Brand new details on an original outline of God of War Ragnarök have been revealed by the game’s narrative director and story lead, and it turns out that Kratos originally met a very different fate, with Kratos dying in the very beginning of the game in one draft.
Kratos was originally killed by Thor in God of War Ragnarok
The original plan for Kratos in God of War Ragnarok was for him to suffer an untimely death at the hands of Thor, one of the game’s antagonists. This controversial decision was set to happen early in the game, before developer Santa Monica Studio decided against it.
In an interview with Minnmax (via VGC), Narrative Director Matt Sophos said the following:
“The earliest, earliest draft of an outline that we had come up with that we took to Eric… Kratos died in the Thor fight at the very beginning of the game. He was going to die, and it wasn’t a permanent death. He would get pulled out of Hel essentially by Atreus but now 20 years have passed.”
It’s an interesting idea to consider, that Atreus would be a fully-fledged adult for the majority of the game. It’d certainly change the dynamic between the two characters, with Atreus now a completely different character than before, and Kratos having to come to terms with the fact that his son has grown up without him for such a long time.
Sophos continues:
“As we were developing the story, we knew that we wanted the story to be one about letting go and changing. Knowing that Norse mythology is all about fate and prophecy, we wanted to say ‘that’s bullsh*t, nothing is written that can’t be unwritten, as long as you’re willing to change or make changes in your life then you’re not bound to fate.’
If you've seen that prophecy and you want to know if it comes true, fear not. We're pleased to report that Kratos does not die in God of War: Ragnarök.
When Kratos died, he appeared in the Underworld next to the Titan Gaia, who used her magic to revive Kratos and send him back out of the Underworld. Gaia then guided Kratos throughout the game so that he could reach the Sisters of Fate and travel back through time to undo his death at Zeus' hands.
Instead, the positive influence of Faye and Atreus allows Kratos to choose a peaceful path and avoid being killed at the hands of Thor. Many fans expected to see Kratos finally die in God of War Ragnarok, but opening his heart to suffering has instead given the Ghost of Sparta a new path towards redemption.
It might've taken the wind out of Kratos' death in the base game to see him reprised in its subsequent, unanticipated DLC, but knowing he had transcended to Valhalla could've made sense within that context with all of its same ongoings reasonably taking place.
After completing the side quest favor, A Vikings Funeral, the game fades to black and rolls the second set of credits, signifying the true ending to the game.
Kratos then joined the Spartan army in Rhodes, intent on destruction. Zeus, however, weakens Kratos and tricks him into abandoning his godly powers into the Blade of Olympus, which Zeus uses to kill him.
At the end of 2018's God of War, Kratos admits to his son Atreus that “I have killed many who were deserving and many who were not." Both that and the sequel, God of War Ragnarok, saw the Ghost of Sparta filled with regret about his past, looking for redemption as the Norse apocalypse drew near.
However, Kratos returns to life and reclaims his godly powers and status as the God of War before exacting revenge against Zeus, his father, and the Olympians, leaving Kratos as the only surviving Greek God of War (despite trying to commit suicide by impaling himself with the Blade of Olympus to give away the power of ...
In an all-out fight, it's hard to presume that anyone could defeat Goku, although Kratos may be one of the few that comes close. Ultimately, in a battle between the two, deciding the winner would likely come down to whose universe the fight takes place.
After the cataclysm ends, Atreus wakes up in Midgard. He walks along a spiral path, passing by all the friends he met in God of War: Ragnarok, until he gets to the top, where Angrboda is waiting. She tells him she knows he's been seeing Giant visions, and that he needs to tell his father.
Brok questioned everything Tyr did or said, and when the God of War mentioned a path to Asgard, Brok understood that Tyr wasn't really all he claimed to be. Once Brok made everyone around him similarly doubt the disguise, this forced Odin's hands and led to the All-Father killing the dwarf before making his escape.
Sindri's story is far from over, and his mourning of Brok might see him descend to a dark path that mirrors Kratos' own when he first lost his own family. Sindri might not be a hateful person, but there is no love in his broken heart for Kratos.
For Kratos, this means that everything he has ever done will come back to haunt him in Valhalla. While he's had his fair share of hardships in the Norse world, Kratos left the land of Greece in ruins, and it's mostly events from Ascension to God of War 3 that plague him here.
Kratos is not immortal, but the power he has from the gods means he is nearly impossible to kill and ages far slower than any normal person, which makes Kratos' age difficult to determine.
After battling their way through to the city, Kratos fights Thor but convinces him to be better for the sake of their children. But Odin then kills Thor, leading to a final battle that sees Kratos, Atreus and Freya combine forces to defeat Odin in a multi-stage boss fight.
In the God of War Ragnarok DLC expansion God of War Ragnarok Valhalla, Kratos agrees to Freya's proposal to become the God of War of the Norse lands. So technically speaking, Kratos will once again sit as God of War for all time which makes the ending of the first game relevant again.
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