God of War’s Norse saga began when Baldur attacked Kratos in his search for the last giant known to Odin: Kratos’ wife, Faye. Following a brutal fight, Kratos was forced to take Atreus on his quest to spread the ashes of his deceased wife at the highest mountain in the realms, leading him on a collision course with Odin. However, had Odin chosen to send Heimdall instead of Baldur, his powers would have quickly uncovered that Faye was dead, preventing the All-Father's fate in God of War Ragnarok.
While Baldur was feared by many because of his invulnerability, Heimdall’s powers of foresight make him nearly undefeatable, with only the likes of Thor and Odin truly capable of taking him on. Kratos does defeat the Asgardian, but this required the help of the Draupnir Spear and a lot of knowledge of his enemy in advance. Odin’s choice of sending Baldur to hunt down Faye ultimately led to his demise, and with Heimdall the story would have played out very differently.
Heimdall’s Powers in God of War
Heimdall is one of the most powerful gods that Kratos has ever fought. As the God of Foresight, in Norse mythology Heimdall possesses powers that allow him to completely read everything an opponent could do. With his combat prowess, he can easily evade all incoming attacks and counter in response. Heimdall also possesses extremely enhanced senses, which he uses to guard Hrimthur’s Wall from threats across the nine realms.
Being an Aesir god, Heimdall is effectively immortal; only able to be killed by certain weapons or another god. While he still feels pain, unlike Baldur, Tyr (or Odin in disguise) and Freya tell Kratos that no person or god has ever hit Heimdall. Finally, Heimdall can also manipulate energy from the Bifrost, which he uses as projectiles and even as armor to protect himself.
Heimdall Would Have Known Kratos Was Not His Target
God of War (2018) started the Norse saga by forcing the Ghost of Sparta to fight Baldur. Had Heimdall been sent by Odin to kill Faye, he would have quickly realized that Kratos was not the Jotnar he was looking for, though it is also possible that Heimdall would have simply taken Atreus - who is half-Jotnar - back to Odin instead.
Odin spoke of Heimdall’s powers when Atreus first arrived in Asgard, stating that Heimdall reads minds for the All-Father. Given this ability, Heimdall would have likely been able to tell that Kratos was a god from a distant land. While he may have still fought the Ghost of Sparta to take Atreus, it's more likely he would have left Kratos alone, preventing the events of God of War's Norse saga from unfolding.
Kratos Would Have Had a Harder Time Against Heimdall
Throughout 2018’s God of War, Kratos had trouble dealing with Baldur, but that was mainly due to the Aesir’s invulnerability. While Heimdall would have felt every hit, his powers and abilities would have allowed him to stay away from everything that Kratos dished out, making it nearly impossible for Kratos to win a fight at that stage in his life.
During Kratos and Heimdall’s fight in God of War Ragnarok, the Ghost of Sparta already had a lot of knowledge about Heimdall, which he used to kill the Aesir and effectively kickstart Ragnarok. However, when Kratos first encountered Baldur, he had not yet met Freya, Sindri, or Brok, all of whom were the source of that knowledge. God of War Ragnarok’s newly introduced weapon, the Draupnir Spear, was designed specifically to overcome Heimdall’s foresight by overloading his senses. It played a vital role in Kratos’ victory over the Aesir.
Kratos and Baldur’s initial meeting in God of War forced the Kratos to leave his home in the hopes of preventing an all-out battle that would have endangered his son, starting the domino chain of events that eventually led to God of War Ragnarok. However, Heimdall would have simply left after deeming Kratos an unworthy opponent, and immediately returned to Asgard so that he could inform Odin of Faye’s death. Had Odin sent Heimdall instead of Baldur, Kratos would likely not have been compelled to take Atreus on the journey that he was unprepared for, ending the Norse saga before it began.
God of War Ragnarok is available now for PS4 and PS5.
