Why Kratos Proves Fatherhood Was His Greatest Battle - God of War Deep Dive

He was a soldier.

He was a god.

He was a monster.

But fatherhood was the battle that tested him most.

In this episode of Disassembled: Heroes and Villains, we uncover the story of Kratos—the Ghost of Sparta who burned Olympus, descended into Helheim, and yet found his greatest struggle not against gods or titans, but within himself. From the vengeance of his Greek saga to the redemption of his Norse journey, Kratos proves that the most difficult war is the one fought for family.

We explore:

– The tragedy of his origins and the family he lost

– His vengeance against the Olympians and fall into myth

– His rebirth in Midgard as a father and protector

– Why true strength is found not in rage, but in change

Because Kratos’ legacy isn’t just written in blood.

It’s written in love, loss, and the will to become something more.

🔥 New episodes of Disassembled: Heroes and Villains every Thursday

📩 For sponsorships and business inquiries: handsomecomics@gmail.com

🎙 Written and hosted by Tom Bedford | Handsome Comics

Chapters

• 0:00 What Are You Running From?
• 1:02 The Man Before the Monster
• 4:28 The Path of Wrath – A Godkiller’s Crusade
• 9:00 Call To Action
• 9:49 The Exile and the Boy
• 14:22 The Battle Within – Forgiving the Self
• 17:35 Redemption, Not Revenge
• 20:12 You Are Not Your Past

Transcript

0:00

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE GODS YOU SERVE DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU LOVE? WHEN YOUR LOYALTY IS MET WITH BETRAYAL, WHEN YOUR MERCY IS MET WITH BLOOD? BEFORE HE WAS A GOD, KRATOS WAS A MAN, A SOLDIER BOUND BY HONOR, A HUSBAND, A FATHER, UNTIL THE DAY HE RAISED HIS BLADES AND CUT DOWN HIS OWN FAMILY. HE BEGGED THE GODS FOR PURPOSE, THEY GAVE HIM POWER, HE BEGGED FOR PEACE, THEY GAVE HIM PAIN, SO HE TURNED HIS RAGE INTO A WEAPON. HE SCALED MOUNT OLYMPUS, HE SHATTERED THRONES, HE BURNED THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES, NOT FOR CONQUEST, BUT FOR A CHANCE TO SILENCE THE TORMENT IN HIS SOUL. THIS ISN'T THE STORY OF A MONSTER, THIS IS THE STORY OF A MAN WHO TRIED TO OUTRUN HIS PAST, A WARRIOR FORGED IN SORROW, A FATHER REBORN IN FIRE, A KILLER WHO CLAWED HIS WAY TOWARDS REDEMPTION, EVEN IF HE HAD TO TEAR DOWN EVERY GOD ALONG THE WAY. BECAUSE YOU CAN RUN FROM YOUR ENEMIES, BUT YOU CAN'T RUN FROM YOURSELF. THIS IS DISASSEMBLED, HEROES AND. VILLAINS, AND TODAY, WE FOLLOW THE GHOST OF SPARTA THROUGH THE ASHES OF HIS OWN LEGEND TO ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT ARE YOU RUNNING FROM? BEFORE KRATOS BECAME THE GOD OF WAR, BEFORE THE ASHES OF HIS PAST CLUNG TO HIS SKIN LIKE A CURSE, THERE WAS A MAN, A WARRIOR RAISED IN SPARTA, A FATHER WHO LOVED HIS DAUGHTER, A HUSBAND WHO SOUGHT PEACE, NOT POWER. TO UNDERSTAND THE FURY, YOU HAVE TO START WITH THE FAMILY THAT FUELED IT, BECAUSE THE ROAD TO VENGEANCE DOESN'T BEGIN IN RAGE, IT BEGINS WITH LOVE. BEFORE THE BLADES OF CHAOS WERE BOUND TO HIS ARMS, BEFORE THE NAME. GHOST OF SPARTA ECHOED THROUGH OLYMPUS IN TERROR, KRATOS WAS JUST A BOY, BORN INTO THE MILITARISTIC WORLD OF ANCIENT SPARTA. KRATOS NEVER HAD A CHOICE, HIS PATH WAS CARVED FROM BLOOD AND DISCIPLINE. IN SPARTA, LOVE WAS WEAKNESS, COMPASSION A LIABILITY. YOU FOUGHT, YOU OBEYED, YOU CONQUERED. AND KRATOS, HE EXCELLED. HE WASN'T JUST A SOLDIER, HE WAS A LIVING WEAPON IN THE MAKING. BUT EVEN AS A CHILD, KRATOS WASN'T ALONE. HE HAD A BROTHER, DEIMOS, UNTIL THE GODS RIPPED HIM AWAY. ONE VISION, ONE PROPHECY, THAT'S ALL IT TOOK. ARES AND ATHENA DESCENDED ON SPARTA, BELIEVING DEIMOS TO BE THE ONE WHO WOULD DESTROY OLYMPUS. THEY STOLE HIM FROM KRATOS' ARMS, AND KRATOS COULD DO NOTHING. ANOTHER LOSS, ANOTHER CRACK IN THE FOUNDATION. YET STILL, KRATOS ROSE. HE CLIMBED THE RANKS, WON BATTLES, COMMANDED ARMIES. BUT BENEATH THE ARMOR AND THE SCARS, SOMETHING UNEXPECTED TOOK ROOT, FAMILY. KRATOS FOUND PEACE NOT IN WAR, BUT IN THEM. IN LYSANDRA, HIS WIFE. IN CALLIOPE, HIS DAUGHTER. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, HE BELONGED TO SOMETHING WORTH PROTECTING, WORTH BUILDING. AND THEN, HE LOST EVERYTHING. WOUNDED IN BATTLE, DESPERATE TO SURVIVE, KRATOS MADE A DEAL WITH THE ONE GOD WHO OFFERED SALVATION, ARES, THE GOD OF WAR. IN EXCHANGE FOR VICTORY, KRATOS PLEDGED HIS SOUL. HE BECAME A WAR DOG, A SERVANT OF DESTRUCTION, AND ARES, EVER MANIPULATIVE, EXPLOITED THAT FURY. HE HAD BEEN WARNED, BY ORACLES, BY HIS OWN INSTINCTS, THAT THE GODS WERE NOT SAVIORS. BUT WHEN YOU'RE DROWNING, YOU'LL TAKE ANYTHING TO SURVIVE. ONE DAY, HE SENT KRATOS INTO A VILLAGE TO RAZE IT TO THE GROUND. NO HESITATION, NO QUESTIONS. ONLY AFTER THE BLOOD HAD DRIED, DID KRATOS REALIZE WHO HE HAD KILLED. LYSANDRA, CALLIOPE, HIS OWN WIFE AND CHILD. THE ASHES OF THEIR BURNED BODIES WERE BOUND TO HIS FLESH AS PUNISHMENT, A VISUAL SCAR FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. BUT THE REAL PUNISHMENT WAS INTERNAL. THEY CALLED HIM THE GHOST OF SPARTA, NOT JUST FOR THE ASHES, BUT BECAUSE HE NO LONGER LIVED IN THE WORLD OF MEN, ONLY IN MEMORY. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR GREATEST SIN IS THE MOMENT YOU TRUSTED SOMEONE TO SAVE YOU? IN THAT INSTANT, KRATOS LEARNED THE FIRST TRUTH SURROUNDING VENGEANCE. IT DOESN'T BEGIN WITH HATE, IT BEGINS WITH LOSS. THIS WASN'T JUST A RAGE FROM A PERCEIVED SLIGHT. IT WAS THE HOWL OF A BROKEN MAN. A MAN WHO HAD TASTED LOVE, ONLY TO HAVE IT RIPPED AWAY. A MAN WHO TURNED TO THE GODS FOR MERCY AND WAS BETRAYED BY THEM. FROM THAT MOMENT ON, KRATOS WAS NO LONGER A SPARTAN. NO LONGER A HUSBAND. NO LONGER A FATHER. HE BECAME SOMETHING ELSE. A GHOST. A MONSTER. A WEAPON FORGED NOT BY WAR, BUT BY REGRET. BUT THIS WASN'T JUST THE START OF HIS JOURNEY. IT WAS JUST THE FIRST FRACTURE AND ASSAULT THAT WOULD SPEND THE NEXT DECADE TRYING TO GLUE ITSELF BACK TOGETHER. ONE BROKEN GOD AT A TIME. HE DIDN'T JUST WANT TO KILL THEM ALL. HE WANTED PEACE. HE WANTED FORGIVENESS, TO ENSURE THOSE WHO RULED THE WORLD WOULD NEVER CAUSE THIS PAIN ON ANYONE ELSE AGAIN. BUT IN THE WORLD OF OLYMPUS, FORGIVENESS IS NOT GIVEN. IT MUST BE TAKEN. AND SO BEGAN A WAR NOT JUST AGAINST THE GODS, BUT AGAINST THE PAST. BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW FAR HE RAN, HE COULD STILL HEAR THEIR VOICES, STILL SEE THEIR FACES IN THE FIRE, STILL WAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH BLOOD ON HIS HANDS THAT WOULDN'T WASH OFF, LEAVING HIM TO WONDER, WHEN THE WORLD TAKES EVERYTHING, WHAT KIND OF MAN DO YOU BECOME? HE WAS MADE A MONSTER BY THE GODS, BUT KRATOS WASN'T CONTENT TO REMAIN ONE. THE MAN WHO ONCE BLED FOR OLYMPUS, NOW BLED BECAUSE OF IT. BETRAYED NOT ONCE, BUT COUNTLESS TIMES. USED, TWISTED, DISCARDED. AND SO, THE GHOST OF SPARTA TURNED HIS BLADES BACK ON THE VERY BEINGS HE ONCE SERVED. HE WOULD NO LONGER BE THEIR PAWN. BUT THERE'S A QUESTION THAT REMAINS. WHEN YOUR SOUL IS SCORCHED BY RAGE, WHAT DO YOU BUILD IN ITS ASHES? WHEN YOUR ONLY COMPASS IS VENGEANCE, CAN IT STILL LEAD YOU HOME? BECAUSE KRATOS DIDN'T JUST KILL GODS, HE BURNED A WORLD TO THE GROUND IN THE PROCESS, AND IN THE FLAMES, HE HAD TO ASK HIMSELF, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHTEOUS FURY AND BLIND DESTRUCTION? THIS IS THE PATH OF WRATH, A GOD-KILLER'S CRUSADE, AND IT BEGINS THE MOMENT. KRATOS STOPS SERVING OLYMPUS AND STARTS TEARING IT DOWN. THE GODS OF OLYMPUS WERE NEVER MERCIFUL. THEY PUNISHED FAITH WITH TORMENT, REWARDED LOYALTY WITH BETRAYAL. AND TO KRATOS, WHO HAD ONCE BLED, BEGGED, AND BURNED FOR THEM, THEY OFFERED ONLY SILENCE. AFTER KILLING ARES, THE VERY GOD WHO MADE HIM A MONSTER, KRATOS HOPED TO BE FREE. INSTEAD, HE WAS CROWNED THE NEW GOD OF WAR, BUT CHAINED TO A THRONE BUILT ON THE ASHES OF HIS PAST. THERE WAS NO PEACE, ONLY NIGHTMARES, AND THE HAUNTING ECHO OF THE FAMILY HE WOULD NEVER HOLD AGAIN. THE GODS WATCHED, AND WHEN HE REACHED OUT FOR AID, ATHENA, ZEUS, ALL OF THEM, THEY TURNED HIM AWAY, DISMISSED HIM, FEARED HIM. SO WHEN ZEUS STRUCK HIM DOWN, NOT OUT OF JUSTICE, BUT OUT OF FEAR, KRATOS DIDN'T JUST RISE AGAIN. HE DECLARED WAR ON THE HEAVENS. THIS WASN'T A BATTLE BETWEEN MORTALS AND GODS. IT WAS A PERSONAL APOCALYPSE. WITH EACH OLYMPIAN HE CUT DOWN, THE LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND VENGEANCE BLURRED. POSEIDON DROWNED IN HIS OWN FURY. HADES, DRAGGED INTO THE UNDERWORLD HE ONCE RULED. HELIOS, DECAPITATED. HERMES, DISMEMBERED. EVEN ATHENA, ONCE HIS GUIDE, FELL TO HIS BLADE. AND AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL, ZEUS, THE FATHER OF GODS, THE ARCHITECT OF OLYMPUS, AND IN MANY WAYS, THE MERE KRATOS FEARED HE'D BECOME. THEIR BATTLE SHATTERED THE WORLD, LITERALLY. OCEANS FLOODED CITIES. PLAGUES AND STORMS CONSUMED ENTIRE CIVILIZATIONS. HUMANITY SUFFERED, NOT AS COLLATERAL DAMAGE, BUT AS A CONSEQUENCE OF DIVINE PRIDE. AND KRATOS, ONCE A MAN SEEKING PEACE, BECAME THE VERY WEAPON OF ANNIHILATION HE SWORE TO DESTROY. IT WAS RAGE, UNBOUND, BUT NOT WITHOUT REASON. BECAUSE BENEATH THE BLOODSHED WAS A TRUTH KRATOS COULDN'T ESCAPE. THE GODS NEEDED TO FALL. THEY HAD RULED THROUGH FEAR, CORRUPTED THE WORLD WITH EGO, MADE MORTALS PAY FOR SINS THEY NEVER COMMITTED. AND SO KRATOS DID WHAT NO WARRIOR HAD EVER DONE. HE BROKE THE CYCLE BY ENDING THE PANTHEON. BUT HERE IS THE TRAGEDY. IN DESTROYING THE GODS, KRATOS NEARLY DESTROYED HIMSELF. HIS SOUL, ALREADY SCARRED BY GRIEF, WAS NOW BLACKENED BY THE FIRES OF WRATH. HE DIDN'T BUILD A BETTER WORLD. HE LEFT IT SMOLDERING IN HIS WAKE. BECAUSE WITH EACH GOD HE'D STRUCK DOWN, HE LEFT MORE THAN A CORPSE. HE LEFT A SCAR ON REALITY. WHEN POSEIDON FELL, THE OCEANS RAGED. WHEN HADES DIED, SOULS WERE LEFT UNBOUND. WHEN HELIOS WAS SLAIN, THE SUN DIMMED. WHEN HERMES FELL, PLAGUE AND DECAY SPREAD IN HIS PLACE. EACH RELIC KRATOS CLAIMED, THE CLAW OF HADES, THE HEAD OF HELIOS, THE BOOTS OF HERMES BECAME SYMBOLS NOT JUST OF VICTORY, BUT OF DEVASTATION. AND WHEN HE FACED THE TITAN. KRONOS, HE SCALED THE VERY BODY OF TIME ITSELF, SLAYING THE FATHER OF ZEUS IN A BATTLE THAT SHOOK THE EARTH'S CORE. THESE WERE NOT TRIUMPHS, THEY WERE FUNERALS. AND STILL, HE KEPT GOING, UNTIL FINALLY, THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT BUT ZEUS. AND WHEN HE FINALLY CONFRONTED THE KING OF THE GODS, NOT AS A GOD, BUT AS A SON. ATHENA APPEARED ONCE MORE, NOT TO PLEAD FOR PEACE, BUT TO DEMAND POWER BE RETURNED TO THE GODS, BECAUSE EVEN IN DEATH, THE GODS COULD NOT LET GO. SO SHE TOLD KRATOS THAT HE HELD THE FINAL WEAPON, THE POWER OF HOPE, BURIED DEEP WITHIN HIM. A POWER RELEASED WHEN HE FIRST OPENED PANDORA'S BOX, UNKNOWINGLY BINDING IT TO HIS SOUL. ATHENA DIDN'T WANT PEACE, SHE WANTED CONTROL. NOT TO REBUILD OLYMPUS, BUT TO RULE WHAT REMAINED. AND KRATOS HAD ONE CHOICE LEFT. BECOME THE TYRANT THEY FEARED, OR SACRIFICE EVERYTHING TO GIVE HUMANITY A CHANCE TO BE FREE. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE VILLAGE BURNED, KRATOS CHOSE SELFLESSNESS. HE PLUNGED THE BLADE OF OLYMPUS INTO HIS OWN CHEST. LET HIS DIVINE ESSENCE RETURN TO THE WORLD, NOT TO CONTROL IT, BUT TO RESTORE IT. HE GAVE MORTALS SOMETHING THAT GODS NEVER COULD, HOPE. BUT HOPE DOESN'T ERASE PAIN. KRATOS DIDN'T DIE THAT DAY. HE ENDURED. SCARRED, HUNTED, ASH-STAINED AND ALONE. AND AS HE DRIFTED AWAY FROM THE RUINS OF OLYMPUS, ONE QUESTION REMAINED. IF VENGEANCE IS YOUR ONLY PATH FORWARD, WHERE DOES IT LEAD? BECAUSE EVEN AFTER BURNING HEAVEN TO THE GROUND, HE STILL HADN'T OUTRUN THE GHOST THAT FOLLOWED HIM. BEFORE THE FINAL ECHO OF OLYMPUS FADES INTO ASH, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW OR SUBSCRIBE TO DISASSEMBLED HEROES AND VILLAINS ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP. EVERY WEEK, WE UNCOVER THE LEGACY OF POP CULTURE'S MOST POWERFUL ICONS AND DANGEROUS MONSTERS. DEFINE THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MYTH AND THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGEND. AND NEXT WEEK, DISASSEMBLED DEEP CUTS RETURNS TO SHINE A LIGHT ON THE FORGOTTEN ARCHITECT OF CYBERTRONIAN HISTORY. A GUARDIAN OF SECRETS, A FATHER TO PRIMES. WE UNCOVER THE LEGACY OF ALPHA TRION. THEN, WE UNLEASH A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEGEND. A WARRIOR BORN IN FIRE. A SAVAGE FORGED IN STEEL. A KING WHO SPEAKS NOT WITH WORDS, BUT WITH FURY. GRIMLOCK TAKES THE SPOTLIGHT ON DISASSEMBLED HEROES AND VILLAINS. AND IF YOU WANT TO DECIDE WHO WE COVER NEXT, VOTE EVERY WEDNESDAY ON THE HANDSOME COMICS. YOUTUBE COMMUNITY POLL. NOW, BACK TO THE SILENCE AND THE GOD WHO CHOSE TO FALL. KRATOS HAD TORN DOWN OLYMPUS. BUT WHAT DO YOU DO AFTER THE WAR ENDS? WHEN THE BLADE IS BURIED, BUT THE GUILT STILL FESTERS. THE GODS WERE GONE, BUT THE GHOSTS REMAIN. SO KRATOS DISAPPEARED. WOUNDED. ASH STAINED. SILENT. A KILLER WITHOUT A CAUSE. DRIFTING THROUGH FORGOTTEN LANDS. UNTIL ONE DAY, HE AWOKE IN A REALM OF SNOW AND SHADOW. MIDGARD. A WORLD UNTOUCHED BY GREEK WRATH, YET RULED BY NORSE PROPHECY. HERE, KRATOS TRIED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. START OVER. HIDE THE MONSTER. BURY THE PAST. BUT DESTINY HAS NO MERCY. AND WHEN FATE CAME CALLING AGAIN, IT WASN'T WAR THAT SUMMONED HIM. IT WAS A BOY. HIS SON. ATREUS. IN THE NORSE WILDS OF MIDGARD, BENEATH THE CANOPY OF SNOW-LACED PINES AND FROSTBITTEN WINDS, THE GHOST OF SPARDA TRIED TO FORGET WHO HE WAS. HE HAD SURVIVED OLYMPUS. BUT HE HADN'T ESCAPED HIMSELF. YEARS PASSED. HE FOUND LOVE AGAIN. IN THE QUIET STRENGTH OF A WOMAN NAMED FAE. SHE WAS NOT A GODDESS OF WAR. SHE DIDN'T TRY TO FIX HIM. SHE SIMPLY LIVED. AND IN DOING SO, TAUGHT HIM HOW TO BREATHE AGAIN. TOGETHER, THEY BORE A SON. ATREUS. BUT KRATOS, STILL HAUNTED BY THE HORRORS OF HIS PAST, COULD NOT BRING HIMSELF TO SHARE THE TRUTH. NOT OF HIS ORIGIN. NOR OF THAT OF THE BLOOD THAT RAN THROUGH ATREUS' VEINS. HE BURIED IT. JUST AS HE BURIED THE BLADES OF CHAOS BENEATH THE FLOORBOARDS. REFUSING TO WIELD THEM AGAIN. THEN, FAE DIED. AND HER FINAL REQUEST. THAT HER ASHES BE SCATTERED FROM THE HIGHEST PEAK IN ALL OF THE REALMS. A SIMPLE WISH. BUT ONE THAT WOULD UNRAVEL EVERY SECRET KRATOS TRIED TO HIDE. SO FATHER AND SON BEGAN THEIR JOURNEY. KRATOS, SCARRED. SILENT. CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF GOD'S LONG DEAD. ATREUS. CURIOUS. EAGER. JOURNEYING FOR HIS FATHER'S APPROVAL. BUT UNAWARE OF THE STORM THAT LIVED BENEATH THOSE EYES. AT FIRST, KRATOS FAILED HIM. HE BARKED ORDERS. WITHHELD AFFECTION. TREATED THE BOY MORE LIKE A SOLDIER THAN A SON. BUT THIS JOURNEY WASN'T JUST A PATH THROUGH MIDGARD. IT WAS A CRUCIBLE. ONE THAT FORCED KRATOS TO RELEARN EVERYTHING HE THOUGHT HE KNEW. BECAUSE YOU CAN'T RAISE A CHILD WITH FEAR. YOU CAN'T LEAD A SON IF YOU'VE NEVER LEARNED HOW TO FOLLOW. THE PATH TESTED THEM BOTH. THEY FACED TROLLS, RAVENS, AND DRAGONS. SURVIVED THE SCHEMES OF BALDER. THE INVULNERABLE SON OF ODIN. TORMENTED BY HIS INABILITY TO FEEL. AND SLOWLY, THE BOY GREW. ATREUS LEARNED TO FIGHT. TO LISTEN. TO THINK. AND KRATOS. HE LEARNED SOMETHING HARDER. HOW TO FEEL. THERE WERE MOMENTS. QUIET. HUMAN MOMENTS. WHERE THE GHOST FADED. AND THE FATHER REMAINED. MOMENTS WHERE KRATOS HELD BACK HIS RAGE. NOT BECAUSE HE WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO UNLEASH IT. BUT BECAUSE HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD POWER ISN'T ABOUT CONTROL. IT'S ABOUT RESTRAINT. YOU DON'T TEACH MERCY WITH WORDS. YOU SHOW IT IN BATTLE. WHEN YOU CHOOSE NOT TO STRIKE, YOU SHOW IT IN LIFE. WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO LISTEN. BUT TRUTH ALWAYS FINDS ITS VOICE. AND WHEN ATREUS LEARNED THAT HE WAS NOT JUST A BOY, BUT A GOD, HIS PRIDE BLOOMED INTO ARROGANCE. HE LASHED OUT, KILLED RECKLESSLY, MOCKED THOSE BENEATH HIM. IT WAS A MIRROR KRATOS COULDN'T BEAR TO LOOK INTO. BECAUSE IN ATREUS' RAGE, HE SAW HIMSELF. THE MONSTER. THE WEAPON. THE CYCLE. REPEATING. BUT UNLIKE THE GODS OF OLYMPUS, KRATOS DID NOT STRIKE HIS SON DOWN. HE DID NOT BANISH HIM. HE TAUGHT HIM. HE TOLD HIM THE TRUTH, ALL OF IT. ABOUT THE ASHES. ABOUT THE BLADES. ABOUT THE GODS HE HAD SLAUGHTERED. AND THE MAN HE NEVER WANTED TO BE AGAIN. IT WAS NOT A MOMENT OF GLORY. IT WAS A CONFESSION. AND IN THAT CONFESSION, SOMETHING CHANGED. ATREUS NO LONGER SAW HIS FATHER AS A GOD. HE SAW HIM AS A MAN. FLAWED, BROKEN, TRYING. AND THAT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. BY THE TIME THEY REACHED THE HIGHEST PEAK, THEY HAD CROSSED REALMS, FOUGHT CORRUPTED VALKYRIES, SLAIN A DRAGON, AND DEFEATED BALDUR HIMSELF, WHO DIED NOT BY KRATOS' RAGE, BUT BY ATREUS' MERCY. A MERCY TAUGHT BY THE MAN WHO ONCE KNEW NONE. THEY SCATTERED FAE'S ASHES INTO THE WIND, AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, KRATOS FELT SOMETHING CLOSE TO PEACE. NOT BECAUSE THE JOURNEY WAS OVER, BUT BECAUSE HE FINALLY UNDERSTOOD ITS PURPOSE. HE WASN'T RAISING A WARRIOR, HE WAS RAISING A BETTER MAN. ONE WHO COULD DO WHAT KRATOS NEVER COULD, BREAK THE CYCLE. BUT EVEN IN PEACE, QUESTIONS REMAINED. BECAUSE FAE HAD ONE MORE SECRET. SHE WASN'T JUST A MOTHER, SHE WAS A GIANT. AND ATREUS, HIS OTHER NAME, WAS LOKI. THE WORLD'S SERPENT HAD WHISPERED IT, THE MURALS FORETOLD IT, THE END WAS COMING, AND KRATOS, WHO HAD SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE FEARING GODS, FIGHTING GODS, BECOMING A GOD, WOULD NOW HAVE TO RAISE ONE. NOT WITH FEAR, NOT WITH CONTROL, BUT WITH TRUST. BECAUSE IN THE HEART OF THE BOY HE LOVED, LOOKS THE POWER TO SHAPE THE FATE OF THE NINE REALMS. AND THE QUESTION IS NO LONGER, CAN KRATOS BE A FATHER? THE QUESTION IS, CAN HE FORGIVE HIMSELF LONG ENOUGH TO LET THAT LOVE GROW? BECAUSE THE GREATEST STRENGTH A GOD CAN HAVE IS KNOWING WHEN NOT TO FIGHT, AND THE GREATEST GIFT A FATHER CAN GIVE IS WHO HE BECOMES IN THE EYES OF HIS CHILD, LEAVING US TO WONDER, CAN YOU LEAD IF YOU'VE NEVER LEARNED HOW TO FOLLOW? HE HAD FOUGHT GODS, SLAIN TITANS, CROSSED REALMS WITH MONSTERS AT HIS HEELS AND HIS SON AT HIS SIDE. BUT IN THE QUIET MOMENTS, BETWEEN BATTLES, BETWEEN BREATHS, KRATOS FACED SOMETHING FAR MORE TERRIFYING HIMSELF. NOT THE WARRIOR FORGED IN OLYMPUS' BLOODSHED, NOT THE GHOST DRAPED IN ASH, BUT THE MAN WHO STILL CARRIED THE WEIGHT OF EVERY CHOICE HE COULDN'T UNDO. THE GODS WERE GONE, BUT THEIR ECHOES REMAINED, ETCHED INTO EVERY SCAR AND EVERY SILENCE. BECAUSE EVEN AS KRATOS TAUGHT ATREUS HOW TO BE MORE THAN A GOD, HE HADN'T YET LEARNED HOW TO FORGIVE THE ONE HE USED TO BE. NOW, AS PROPHECY LOOMED AND RAGNAROK THREATENED TO CONSUME THE NINE REALMS, KRATOS WAS FORCED TO ANSWER THE ONE QUESTION NO BLADE COULD SILENCE. CAN THE BROKEN EVER BE WHOLE AGAIN? AND IN THAT QUESTION BEGINS HIS FINAL WAR. NOT FOR REVENGE, NOT FOR SURVIVAL, BUT FOR REDEMPTION. KRATOS HAD DEFEATED THE GREEK PANTHEON. HE HAD SURVIVED HELL, ESCAPED THE WORLD SERPENT'S COILS, AND FACED DOWN THOR HIMSELF. BUT THE REAL ENEMY WAS NEVER JUST OLYMPUS, OR ASGARD, OR THE MONSTERS THAT WAITED IN THE DARK. THE REAL ENEMY WAS THE MAN HE USED TO BE. IN THE NORSE SAGA, KRATOS CARRIES MORE THAN WEAPONS. HE CARRIES SHAME. SHAME FOR THE LIVES HE TOOK, FOR THE FAMILY HE LOST, FOR THE RAGE THAT CONSUMED EVERYTHING IN HIS PATH. AND AS HE TRAVELS WITH ATREUS ACROSS THE NINE REALMS, THAT SHAME BECOMES A SHADOW, LONG, HEAVY, EVER-PRESENT. HE DOESN'T SPEAK OF GREECE. HE HIDES THE BLADES OF CHAOS BENEATH THE FLOORBOARDS. HE PRETENDS THE PAST IS DEAD, BUT GODS CANNOT OUTRUN THEIR GHOSTS. AND SONS, ALWAYS LEARN FROM THE SILENCE OF THEIR FATHERS. SO, WHEN BALDUR FALLS, AND THE WAR WITH. ASGARD NEARS, KRATOS IS FORCED TO RECKON WITH THE TRUTH. HE CANNOT ERASE ATREUS TO BE BETTER, UNLESS HE FIRST FORGIVES HIMSELF FOR THE MAN HE WAS. IN GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK, THE FINAL TEST IS NOT JUST PROPHECY, IT'S A CHOICE. THE NORNS PREDICT HIS DEATH. ODIN TEMPTS HIM WITH CONTROL. THE WORLD PREPARES FOR DESTRUCTION, BUT KRATOS, WHO ONCE DESTROYED A WORLD IN GRIEF, CHOSE RESTRAINT, NOT WEAKNESS, WISDOM. HE LEADS THE ARMIES OF THE REALMS NOT AS A TYRANT, BUT AS A FATHER, A BUILDER, A GOD REBORN THROUGH HUMILITY. HE FREES GARM, THE WOLF OF HELHEIM. HE SPARES THOR, EVEN AFTER THE DEATH OF BROK. HE LISTENS WHEN ONCE HE WOULD HAVE SHOUTED, AND HE TRUSTS ATREUS TO FORGE HIS OWN PATH, NO LONGER HOLDING TIGHT TO CONTROL. NOT EVERY WOUND CAN BE HEALED. NOT EVERY LIFE CAN BE RESTORED. BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME, KRATOS WALKS FORWARD WITH PEACE IN HIS HEART. BECAUSE REDEMPTION IS NOT ERASURE, IT'S ENDURANCE. IT'S WAKING UP EVERY DAY AND CHOOSING TO BE BETTER, EVEN WHEN YOUR PAST TELLS YOU YOU'RE NOT WORTHY. AND AS THE DUST OF RAGNAROK SETTLES, AND THE PATH AHEAD IS UNCERTAIN, KRATOS SEES IT. A MURAL NOT OF DEATH, BUT OF LEGACY. NOT OF VENGEANCE, BUT OF HONOR. A FUTURE HE NEVER THOUGHT HE DESERVED, YET ONE HE NOW FIGHTS TO BUILD. BECAUSE THE WAR IS OVER, THE HEALING IS JUST BEGINNING. FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE, KRATOS THOUGHT STRENGTH MEANT CONTROL. CONTROL OVER FATE, OVER OTHERS, OVER HIMSELF. BUT TRUE STRENGTH DOESN'T CONQUER, IT HUMBLES. BECAUSE THE PATH TO REDEMPTION ISN'T COVERED IN BLOOD, IT'S CARVED THROUGH DISCIPLINE, THROUGH MERCY, THROUGH THE DECISION, EVERY DAY, NOT TO BECOME WHAT YOU ONCE WERE. AND AFTER YEARS OF RUNNING, FIGHTING, AND FAILING, KRATOS DIDN'T FIND PEACE BY DEFEATING GODS. HE FOUND IT BY LEARNING TO LIVE AGAIN. NOT AS A WARRIOR, NOT AS A WEAPON, BUT AS A MAN, A FATHER, A LEADER. AND THAT'S WHERE WE END THIS STORY. NOT WITH DEATH, BUT WITH LEGACY, AND WHAT'S LEFT BEHIND. KRATOS BEGAN AS A SLAVE TO RAGE. HE ENDS AS A SERVANT OF SOMETHING FAR GREATER. NOT THE GODS, NOT DESTINY, BUT LOVE. LOVE FOR HIS SON. LOVE FOR PEACE. LOVE FOR THE MAN HE COULD BE, INSTEAD OF THE MONSTER HE WAS. BECAUSE REDEMPTION DOESN'T ERASE THE PAST, IT REDEFINES IT. EVERY SCAR, EVERY FAILURE, EVERY GOD HE BUTCHERED, IT'S ALL STILL THERE. ETCHED INTO HIS BODY, BURNED INTO HIS MEMORY. BUT NOW, THOSE SINS DON'T DEFINE HIM, THEY REFINE HIM. AND IN GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK, WE SEE THE FINAL TEST. NOT OF HIS STRENGTH, BUT OF HIS RESTRAINT. HE COULD HAVE DESTROYED ASGARD, HE HAD EVERY REASON TO KILL ODIN. BUT INSTEAD, HE LISTENS, HE TEACHES, HE LEADS. EVEN AS PROPHECY PAINTS HIM AS THE END OF DAYS, KRATOS CHOOSES ANOTHER WAY. NOT BECAUSE IT'S EASY, BUT BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT. HE TEACHES ATREUS TO FIGHT FOR OTHERS, NOT FOR REVENGE. HE SPARES LIVES. HE BUILDS TRUST. HE EARNS RESPECT NOT THROUGH DOMINATION, BUT THROUGH DISCIPLINE. AND WHEN THE DUST FINALLY SETTLES AND THE GODS LIE BROKEN AROUND HIM, KRATOS SEES A MURAL. A PROPHECY NOT OF DEATH, BUT OF LEGACY. NOT A GOD OF WAR, A GOD OF PEACE. A MAN WHO WOULD LEAD, NOT WITH A SWORD, BUT WITH OPEN HANDS. AND IN THAT MOMENT, KRATOS WEEPS, NOT BECAUSE HE FAILED, BUT BECAUSE HE FINALLY BECAME THE MAN HIS WIFE BELIEVED HE COULD BE, THE MAN HIS SON NEEDS HIM TO BE, THE MAN WHO LEADS NOT WITH WRATH, BUT WITH LOVE. BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT REDEMPTION LOOKS LIKE. NOT PERFECTION. NOT DIRECTION. A CONSCIOUS, PAINFUL, DAILY DECISION TO CARRY YOUR PAST WITHOUT BECOMING IT. AND MAYBE THAT'S THE LESSON KRATOS LEAVES FOR US. WE ALL HAVE GHOSTS. REGRETS. MOMENTS WE WISH WE COULD ERASE. BUT WHAT MATTERS IS WHAT WE DO NEXT. DO WE LET OUR PAST RULE US? OR DO WE LEARN TO LEAD ANYWAY? TO CHOOSE GRACE OVER GUILT. MERCY OVER PRIDE, LOVE OVER RAGE. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE A LEADER. YOU JUST HAVE TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PATH, EVEN WHEN IT HURTS. BECAUSE THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD ISN'T THE ONE WHO CONQUERS, IT'S THE ONE WHO CHANGES. AND THAT CHOICE, IT'S THE ONE WE ALL HAVE TO MAKE. SO LET ME ASK YOU, WHAT LEGACY ARE YOU BUILDING? NOT WITH YOUR VICTORIES, NOT WITH THE POWER YOU WIELD, BUT IN THE WAY YOU LEAD YOUR FAMILY, WITH THE EXAMPLE YOU SET FOR YOUR CHILDREN, WITH THE STRENGTH IT TAKES TO STAY. BECAUSE YOUR SON IS WATCHING, YOUR DAUGHTER IS LEARNING, YOUR FAMILY WILL CARRY THE ECHOES OF YOUR CHOICES LONG AFTER YOU'RE GONE. KRATOS DIDN'T CHANGE OVERNIGHT, AND NEITHER WILL WE. BUT THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF REDEMPTION. IT'S NOT A FINISH LINE, IT'S A DIRECTION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY THE PAST IN SHAME, YOU CARRY IT AS A WARNING, AS A LESSON, AS A REMINDER OF THE MAN YOU REFUSE TO BE AGAIN. SO WHEN YOUR STRENGTH IS TESTED, WHEN THE WORLD TELLS YOU TO FIGHT HARDER, YELL LOUDER, HIT BACK STRONGER. REMEMBER THIS, TRUTH'S TRUE STRENGTH IS FOUND IN RESTRAINT, IN PATIENCE, IN LOVE. LEAD WITH THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW MONSTERS BECOME MEN, AND HOW MEN BECOME FATHERS, AND HOW FATHERS BECOME LEGENDS. THANK YOU FOR WALKING WITH US THROUGH THE RAGE, REDEMPTION, AND REBIRTH OF KRATOS, THROUGH THE BLOOD HE SPILLED, THROUGH THE GODS HE'S SLAIN, THROUGH THE SON HE'S CHOSEN TO RAISE BETTER THAN HIMSELF. WE'VE SEEN A WARRIOR FORGED IN VENGEANCE LEARN TO WALK IN PEACE, A KILLER OF GODS BECOME A FATHER TO A GOD IN TRAINING, AND IN THAT QUIET BETWEEN BATTLES, HE TEACHES US SOMETHING DEEPER. THAT STRENGTH ISN'T FOUND IN WRATH, IT'S FOUND IN RESTRAINT. THAT LEADERSHIP ISN'T EARNED BY DOMINATION, IT'S PROVEN IN SERVICE, IN SACRIFICE, IN LOVE. KRATOS DOESN'T REWRITE HIS STORY TO LOOK LIKE A HERO. HE CARRIES THE SCARS, HE BEARS THE BURDEN, HE REMEMBERS. BECOMING BETTER MEANS CHOOSING TO BE BETTER AGAIN AND AGAIN. EVEN WHEN THE WORLD DOESN'T FORGET, EVEN WHEN YOUR PAST STILL HAUNTS YOU, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE AFRAID YOU'LL FAIL AGAIN. AND MAYBE THAT'S THE REAL COURAGE KRATOS SHOWS US. NOT THE STRENGTH TO DESTROY, BUT THE HUMILITY TO CHANGE. SO ASK YOURSELF, CAN YOU LEAD IF YOU NEVER LEARNED HOW TO FOLLOW? CAN YOU LOVE IF YOU NEVER LEARNED TO FORGIVE? CAN YOU BECOME THE MAN YOUR FAMILY NEEDS, NOT JUST THE MAN YOUR PAST CREATED? STAY STRONG, STAY PRESENT, AND AS ALWAYS, STAY HANDSOME. AND REMEMBER, YOU ARE NOT YOUR WORST MOMENT, YOU ARE NOT YOUR PAST, YOU ARE WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BECOME, STARTING TODAY.