2018’s God of War marked a huge shift in the franchise. Kratos was no longer in ancient Greece, but was now a widower living in Norway, raising his young son after the recent death of his wife Faye. SPOILERS FOR GOD OF WAR: FALLEN GOD AHEAD.
While the 2018 God of War was a huge success, it left many fans wondering how Kratos came to find himself in the world of Norse mythology after destroying the Greek pantheon. Now, the comic series God of War: Fallen God has begun exploring what happened to Kratos between God of War 3 and the latest game. There are some strong reasons, however, why this story is unlikely to affect God of War’s upcoming Ragnarok sequel.
Fallen God
God of War: Fallen God is written by Chris Roberson with art by Tony Parker. The new comic book series aims to explain how Kratos went from the man players left behind at the end of of God of War 3 to the man they see in 2018’s God of War.
Throughout the first issue, Kratos battles with the immense violence of his past. The Blades of Chaos serve as a constant reminder of his inability to shake off his trauma, or to stop his past from causing further bloodshed in the future. Kratos journeys throughout the world with no destination. Only one issue has been released so far. However, fans can expect the series to explain how Kratos eventually ended up in Norway, married to Faye, and raising a family.
By beginning the game with the recent loss of Kratos’ wife and the reveal that Kratos now has a young son named Atreus to look after, 2018’s God of War pulled off a fascinating storytelling move. By leaving a gap in the middle, it transformed the events of the original trilogy into memories from a distant past, even for fans who loved the first three games. This comic will add context here, which is great, but it didn’t impact the 2018 game and probably won’t impacted the next game either.
The New God of War
By never explaining the transition from Greek to Norse mythology, 2018’s God of War opened up a world of possibilities that made the game’s universe seem all the more mysterious. By starting the story after the death of Faye instead of with Kratos’ escape from Greece, the storytellers created a sense that time simply kept moving forward regardless of Kratos’ ability to deal with the past, a theme which would prove central to the game’s plot.
Added context has some minor risks, but not those that’ll likely have a long lasting impact. Faye is an interesting character, for example, because of the way she clearly affected Kratos and Atreus during life, and revealing too much about her could theoretically undermine her impact. Again, though, it’s unlikely to go so far as to really do that to the first game, much less the second. It seems unlikely that the details expanded upon in Fallen God will have much relevance in God of War’s Ragnarok for this simple reason: added context is great, but it probably won’t go so far as to impact or change the first game, thus much less the second.
God of War: Fallen God’s first issue is available now.
