God of War Ragnarok Is All About Breaking Cycles, But I Am Scratching My Head About What That Means for the Next One

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The following contains major spoilers for the entire God of War series.

The God of War series, which began over 20 years ago, was built around themes of revenge, betrayal, and family issues. With the release of God of War Ragnarök in 2022, that core storyline seems to have come to an end, leaving me wondering where the series goes next. After nearly two decades, repeating the same cycle of vengeance would feel stale and uninspired, especially since the father-son relationship – a key part of the 2018 game and Ragnarök – was already starting to lose its impact.

That story has been repeated often, and the emotional connection between Kratos and Atreus was beautifully resolved in Ragnarok. Undoing that would diminish the impact of the game’s powerful story. Furthermore, Kratos embraced his role as the God of Hope in the God of War Ragnarok Valhalla DLC, completing his personal journey and finally breaking free from the cycle of violence that once consumed him.

Okay, so it feels like God of War is at a really interesting point right now. All the big stuff with Kratos’ past and his cycle of rage? That’s pretty much been dealt with. He and Atreus have moved on, and it’s like they’re not stuck repeating the same mistakes anymore. That’s awesome, but it also means the next game can’t just rehash old themes. They’ve got to find something new, maybe even break away from the whole ‘cycle’ thing entirely. It’s exciting because the characters have changed so much, but it also makes me wonder where they’ll take the story next – it feels more open-ended than ever before.

The Cycle That Defined the Old God of War Games

Before the God of War series explored themes of personal growth and self-discovery with its Norse setting, the original games established Kratos in a world where he never truly had free will. The Greek gods were trapped in a cycle of destruction that predated Kratos’s birth. Their relationships were built on fear, power, and constant betrayal. Kratos entered this predetermined world unaware of its influence, and as a result, became a character shaped by forces beyond his control.

  • Kratos’ entire identity was shaped by betrayal. Zeus feared him, manipulated him, and finally tried to kill him. That distrust between father and son echoes patterns already present among the Olympians.
  • The Greek gods lived in a closed system of harm. Children overthrew parents. Gods punished mortals for their own failures. Violence was the only language they understood.
  • Kratos inherited that environment. The man he became was a product of a world that taught him survival through rage rather than through connection or humility.
  • The death of his family in the Greek era solidified the cycle. That loss drove him deeper into anger and erased any chance of breaking away from what Zeus had given him.
  • Parenting barely existed in his life. There was no model for compassion or patience. The absence of healthy fatherhood is one of the main reasons Kratos begins the Norse saga so closed off and emotionally guarded.

As a huge fan, what always struck me about Kratos’ story is how he was trapped by his upbringing. It didn’t matter how many gods he defeated; he just kept repeating the same awful patterns his ancestors did, even before he had the Blades of Chaos. That’s why the change in the newer God of War games, the Norse ones, feels so powerful. Finally, he gets a chance to break free from that cycle, to build a different life and escape the legacy that was practically in his DNA. It’s like he can finally breathe!

God of War’s 2018 Reboot Began Kratos’ Journey Toward Introspection and Renewal

The 2018 reboot of God of War brought entirely new ideas to the series—themes that weren’t present, or weren’t fully developed, in the earlier Greek mythology games. This new direction sparked a personal journey for Kratos, forcing him to deal with the patterns of behavior from his family’s past, especially now that he was a father himself.

I always loved the original God of War games and how they were driven by Kratos’s quest for revenge. But the 2018 reboot really surprised me! It shifted the focus to Kratos learning to be a dad, and it was amazing. They showed that being a father isn’t about rage, it’s about growing up, being truthful, and learning from loss. It was cool seeing Kratos struggle with keeping Atreus’s true identity a secret – he was making the same mistakes his own father did! The ending of that game hinted that things could go wrong again if Kratos didn’t change. Then God of Ragnarok blew me away! It wasn’t just about action anymore; Kratos started really looking at himself and seemed determined to help Atreus avoid the same painful path he’d been forced to walk.

The Cycles God of War Ragnarok Confronted and Broke

God of War Ragnarok built upon the ideas from the previous game, directly addressing the recurring themes of power struggles and flawed parenting throughout the entire series. Kratos understood the harmful patterns from his past in Greece, and the story constantly explored whether he and Atreus would fall into those same traps or finally change for good. This was particularly evident in how the game portrayed their father-son relationship.

Playing as Kratos in God of War Ragnarok, I really felt like I was portraying a dad who was struggling to let go and let his son, Atreus, make his own choices. It was frustrating because I was basically repeating the same controlling behavior I used to despise in Zeus! But the game didn’t just let me get away with it. Atreus constantly pushed my buttons, testing my limits. Honestly, all that tension between us was the main thing that forced Kratos to finally grow and change, and it felt really earned. It wasn’t about power or rage this time; it was about being a father.

Kratos’s apology to Atreus in God of War Ragnarök marked a turning point. It was like releasing all the pent-up tension from years of resentment, manipulation, and anger—finally allowing hope to emerge. Kratos started to break the patterns of his ancestors, choosing to prioritize his son and openly acknowledging his flaws—his pride, his anger, his need to control, and ultimately, his fear.

Prophecy was a key theme in God of War Ragnarok, much like in the Greek games. However, Ragnarok treated prophecy as a possible future, not a fixed destiny. The Norns challenged Kratos for believing he could escape the patterns of past gods, and the murals in Jotunheim revealed a future he actively wanted to change. The game showed that Kratos was breaking the cycle of anger and violence, suggesting a different outcome than the tragic father-son relationships of his past.

In God of War Ragnarok, it became clear that Kratos wasn’t alone in struggling with repeating harmful patterns. Characters like Freya started focused on revenge, but ultimately found a path toward healing while acknowledging their pain. Thor’s story followed a similar arc; shown as a victim of inherited abuse, he attempted to envision a better future for his daughter, Thrud, even if he couldn’t fully escape his own past.

Odin, more than any other figure in Norse mythology, embodied the endless cycle of conflict. He desperately tried to stay in power, controlled those around him, and acted out of fear. While defeating him in God of War Ragnarok concludes their battle, it wasn’t what actually ended the cycle of violence. The real turning point was how Kratos and Atreus reacted to their victory. They refused to let anger dictate their next steps and chose not to repeat the mistakes of the past, breaking free from the patterns that defined Kratos’s earlier life.

When Kratos finally apologized to Atreus in God of War Ragnarok, the cycles began to shatter.

In the God of War Ragnarok Valhalla DLC, Kratos was at last compelled to face the aspects of himself he’d long suppressed. The DLC’s central theme revolved around Kratos directly addressing his past if he hoped to grow, ultimately understanding he couldn’t progress until he stopped defining himself by his former self in Greece. By the end of Valhalla, Kratos had shed the weight of Zeus’s influence, no longer worried about Atreus’s potential future, and no longer saw his identity as being defined by the harm he’d caused. He had transformed into the God of Hope, his time as the God of War becoming a distant memory, like a tale told to children.

Where Can God of War Go Now?

It’s been two years since the release of the Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarok, and I’m excited to see what comes next for the series. Kratos has changed irrevocably, and simply repeating the old storylines would feel unnecessary. This actually opens up a lot of possibilities for the future of God of War, whether Kratos remains the main character or his son, Atreus, takes the lead.

The next God of War could go in an interesting direction with its story. If Kratos is still the main character, the game should focus on his attempts to be a god of hope, rather than fall back into his violent past. Alternatively, if Atreus becomes the lead, his story could explore themes of discovery and finding himself, moving away from the anger and tragic history that defined his father.

Honestly, I don’t think the story has to be over just because we broke the cycle in Ragnarok. Kratos becoming the God of Hope? That doesn’t automatically mean peace and quiet. The whole world was built on these repeating cycles, and now that’s changed. Hope is a new thing, and people – or gods, I guess – might not like it. They could resist it, not understand it, or even be scared of it, especially if they’ve never dealt with hope before. Maybe the new gods won’t be as hostile as the Greeks were or as suspicious as the Norse, but I can totally see a new conflict brewing. Kratos being a god of hope could actually attract those who want power, and that could lead to a whole new cycle of conflict. It just proves that even something good like hope can create opportunities for trouble and death.

With God of War Ragnarok completing the long-running storyline that drove the series, the future of God of War is now full of possibilities. The next game isn’t tied to Kratos’s enemies or any specific prophecy. Instead, it could explore new themes, like what happens to characters after they’ve dealt with their past. This opens the door for a complete reinvention of the series, potentially delivering a story that even longtime fans won’t see coming.

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2025-11-28 20:09