It's hard to believe that the very first God of War was initially released fifteen years ago. Since that time the franchise has grown to be one of Sony's landmark intellectual properties. However, recently numerous journalists and critics have claimed the God of War protagonist, Kratos, is a misogynist– and the creator of the original game isn't happy about it.
God of War is one of the most popular and well known Sony exclusive game series. The first several games in the series reinvented the standard action-adventure single-player game by introducing the player to all sorts of bloody, jaw-dropping spectacle. However, after third game released in 2010, no official installment in the main series released until the God of War reboot in 2018.
In recent years, some critics who have revisited the God of War have interpreted Kratos' actions as misogynistic, despite the level of critical acclaim this series has received. However, the creator of the original God of War for the PS2, David Scott Jaffe, vehemently disagrees with this assessment.
Jaffe took to Twitter and called out the people who consider Kratos to be a misogynist in order to match the thesis of the much more somber and heavy tone of the most recent God of War. Many people came out in support of Jaffe's criticism, praising the original game for many of the elements that made both the game and Kratos' character amazing. However, Jaffe's comments also led to a Twitter feud with an IGN Reviewer.
The view of Kratos as a misogynist is largely owed to his overtly violent and gratuitous personality, as well as the over-sexualization of female characters. However, this also plays off the more depressing and tragic undertones of Kratos' character that aren't always on full display.
At the end of the day, Kratos is a deeply complex and misunderstood character. The number of atrocities that he committed during the original God of War trilogy were deplorable, and it's clear that he does regret what he has done. By the time God of War 2018 was released, Kratos was nothing more than a broken man mourning the loss of his wife and trying to be a better father to his son. Hopefully, God of War 2 will continue to show more of Kratos' tenderness to offset the series' brutality.
God of War (2018)Â is available now exclusively for the PS4.
