Ever since the first fans reached the end of 2018’s God of War, there has been speculation that the next game’s Ragnarok won't just involve the death of the Norse gods. Many believe that God of War: Ragnarok will be Kratos’ final fight, and the last game was certainly happy to hint as much.
While plenty of fans have speculated that Kratos will die in God of War: Ragnarok, the game’s story could be even more bittersweet. There are some strong reasons to think that while the next God of War might not be Kratos’ last appearance in the games, it could be the final story of his son Atreus. Here are the reasons why, and why Atreus’ death might not be as overwhelmingly bleak as it might seem on the surface.
Death In God Of War: Ragnarok
The belief that Kratos will die in God of War: Ragnarok is primarily sourced from the mural seen at the end of the last game. When Kratos and Atreus finally reach the realm of Jotunheim they discover a mural which maps the major events of the story so far and prophesizes the events of Ragnarok.
After Atreus learns his ominous other name – Loki – the boy leaves the temple. Kratos then sees the mural’s final panel when the fabric covering it blows aside. It appears to reveal Atreus cradling a dying man who resembles Kratos in many ways. Fans were quick to decipher the Norse runes surrounding the figures, which can be translated as “father,” “betrayal,” and “mourned.”
It’s not surprising that fans would conclude that Atreus, now revealed as the Norse god of deceit, will betray and kill his father in the next game. There’s plenty of evidence, however, that this is a red herring. For a start, the figure in the final mural panel doesn’t resemble the Kratos depicted in earlier panels, lacking the same clothes or iconic tattoos.
Second, the Norse word for “betrayal” – “svik” – can also be translated as “deceit,” and could simply be a reference to Atreus’ identity as Loki rather than a specific act of treachery. “Father” could similarly refer to Odin, the All-Father of Norse mythology. Whatever the truth, there are certainly plenty of reasons to doubt that the dying man is Kratos.
Loki's Fate
Although it may seem far-fetched, it’s possible that the dying figure in the final panel is an older version of Atreus himself. In Norse mythology, Loki is the “father” of the creatures that kill Odin and Thor during Ragnarok – Fenrir and the World Serpent, respectively. In some sense, he is the father of Ragnarok itself. Although Atreus and Kratos met the World Serpent in the last game while Atreus was still a boy, the creature described Atreus as “familiar” and is confirmed to come from the future.
Mimir explains that during Ragnarok, the World Serpent and Thor fought with such ferocity that the tree of life splintered and the World Serpent was sent back to the Lake of Nine at a time before his birth. The new God of War: Ragnarok trailer that debuted at the 2021 PlayStation Showcase confirmed that Angrboda, the mother of Fenrir and the World Serpent, would be appearing while still around Atreus’ age. This, combined with the elements of time travel already hinted at in the last game, raises some interesting possibilities.
There are a few major events that are practically confirmed to take place in God of War: Ragnarok, especially since the 2021 Playstation Showcase also saw God of War developers confirm that the next game would be the end of the series’ Norse saga. Atreus needs to become the father of Fenrir and the World Serpent, which means both he and Angrboda need time to grow old enough to become parents. Fimbulwinter, the three-year winter immediately preceding Ragnarok, already began at the end of 2018’s God of War. As such it seems unlikely that Atreus will simply grow into adulthood by normal means.
God Of War's Time Travel
With the time travel plot already hinted at with the World Serpent, this makes it seem possible if not likely that one of two things will happen. Either Atreus and Angrboda will be sent back in time, giving them suitable time to grow up and parent Fenrir and the World Serpent before Ragnarok comes around again, or the realm Angrboda is seen in will have a different relationship with time which will allow years to pass in that realm and not the other realms of Norse mythology.
In either case, it seems likely that Atreus will live his life to adulthood within the timeframe of the next game’s story due to some kind of time manipulation. In Norse mythology, Loki dies at the end of Ragnarok. Santa Monica Studio could have Atreus die at the end of Ragnarok too, but instead of it being the overwhelmingly tragic death of Kratos’ young son, it could be the death of an older Loki who has already lived a full life.
This could be a bitter-sweet way to address some of the major themes of Kratos and Atreus’ relationship, particularly Kratos’ struggle to let Atreus go and face his destiny. If the dying figure in the final Jotunheim mural panel is an older Atreus, it could even be the case that the story will see the older Atreus die while the younger Atreus is still very much alive and yet to be sent back in time. Kratos will have gone through the emotional arc of seeing his son grow up, while also being freed up as the player character in future God of War games once the Norse storyline is over.
This remains just one of many possibilities, but with the last game’s hints at time travel and major questions about how Atreus will become the father of the World Serpent and Fenrir in time for Ragnarok still hanging over the upcoming game, it could be more likely than many fans think. Only time will tell, but God of War: Ragnarok’s relationship with time itself could be one of the most interesting parts of the new game that the trailers alone have yet to fully reveal.
God of War: Ragnarok is planned to release in 2022 on PS4 and PS5.
