kratos when confronted by the likes of Thor and Odin.
The images shared by Grassetti also don't feel like they would fit with Christopher Judge's voice, the man who has voiced Kratos in the last two God of War games. He looks more like he'd have a cockney accent and every other word out of his mouth would be an f-bomb. Judge might be keen to have a crack at it though. The actor was recently praised for knowing Kratos inside out, even suggesting script changes to writers throughout Ragnarok's creation.
Ragnarok continues to impress and break records as more people get their hands on it. The sequel bettered Modern Warfare 2 to enjoy the second-best launch of 2022 in the UK. It is also up for ten Game Awards and is likely the only hope of stopping Elden Ring from taking home Game of the Year at the event next month.