God of War’s Kratos is no stranger to testing fate and even overcoming it in his earlier years. With the upcoming God of War: Ragnarok, many fans have been developing theories of where the narrative will take Kratos and his son, Atreus. God of War could, however, take a page out of Final Fantasy 7 Remake’s book and change the fate of events around Ragnarok.
Kratos has already overcome the Sisters of Fate in 2007's God of War 2. However, that was in the Greek Mythos, things could end differently in the current Norse Mythos that Kratos finds himself in. Players will have to see whether Kratos can defy the fate of another Mythos, or if he succumb to Ragnarok.
The God of War, Loki, and Jormungandr
God of War has already seemingly broken the fate of Ragnarok and Norse characters like Loki, who is revealed to be Atreus in this narrative. Loki is also the father of Jormungandr in the traditional mythos. However, in God of War, it is clear that Jormungandr is very much alive and well by the time Atreus meets him, making it almost impossible that Atreus is Jormungandr’s father. There is a theory that during Ragnarok, Thor hit the World Serpent, Jormungandr, so hard that it sent the serpent back through time, before his birth. This would explain why Atreus seemed familiar to the World Serpent, but could also lead to a potential time paradox.
If Loki is not the father of the World Serpent in God of War, or if he is but is just from a different point in time, then it is safe to say that Kratos’ presence in the Norse Mythos has changed some large details, opening the path for Kratos to change even more of the events of Ragnarok. Jormungandr is a large part of the events of Ragnarok, with its venom ultimately killing Thor. This may have also changed since it is noted that Kratos' Leviathan Axe is imbued with Jormungandr's venom, opening the option that Kratos could be the one to kill Thor. While Jormungandr is only one example of a change connected to Loki and the Norse Mythos, another important piece to the Ragnarok puzzle is Loki’s child Fenrir.
Fenrir in God of War
Fenrir is one of Loki’s children in Norse Mythology, and also leads to the future downfall of Odin. Where Fenrir will fit into God of War’s narrative is still a mystery, but being that Fenrir is a major part of the events of Ragnarok, it will interest players to see how these events will be changed.
Fenrir is the key to Odin’s defeat in Ragnarok, making it an important piece to fill. With Kratos being the God of War and proving his strength by defeating many Greek Gods including Zeus, it's currently left open whether he could he be the one to fill the role of Fenrir and defeat Odin himself.
God of War's Ragnarok
Ragnarok is the end of the world in Norse Mythology, and is said to start when Jormungandr lets go of its tail. While Jormungandr was never seen with its tail in its mouth during God of War, its rise from the depths of the water could hold the same symbolism, marking the start of Ragnarok. While Baldur's death starts Fimblewinter, the winter that precedes Ragnarok in Norse Mythology, Kratos' arrival could have altered the series of events.
Kratos’ presence in the Norse Mythos has seemingly shaken things up in terms of how the popular stories unfold. Much like Final Fantasy 7 Remake presented players with what they think they knew about the story, just to change it near the end, God of War Ragnarok could do a similar thing and change the well-known events of Ragnarok.
In Norse Mythology, Surtr is a fire god who ultimately brings the destruction of Asgard amid Ragnarok by engulfing it in flames during a battle with Freyr. This is similar to the God of War narrative being told, however one interesting bit is that the Trials of Muspelheim call out to Kratos, and with Kratos completing them, this could be the beginning of him playing a bigger role in Ragnarok.
God of War: Ragnarok will launch in 2022 for PS4 and PS5
