Gods Kratos Killed In God Of War And How He Did It

The God of War video game series is loosely based on Greek and Norse mythology. Many of the gods were introduced early in the series and recur throughout many games. The game is acclaimed for its macabre battles, and you can’t go ten minutes into the game without witnessing epic carnage.

Although inconsistent with Greek and Norse mythology at times, Kratos’ hatred for gods evolves throughout the story. At the same time, Kratos forms relationships with gods like Athena, who (spoiler alert) he kills by mistake. With Kratos’ god kill count mounting ever higher, here are some of the gods Kratos killed and how he took them out.

Updated On January 10, 2025, by Lucas Olah: We haven’t had any new games since Ragnarok and its Valhalla expansion, but Kratos has quite the list of people he sent to Hades or Helheim, so to speak. From Sparta to Scandinavia, many fell when they made the mistake of fighting our God of War/Hope, so it was more than fair to update our list a little, adding a few gods we haven’t mentioned, as well as just general reorganization. It’s worth mentioning that we’ll focus on those he actually killed, rather than simply defeating, which also means there are spoilers from every major game here.

Spoilers For The God Of War Series Ahead

18

Ares

God Of War

• Killed in God of War (2005).

As the main antagonist of the first God of War game and a notorious figure in God of War: Ascension, Ares was the original God of War in the games, as well as in Greek mythology. As many fans remember, Ares previously tricked Kratos into slaying his family, so many might say Ares’ destruction was in good taste.

With the aid of Athena and the Blade of the Gods, Kratos defeated Ares in a long, arduous fight by dodging brutal attacks and impaling Ares with the blade. Stabbed through the chest with a weapon forged by gods, Ares finally perishes. Now, the new God of War, Kratos, is considered a god with extraordinary abilities.

17

Clotho, Lahkesis, And Atropos

The Sisters Of Fate

Though the game doesn’t refer to the Fates as goddesses, Greek mythology considers them as such, and they’re also some of the most powerful deities out there, since they control how long each person will live.

Lahkesis and Atropos team up against Kratos, and Atropos even goes back in time to the fight between Kratos and Ares to disrupt it and make Ares win. In the end, Kratos traps them in a mirror and breaks it, so they’re most likely dead or trapped in the glass or somewhere. Clotho fights Kratos individually and ends up with a blade passing through her skull.

16

Athena

Goddess Of War And Wisdom

Known as both the Goddess of War and Wisdom, Athena is depicted as a noble goddess in most of the God of War games. In fact, she appears in the original God of War as Kratos’ guide and co-conspirator in killing Ares. She also appears in God of War 2 and briefly as an illusion in God of War (2018).

However, Athena tries to stop Kratos from fighting Zeus in order to save Olympus. In a struggle where she tries to grasp Kratos’ blade, Kratos accidentally impales her. Kratos exclaims, “Why do you sacrifice yourself?” and she responds in a noble manner with “To save Olympus.”

15

Persephone

Goddess Of Spring

• Killed in God of War: Chains Of Olympus.

Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, wears armor when she fights Kratos in God of War: Chains of Olympus. She’s designed to be a character with wings and armor who also resembles Marvel depictions of Hela, the Asgardian Goddess of Death. Persephone, however, joined Hades as the Queen of the Underworld.

The fight between Kratos and Persephone is an epic battle. It takes place at the end of God of War: Chains of Olympus as the final boss fight. Persephone uses flight for enhanced maneuvering and conjures sizable rocks to hurl at Kratos. The battle concludes with Kratos pulverizing Persephone to death using the Gauntlet of Zeus.

14

Poseidon

God Of The Sea

As the first god to be seen in the God of War series, Poseidon makes a return in God of War 3. In fact, he is the first boss you fight in the game. Being the God of the Sea, Poseidon carries with him a plethora of devastating powers and abilities. This includes (so far as fans can discern) cryokinesis (manipulating ice), hydrokinesis (controlling water), and hydro-electrokinesis (generating electricity over water). His boss battle version also has horses, animals he created.

Despite not being a problem previously, Poseidon’s death was a necessary thing since the darkness of Pandora’s Box had infected him. However, the battle isn’t nearly as wild as the one Kratos had with Ares. Kratos kills the King of the Sea while facing his human form, breaking Poseidon’s neck and squeezing his eyes.

13

Hades

God Of The Underworld

The Hades we see in the God of War series is a bit different than the charismatic Disney version — and Greek mythology, for that matter. Though redesigned after the first game, all iterations of Hades terrify and intimidate.

There are also other differences, such as the way he fights Kratos in the game. For starters, Hades is obsessed with trying to steal Kratos’ soul in the games. In the end, Kratos responds by ironically stealing his soul back with his own weapon, which then becomes part of Kratos’ arsenal. Does this mean Kratos is also technically the God of the Underworld? Who knows.

12

Helios

God Of The Sun

As the God of the Sun, Helios is a major villain in God of War 3. He might not look like much, but Helios is one of the most powerful gods in existence. The death of Helios was a brutal one, and you control Kratos throughout the ordeal.

You tear Helios’ head off of his body entirely. Helios screams in agony after his head is detached from his body. Naturally, the head of Helios becomes an item in the game that allows you to light your way forward and uncover secrets – as well as blind enemies.

11

Hermes

Messenger Of The Gods (Among Many Other Things)

You may have noticed that a lot of gods died in the third game, and we still have a few more to go. The god of travel, thieves, and merchants, among other things, tries to stop Kratos during his rampage across Olympus.

He proves to be the fastest one, making Kratos run in circles. However, Kratos is a general and knows what he’s doing. He hits Hermes with a catapult, hindering him and making him slow enough for a proper fight. Once the fight is over, Kratos tears his legs off, one at a time, and Hermes bleeds to death while Kratos gets his boots for some speed bursts.

In the mobile game most people don’t know about, God of War: Betrayal, Kratos kills Ceryx, Hermes’ son.

10

Hephaestus

God Of Blacksmiths

In the game series, Hephaestus (traditionally known as the Greek God of Forges, Metalworking, Fire, and more) is a bit of a dark horse in Olympus. He used to be married to Aphrodite but has since been imprisoned in an Underworld Forge by Zeus after a beating that left the forge master mutilated.

Kratos merely needed his help with a quest, but that quest involved killing Pandora, Hephaestus’ daughter, so the Smith God attempted to kill Kratos. Kratos kills him after such an attempt, first by electrocuting him and then impaling him through the heart.

9

Hera

Goddess Of Marriage

The God of War game series is loosely based on Greek mythology but take ‘based on’ with a big grain of salt. In traditional Greek mythology, Hera is Zeus’ jealous wife. In this case, Hera is somewhat accurate because she shows jealousy towards Zeus’ offspring, who is the Goddess of Marriage.

While in a drunken stupor, Hera makes a fatal mistake by calling Pandora “that little whore.” In a blinding rage, Kratos snaps Hera’s neck so she may never speak again. That’s a grim ending for a goddess that fans didn’t really get to know at all.

8

Zeus

King Of The Gods

As a character who tricked Kratos (Zeus’ own son) into thinking they were allies, many fans feel that Zeus deserves his conclusion in God of War 3. In fact, much of Kratos’ frustration and hostility towards the Gods stems from his relationship with his father. Zeus killed Kratos in God of War 2, so it was only natural that Kratos wanted to return the favor.

The two powerhouses face off in a heated battle between father and son. Kratos stabs Zeus with the Blade of Olympus, and then Zeus uses the blade against Kratos. But Kratos finishes the deed by beating Zeus to a bloody pulp with his bare hands, and you get to punch him until the whole screen gets bloodied.

7

Bonus: Chronos And Gaia

Titans Can Be Gods, Too

The Titans are very different in the series. They’re not giants, but also, the game doesn’t treat them as deities like the myths do. Chronos is the God of Time – a power he never demonstrates here, while Gaia is the Goddess of Earth – this one tracks here, at least.

Once allies, the Titans got on Kratos’ bad side. Kratos fought Chronos on his trip to Tartarus, where Chronos swallowed him, only to have his stomach ripped open. Kratos finished him off with the Blade of Olympus right on Chronos’ forehead.

As for Gaia, she was just unlucky to have Kratos and Zeus fighting inside of her, and Kratos stabbed both Zeus and Gaia’s heart at the same time with the Blade of Olympus, which killed her outright.

6

Thanatos

God Of Death

• Killed in God of War: Ghost of Sparta.

Yes, Kratos has killed the God of Death himself, Thanatos. Whether that should be possible or not is beyond us, and if there’s someone out there who could figure that out, it would be Kratos, even though Thanatos, in Greek culture, is the personification of death that is said to predate the life and death cycle.

The fight between Kratos and Thanatos also involves Deimos, who Kratos saved from falling off a cliff. This fight, which took place in God of War: Ghosts of Sparta, was one of the few where Kratos had help. Deimos is gravely injured in the battle (and dies), fueling Kratos’ Spartan Rage. He murders Thanatos in a vengeful attack by ripping Thanatos’ chest open and impaling him.

5

Alecto, Megaera, And Tisiphone

The Furies

• Killed in God of War: Ascension.

These Goddesses are more commonly known as the Furies or the Erinyes, and they’re also deities in Greek myth whose godhood status isn’t super clarified in the series. Still, they’re powerful goddesses and the main antagonists in God of War: Ascension, and you fight them multiple times in the game.

In Ghost of Sparta, we have Erinys. She’s the daughter of Thanatos and serves as an original concept, but her name and the fact she’s related to vengeance suggests that she’s also based on the Furies, meaning that we have two different interpretations of the same deities in the series.

Megaera actually dies in the first scene of the game, but the game goes back and forth in the timeline rather than being chronological. Kratos defeats her along with the Hecatoncheires, and Kratos pierces her stomach as they’re both falling from the giant. Megaera doesn’t survive the impact.

Alecto and Tisiphone team up against Kratos, and they serve as the final fight of the game. Once they’re both defeated, Kratos kills Tisiphone first, who keeps using her powers of illusions to change into different people to make Kratos stop hitting her. She even turns into Lysandra, Kratos’ wife, which makes him hesitate for a moment. Still, Kratos breaks Tisiphone’s neck, ending her for good.

Alecto dies a bit quicker, receiving both Blades of Chaos in her chest and bleeding out to death. She claims her death won’t save Kratos from his madness – referring to his nightmares – which is true, but she still doesn’t make it.

4

Bonus: Mimir

God Of Wisdom

• Killed in God of War (2018).

Mimir is the most curious case on this list. First, his game version isn’t a god like in the Norse myths, and he even comes from Celtic myths of all places, mixing more mythologies together. Second, he’s the only entry here who died, but it’s still kicking, in a way.

Mimir actually agreed to help Kratos and Atreus in their journey to Jotunheim, but because he was trapped and had no way out, he asked to be decapitated and that his head was revived. Lo and behold, Kratos chops his head of and Freya revives the head. Thus, even though Kratos killed Mimir, he’s still around, and is now Kratos’ closest friend.

3

Magni

God Of Strength

• Killed in God of War (2018)

Magni, the eldest son of Thor, was a bit more favored than Modi in their father’s eyes. Under Odin’s orders, he accompanies his half-brother and his uncle, Baldur, to hunt Kratos. Unfortunately for Magni, he doesn’t survive that hunt for too long.

After locating Kratos and asking him to surrender, Magni starts a fight with Modi alongside him. However, Kratos expertly plunges his axe into Magni’s skull and kills him. His death infuriated Thor, but the Thunder God did not appear in the game.

2

Baldur

God Of Light

• Killed in God of War (2018).

Baldur serves as the main antagonist in 2018’s God of War. An unassuming character, the God of Light doesn’t cut too intimidating a form (he’s known more for his ‘beauty’ in Norse mythology). However, a protection spell from his mother, Freya, left Baldur unable to feel anything, which drove him mad.

Charged with locating and killing the Jötunn Guardian, Baldur mistakes Kratos for the Guardian. Kratos kills Baldur in the exchange, but Baldur recovers thanks to the protection spell and renews his quest with his nephews. Of course, Kratos pierces him with a mistletoe-laden arrow (Baldur’s one weakness), which allows Kratos to, once again, snap his neck and kill him for good.

1

Heimdall

Watchman Of The Gods

• Killed in God of War: Ragnarok.

Heimdall is a major villain in God of War: Ragnarok, the final chapter in Krasto’s journey through Norse Mythology. Since Heimdall is blessed with mind-reading and foreknowledge, the god can anticipate Kratos’ every movement, leading the God of War on a quest to forge a special weapon to take Heimdall down in one of the game’s best boss battles.

In the Norse games of the God of War series, Kratos has overcome his killing instincts and tries to set an example for his son, Atreus. That’s why, after winning the battle against Heimdall by impaling him with a magic spear, Kratos decides to put an end to the conflict and spare his life. Unfortunately for Heimdall, he doesn’t accept defeat and threatens Atreus’ life. The fight goes on until Kratos bashes Heimdall’s head against the floor and chokes the life out of the god.