God of war fans rejoiced when Amazon announced they had ordered a series adapting the popular Playstation game series. These games follow Kratos, the “Ghost of Sparta”, as he pursues revenge against those who wronged him and ultimately tries to live a peaceful life with his family.
In addition to the order for the adjustment, there would be another important caveat. The series only aims to adapt the two most recent games, which take place in what fans call “the Scandinavian era” of Kratos’ adventures. The decision to focus on this era and not the multiple titles of games that previously appeared in what is now posthumously known as “the Greek era” is a strange one, and here we’re going to look at the arguments why Amazon should consider switching, of course participate in their decision.
The origin story of Kratos
The beginning of Kratos’ journey would take place when he was a general in the Spartan army and went up against a barbarian army. Facing defeat, Kratos cried out to Ares, the God of War, promising to follow his orders if Kratos was given the power to survive and defeat his enemies. Kratos would be gifted one of his signature weapons, the Swords of Chaos. Blindly following Ares into war, Kratos would be tricked into participating in the murder of his wife and daughter, an act that served to fuel Kratos’ wrath towards Ares and all the gods.
Cursed to wear his family’s ashes on his skin, Kratos would first seek redemption by working alongside the gods, albeit with much reluctance. Kratos would eventually earn his revenge after killing Ares and taking his place as the God of War, but this would only serve as the first chapter in Krato’s legacy.
Multiple titles to pick from
The “Greek Era” mainly takes place in five titles of the God of War games, with three numbered entries and two prequels known as God of War: Ascension & God of War: Chains of Olympus, respectively. With so much software dedicated to the franchise, there are plenty of storylines you could pull off to create more content for a streaming adaptation. Looking back at Kratos’ battle with Ares, his pursuit of the Fates and his crusade against both gods and titans alone could make for a multi-season series.
Each game’s events can be made into their own respective seasons, with the prequels combined into one season as their runtimes are shorter than most. We can delve deeper into Kratos’ origins by spending time getting to know his brother, Deimos, his wife, Lysandra, and his daughter, Calliope. And let’s not forget the historical figures he encounters along the way.
More nods to history
While the Norse era certainly pays close attention to Norse mythology and adapts events that would lead up to the foretold Ragnarok, the Greek era would use the character of Kratos to put their spin on the stories of Greece. Kratos is intrinsically linked to the myth of Pandora’s Box in the games. Such a story is familiar to Greek mythology aficionados and would serve as a welcome aid to the show’s storytelling, as the macgyver who can aid Kratos in his battles.
We also see attention being paid to more petty myths, many of which recall Kratos’ encounters with smaller figures such as Icarus and Prometheus, as well as larger-than-life figures such as the animated statue, The Colossus of Rhodes. The more Kratos gets involved with the gods, the less we see of historical figures, but events can be further adapted into a streaming series, with slight nods to help piece together the timeline of events.
Epic battles
While the Norse era is more known for its emotional storytelling, they did there were many great battles Through. These wouldn’t exist without the blood and gore legacy Kratos left in the Greek era. Even in the earliest moments of the games, you see Kratos decapitating the heads of the Hydra, as well as decapitating Gorgons.
Nothing compares to the battles Kratos would have when facing the Pantheon head-on, starting with his epic, multi-part battle against Ares, where the two would become giants and duel as only gods of war could. Kratos would soon go head-to-head with the rest of the pantheon, with his opening salvo against Poseidon being a memorable battle among fans of the franchise, one that would no doubt be welcome in Amazon’s edit. Amazon Prime has never shied away from graphic battles of epic proportions, particularly in their superhero series The boys and Invincible. With those comics fans more than pleased, along with the accolades the shows received from new audiences, God of War’s graphic content couldn’t be in better hands than the team at Amazon. Now if only they could decide on the perfect actor to play Kratos.