It’s hard to believe that the very firstGod of Warwas 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 theGod of Warprotagonist, Kratos, is a misogynist– and the creator of the original gameisn’t happy about it.
God of Waris 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 theGod of Warreboot in 2018.
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In recent years, some critics who have revisited theGod of Warhave interpreted Kratos' actions as misogynistic, despitethe level of critical acclaimthis series has received. However, the creator of the originalGod of Warfor 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 recentGod 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 toa 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 moredepressing and tragic undertonesof 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 originalGod of Wartrilogy were deplorable, and it’s clear that he does regret what he has done. By the timeGod of War 2018was 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 2will continue to show more of Kratos' tenderness to offset the series' brutality.
