For many years he’s gotten his revenge, gotten his revenge some more, and even gotten the most revenge of all revenges. Now, Kratos—the god of war himself—is getting the video game live-action adaptation treatment in the form of a God of War live-action series. This gaming icon first hack-and-slashed his way into gamer’s hearts with the original game all the way back in 2005. Since then, God of War has become one of gaming’s most important franchises with powerful characters, many of whom will be in the Prime Video series.
The 2018 God of War reboot took the series to new heights. That game and its sequel, God of War Ragnarök, not only provided a more grounded but still epic gameplay experience, but also a more capacious, fully-realized world of characters. The transition from the Greek gods of old to the lesser known Norse mythology was a welcome one, and looks to be serving as the main basis for Amazon’s live-action series, which just started production.
So, true believers, let’s talk about who you can expect to see when the series officially launches.
Kratos
The series’ titular character, the son of Zeus, the Ghost of Sparta, and the one-that-naysayers-would-argue-used-to-have-screaming-and-rage-as-his-only-defining-characteristics, is the one and only Kratos. While serving as a commander in the Spartan army, Kratos offered up his soul to Ares in order to gain the power needed to slay his foes. And slaying his foes he did, but that’s about it in terms of “joy” that Kratos has netted in his life.
Sure, his numerous battle victories and the total annihilation of Olympus (and its absolute jerk dorks of gods that ruled it) is a pretty bodacious note to put on a resume, but Kratos has also lost many of those close to him, including his wife and child whom Ares tricked him into murdering during the events of the original game. A scarred, enervating past, to say the least.
Played By: Ryan Hurts
Atreus
The second son of Kratos, Atreus serves as the co-protagonist of the story and easy content fodder for a Happy Father’s Day post on social media from the biggest nerd you know. Atreus is shown to be a bit of a kindred spirit at the start of the story, the antithesis of his father’s very gruff, war-torn aura. Atreus’ naivete regarding not only the world, but also his father’s past, makes for an emotionally fulfilling character journey.
What starts as a simple premise of spreading his recently-deceased mother’s ashes on top of the highest point in the world turns into a tale of great sorrow, growth, and questions about what a given person’s true nature is, or should be.
Plus, who doesn’t love a classic “Young Person Helping Older Cynic Begin to Feel All The Things Again” story? You know you do, boy.
Played By: Callum Vinson
Odin
It can be a bit of a cliche, or even a meme, to assign characters the “daddy issues” label. But when it comes to the ruler of Asgard, yeah, he’s a bit of a jerk, to say the least. And sometimes that black-and-white and almost cartoonish display of evil makes for the best antagonists. Whether it be his bigoted views against the Jötunn, the incredibly harsh treatment of his son Thor, or general callousness, Odin is about as sinister a foe the God of War series has ever seen.
I mean, what’s more classically evil—and, unfortunately, analogous with our world—than waging war against the nine realms, killing hundreds upon thousands, due to fear it could one day result in your death. The level of narcissism on display with this lad would make Doctor Doom blush.
Played By: Mandy Patinkin
Thor
The God of Thunder himself, this version of Thor is likely to be a bit of a shock to those expecting a grand, courageous adventurer. Thor is one of the mightiest gods in all the land, and serves dutifully as the main enforcer for Odin, aiding in the slaughtering of countless giants across the realm. However, this relationship is hardly one filled with wholesome father-son bonding. Thor is quite the bedraggled, hopelessly miserable servant of the all-father due to some pretty hefty trauma he endured as a child, especially from his father he oh-so-desperately wishes to impress.
His awesome power might be there, but the mental side is anything but, and he serves as one of the primary antagonists in God of War Ragnarök. Undoubtedly, he and Kratos coming to blows will be one of the live action’s most anticipated moments.
Played By: Ólafur Darri Ólafsson
Sif
The goddess of earth is quite the title, and Sif lives up to it. As the second wife of Thor and mother to Magni and Modi, she serves as one of the secondary characters in God of War Ragnarök. Despite her obvious ties to Asgardian rule, Sif is a much more understanding character. And she is at least quite aware of the cruelty that Odin often displays against the rest of the world, in part due to motherhood softening her ways. So, unlike the rest of her family, war and cruelty don’t seem to be her main callings. Sif acts instead as a highly intelligent liaison for Asgard and the nine realms.
Another highlight is her relationship with Thor, in particular, as it serves as an emotional rollercoaster with her fear that Odin has damaged the thunder god in ways beyond repair.
Played By: Teresa Palmer
Heimdall
Marvel lovers will likely recognize Heimdall, but this God of War character is far from the calm, altruistic version seen from the MCU. As one of Odin’s sons and right-hand men, the god of foresight aided mightily in Asgard’s conquering and near dominion of all the realms. He’s also quite a bit of a snob, viewing himself as superior to other beings, but also the rest of his fellow Aesir tribesmen, a notion that only gained traction due to the many gifts Odin bestowed upon him , including the Hofuð sword.
Heimdall’s disdain, or at best cynical, view of others could also be explained simply by his powers to see through lies, to which, if you didn’t know already, people tend to do a lot. His interactions with Kratos and Atreus should make for some excellent moments in the live-action series, especially if you’ve played the games.
Played By: Max Parker
Mimir
Has anyone noticed a common theme in mythology being a host of folks that are cursed or imprisoned by the gods? From Atlas to Medusa and all in-between, Mimir finds himself trapped inside of a tree. And this doesn’t exactly turn him into a friendly treant fellow like in The Lord of the Rings, but rather understandably bitter.
But [record scratch] if you’re wondering how he found himself in this situation, it was by way of Odin, who punished Mimir for suspected allegiance to the Jötunn (aka the Giants, and not the ones from New York or San Francisco). Not only are the Jötunn huge in mass, but some can even see into the future. You simply can’t do a mythical fantasy tale without having some prophecies involved.
Played By: Alastair Duncan
Brok and Sindri
Every story may not always have a couple of blacksmiths, but when they do…you can bet stuff will be built. Namely, Kratos’ leviathan axe, which was built by the dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri in honor of its previous owner Faye, Kratos’ recently deceased wife who gave it to him in the first place. While the two brothers certainly have more to offer than being simple weapon builders—with a complicated history involving familial disagreements, to put it lightly—their inclusion in the live-action could go in any number of different directions, or even expand upon their existing story.
Played By: Danny Woodburn and Jeff Gulka