2018's God of War revealed that Kratos' son Atreus is in fact Loki, the Norse god of mischief. This has led many fans of the franchise to wonder whether or not Atreus will become a playable character in the game's upcoming sequel, set during Ragnarok.
The last God of War is full of details which hint at how the events of Ragnarok might unfold in the upcoming game. Here's how these hints relate to Atreus as a playable character, and how an older, fully-powered Atreus could potentially fit into the next game's plot.
The Timeline Of Ragnarok
In 2018's God of War Atreus is still a child, though he is able to hold his own in combat. Some fans have been wondering if an aged-up version of Atreus could be a playable character in the next God of War. This could be the case, although problems are caused by the fact that the last game ended with the start of Fimbulwinter, the three-year winter preceding Ragnarok. Atreus' age is stated to be eleven in the novelization, which would still only put him at fourteen by the time the events of Ragnarok, and presumably the next game, begin.
There is one way Atreus could be aged more significantly in time for Ragnarok, however. In the last God of War game, Mimir says that during Ragnarok Thor and the World Serpent are prophesized to battle with such ferocity that it causes the tree of life to splinter, sending the World Serpent back to a time before his birth. It's possible that the next game could start with Ragnarok, but that Ragnarok itself could see Atreus and possibly Kratos sent backwards through time when the tree of life splinters.
If he is sent back in time, Atreus will have an opportunity to grow older, and players could play as a more experienced and mature version of the character who can match Kratos in his strength. This older Atreus would have an opportunity to develop into the Loki of Norse mythology fully. It is confirmed that the World Serpent, Fenrir, and Hel are Loki's children in-game on Jormungandr's Shrine. The World Serpent and Fenrir have particularly key roles to play in Ragnarok, as the demise of Thor and Odin respectively, and being sent back in time would give Atreus time to grow old enough to become a father.
The trailer for the God of War sequel has a logo showing the World Serpent in a loop with the word "Ragnarok" spelled in runes around its body. This could further hint at a time loop aspect to the plot, allowing players to take on the role of Atreus as an adult. However, a time-travel element of the plot could also play out from Kratos' perspective, and would not necessarily mean that Atreus will become playable.
The likelihood of an older Atreus, however, does make a playable Atreus more likely as well. Having fully realized his potential as Loki, an older Atreus could have just as many interesting moves as Kratos, whilst also taking on foes just as powerful as the last game's bosses without his father's help.
Playing Atreus And The Themes Of God Of War
There are some thematic reasons that Atreus may become a playable character in the next game. Sons replacing fathers is a motif which runs throughout all of the God of War games. Zeus replaced Cronos, Kratos replaced Zeus, and Kratos spends much of the 2018 game worrying that Atreus will get trapped in the same cycle of violence that defined his own past. Making Atreus a playable character could be an interesting way to explore that theme, especially if Atreus has the opportunity to break the cycle.
The Jotunheim mural at the end of God of War shows Atreus cradling a body which could be Kratos'. Many fans have assumed that this will be the final event of Ragnarok because it is the final panel on the mural. However, if Ragnarok is a time loop, Kratos' death could be one of the first events in the next game, with the player taking on the role of Atreus. It would certainly be a shock twist in a game where the plot risks being predicted beat-for-beat by the Ragnarok prophecy. If Kratos is killed near the start of the next game and Atreus is sent back in time, Atreus could be playable until he reaches Ragnarok for a second time and in some way can break, or fulfill, the prophecy.
Loki and Ragnarok
There are parts of the Ragnarok myth that would be very interesting to see from Loki's perspective. Before Ragnarok, Loki is imprisoned underground with a serpent's venom dripping on his face, causing him to writhe in earthquake-causing agony. When Ragnarok begins, Loki breaks free. Fighting a monstrous snake to escape from a hellish prison certainly sounds like a God of War boss fight.
Even if there are some interesting encounters which could be created from Loki's role in the myths, Kratos could be inserted into them justas easily as he was inserted into the rest of Norse mythology in the last game. There could be smaller segments where the player gets to play as an older version of Atreus, in a similar way to the playable Ciri segments that occasionally pop up in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Kratos has been the sole player character of God of War for four games now, which is both an argument for change and perhaps the strongest reason that Atreus becoming a playable character may still be unlikely. Not only that, but God of War 2's controversial time-travel plotline could make the next game's storytellers reluctant to use a similar device to age Atreus. It's also possible that the next God of War will stick to what worked the last time around and keep Kratos and Atreus as they were. Until Santa Monica Studio reveals more about its hotly anticipated game, Atreus' full role remains to be seen.
The sequel to God of War is currently in development for PS5.
