PLEASE NOTE: This article contains MASSIVE Spoilers for God of War Ragnarok. Proceed at your own risk.
Late last year, God of War Ragnarok was released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 to high sales and rave reviews. The game was a direct sequel to God of War(2018) and continued the story of longtime franchise protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. Like the previous Greece-based installments, the 2018 game went out of its way to establish the new pantheon as corrupt, tyrannical, and generally irredeemable. At the start of God of War Ragnarok, however, players are introduced to Thor, whose own story seems to parallel that of Kratos.
Kratos was first introduced to the world in the 2005 video game, God of War, and was the main character for three main installments and three prequels. While the Gods of the Greek world were not easily approachable deities, Kratos was presented as a character who wasn't that easy to get along with either. Throughout the games, the number of horrible things the character does in the name of revenge, glory, or at the behest of the Greek Gods sees entire civilizations perish due to Kratos' justified or unjustified actions. By the time players meet him in God of War Ragnarok, however, the protagonist has arguably developed into a completely new character. When players are introduced to Thor, it becomes clear that there are parallels to draw between him and Kratos.
Who Is Thor In God of War Ragnarok?
In the God of War games, Thor is a secondary antagonist who serves the will of his father Odin. Throughout the 2018 game, players never actually see the character, but his presence can be all the same. The game's take on Jormungandr differed from Norse Mythology's version, but the Midgard Serpent clearly has a history with the God of Thunder that he was still bitter about. Much of the game's world-building and dialog is dedicated to recounting the character's atrocities, and yet, when players meet Thor in God of War Ragnarok he is surprisingly calm and civil.
At the start of God of War Ragnarok, Kratos is ready for a big fight. The Norse God of Thunder, however, responds by offering to sit down and have a drink with him before Odin shows up and begins negotiation. Right from the get-go, players are shown a version of the character who is somewhat different from what had been described in the previous game. While a God of War Ragnarok boss fight with Thor that's full of incredible details does happen, players at first might suspect that the tales of his cruelty may have been exaggerated by Mimir and other people of Midgard. As the game goes on, however, it becomes clear Thor was undergoing his own personal journey of growth that wasn't unlike Kratos'.
God of War Ragnarok's Kratos and Thor Are Changed by The Death of a Child
Like Kratos, a big turning point for Thor seems to have been the death of a child in which he played a significant role. For Kratos, this happened when, in his fury, he killed his own wife and child. This would eventually cause him to renounce his loyalty to the Greek God of War and set him on the path that would eventually bring him to the north. There, he would meet Fey, have his second child, Atreus, and spend his time trying to be a better father to him than he was to his daughter. Atreus' role in God of War Ragnarok may also have been a way for Kratos to atone. This is where the most obvious parallel between the two Gods comes into play.
In God of War(2018), Kratos and Atreus encounter Thor's sons, Magni and Modi, and battle the two in one of the game's more memorable boss fights. Magni is killed in the battle and Modi retreats only to return later. It is then revealed that Thor had beaten Modi nearly to death having blamed him for the death of Magni. Whether the wounds were fatal is never revealed as Atreus kills him for continuously insulting his mother. This incident, however, is implied to be a big turning point for Thor as the God of War Ragnarok versions of the Thunder God and his wife, Sif, are different from how Mimir remembers them.
Throughout the game, Atreus interacts with Thor and Lady Sif far more than any other character in the game, and players are given a peek into their personal life. It is here gamers are introduced to Thor's daughter Thrud, who strikes an instant friendship with Atreus. Through various interactions, cutscenes, and bits of dialog, it's revealed that God of War Ragnarok's Thrud wants to be a Valkyrie. Thor indulges this dream and regularly trains with her, gaining her affection and unflinching loyalty, and appears to have more or less stopped drinking.
Like many other characters in God of War Ragnarok, Thor's wife Sif differs from Norse Mythology's counterpart and disagrees with this course of action, though not for the reasons players may initially suspect. Later on in the game, when Atreus tells Mimir about this, he suspects that Thor's assault on Modi may have been a turning point in their relationship, with Sif telling Thor to shape up or be prepared for her to leave him. In both cases, there's the death of a child which causes a character who previously reveled in destruction to take a turn and try to be better for their surviving children, with a romantic partner helping nudge them towards it.
Kratos and Thor Both Have Toxic Fathers Figures in Zeus and Odin
Perhaps the biggest parallel between Kratos and Thor, however, comes from their horrible fathers. God of War Ragnarok Odin isn't Zeus, and they are different characters from one another, but could both be described as perhaps the worst dads in video games. Both are all-powerful figures who have many loyal followers, but also plenty of enemies. Both characters, however, see their most destructive sons as wild animals who need to be controlled.
Ironically, in this instance, Zeus is the big manipulator, steering Kratos in certain directions to do his bidding before the series protagonist catches on. In Thor's case, Odin emotionally abuses and belittles him, telling Atreus that it's all he understands, even going so far as to say he preferred him when he was a drunk. This is one area where the characters slightly diverge, as Kratos defies and rejects Zeus' will relatively early on, whereas God of War Ragnarok's Odin clearly has a lot of power and control over Thor even after the death of his sons.
Ultimately both Kratos and Thor reject their fathers and both are treated to a similar fate. Kratos does so at the start of God of War 2, refusing to serve Zeus. As a result, Zeus kills him, stabbing him through the gut with The Blade of Olympus, which, in turn, starts a series of events that lead to the destruction of the entire pantheon. Thor has a similar fate. After an intense fight with the game's protagonist, Thor is talked down by Kratos and finally sees through Odin's madness and breaks whatever hold he had over him. Ironically, for his defiance, Thor is killed by Odin nearly identically to the way Kratos is killed by Zeus in God of War 2.
God of War Ragnarok's Kratos and Thor Try To Be Better
Ultimately, both Thor and Kratos are their own characters with their own arcs. They both have their own personalities and hangups when it comes to their respective pantheons. However, it is interesting how, despite everything both of them went through, God of War Ragnarok developer Santa Monica Studios made a point that they both should end up coming to the same conclusions in their life paths. Mainly that, despite all the horrible things that they had done in the past or that were done to them, they still needed to choose to be better for their children.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.
