This week, the God of War TV show in development at Prime Video found its Kratos in Ryan Hurst. He’s no stranger to the world of God of War, having played Thor in God of War Ragnarok, but now Hurst is stepping into a significantly larger role, with a lot of expectation heaped upon it.
While Hurst has a tall task ahead of him, I’d argue that the God of War show has an even greater obstacle in its way. With the show adapting the 2018 Sony Santa Monica-developed game, God of War is, I’d argue, missing out on a crucial element that makes the “reboot” great.
Don’t get me wrong – God of War 2018 is a fantastic game. It's arguably the best game in the entire God of War IP. The story of Kratos and Atreus’ journey is one that is as exciting as it is emotional, and I can’t wait to see how the show comes together. But jumping right to this Norse-set story bypasses a lot of the narrative groundwork that the 2018 game built and benefited from.
Why the Greek Era is So Important to God of War
In my mind, what makes the God of War 2018 game so special is how it completely reinvents the character of Kratos. We had spent six games watching Kratos seek vengeance and take no prisoners, regardless of who stood in his way. His journey set him on a path of destruction that culminated in an epic fight with Zeus, leaving an endless pile of bodies in his wake.
Throughout that journey, Kratos was neither kind nor caring. He was a blunt instrument that lacked nuance or depth, and that was part of what made those early God of War games so fun. It was a Greek revenge epic on a scale that video games rarely delivered. And it all started with the loss of a wife and child.
Kratos’ betrayal by the god of war, Ares, is the driving factor behind the first game and sets up a backstory for that revenge. That early game also explains why Kratos looks the way he does, with the ashes of his family permanently staining his skin.
It is those crucial details that enrich the experience of God of War 2018. Even those who didn’t play the earlier games likely were familiar enough with the lore behind Kratos to understand how much of a tonal shift the game was. By skipping right to the Norse era, the God of War TV show is going to miss out on all of that. Casual viewers will have no idea why Kratos tries to bottle up his anger when Baldur shows up. They won’t understand why it’s so significant that Kratos has a child and a family. And meddling with the gods won’t carry that extra baggage.
Obviously, the Prime Video show can use flashbacks to help flesh out that backstory, but it still feels like a missed opportunity. How incredible was that moment in God of War 2018 when you realized that Kratos was going to break out the Blades of Chaos? You need that history to make that moment land for everyone, not just those who have played the games.
I do still think that the God of War show can be great, but I really wish that the creators would start from the beginning. Look at how The Last of Us HBO show approached adapting the second game by remaining faithful to the structure of splitting Ellie and Abby’s perspectives into two separate seasons. Even just one season of the Greek storyline would have been worth it, but there is a lot of rich material in there that would make for a terrific TV show. As it stands, it feels like we are going to skip over it because it isn’t as dramatic as the Norse stuff. The Kratos and Atreus adventures are only made dramatic because of the Greek history, though.