The God of War series has showcased plenty of gods from different mythologies across its mainline titles and spinoffs at this point. While the series started out focusing primarily on the Greek gods, it has since branched out to include the Norse gods in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök. There have also been allusions in the games towards gods from other mythologies, like the Eye of Horus appearing on a painting.
More recently, we got a first look at God of War Laufey, which revealed gods from both Egyptian and Buddhist pantheons. This opens up possibilities for many different types of deities. While some of the gods we meet in the God of War games are friendly, the games more often pit players against these powerful beings. Some of them are far more frightening to face than others, for a variety of reasons. Some may be physically imposing, while others may possess more subtle traits that make them worth being afraid of.
Hephaestus Shows That Gods Can’t Be Trusted
Although not the most pleasant Olympian to look at, it is not a physical feature of Hephaestus that makes him one of the more terrifying gods in the series. In God of War 3, though their relationship is adversarial from the start, it does appear as though the god of the forge is attempting to help Cronos on his mission. However, later in the game, Hephaestus betrays Kratos, first trying to get him killed in a confrontation with Cronos, and then trying to finish off Kratos himself with a clever trap.
Hephaestus’ betrayal is representative of what makes the Greek gods so terrifying in the original God of War series. They all have their own agendas and petty grievances. Even if one seems to be on your side, they can turn on you on a dime and attempt to take your life the moment that allyship becomes inconvenient. It’s bad enough to know gods possess immense power, but Hephaestus showing just how untrustworthy they are makes them even scarier.
Begtse Is An Intimidating New Figure
Begtse, the Buddhist Dharmapala, is featured heavily in the tail end of the God of War Laufey gameplay reveal. Although we only get a hint at his power in the preview, he is easily one of the most physically imposing gods in the post-Greek God of War era. He is also shown to have immense physical strength and powerful fire magic.
Although Laufey holds her own well against Begtse, I wouldn’t be surprised if this god of war sticks around and fulfills a similar role to Baldur in 2018’s God of War, giving players a rival that they fight at the beginning and continues to plague them throughout the game. Of course, there is a possibility that Laufey kills Begtse in the moment after the trailer cuts off, and he proves to simply have been the game’s Warf effect. If that is the case, I will make sure to amend my rankings.
Sekhmet Rules With An Iron Fist
Although Begste was the god that took center stage in terms of fighting in the God of War Laufey preview, it was clear the real god in charge of Everywhen — the afterlife of the gods — is Sekhmet. Sekhmet has a cooler and calmer demeanor in the preview and orders Begste around easily. Her presence consequently ends up being much more intimidating, because it’s clear how confident she is about ruling the entire afterlife.
In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet is a god of war, often acting as the personification of the sun god Ra’s vengeance. She is also said to be responsible for the spread of plagues. Although the extent of her powers has not been seen yet, I am confident from her aura alone that she will prove to be one of the franchise’s major antagonists. If nothing else, the inhumane way she treats her subjects is enough to label her as one of the more terrifying gods in the series.
Thor Was Built Up To Be A Major Threat
As soon as the God of War series moved to the world of Norse mythology, Thor’s inclusion seemed inevitable. Showing an admirable level of restraint, Santa Monica Studios decided not to include Thor in most of 2018’s God of War, instead choosing to build up his intimidation factor through in-game dialogue. Throughout the game, you get snippets of Thor’s history, like how he slew most of the giants, and that he was an equal match for the massive World Serpent. Therefore, when a confrontation with Thor was teased at the end of the game, his reputation preceded him.
The four-year wait between God of War and God of War Ragnarök served only to build anticipation for Thor’s arrival even more. Kratos’ first fight with him also shows just how powerful the God of Thunder is. Between the build up and his power, Thor was, at one point, one of the scariest threats in the series. However, this expectation is somewhat subverted as the game goes on to humanize him, and even give him a slight redemption arc, which is rare for God of War, and makes him less scary than he could’ve been.
Cronos Is Greek Mythology’s Big Bad
Cronos is an intimidating figure in Greek mythology. Not only was he king of the Titans and responsible for killing his powerful father Ouranos, but he also ate most of his children for fear they would overthrow him. It eventually took the power of all the Olympians, freed from Cronos’ stomach, to take him down. While this history is enough to make him an imposing figure, God of War 3 took things a step further when making Cronos one of the series’ most terrifying enemies.
Part of what makes Cronos so scary in the God of War franchise is his sheer size. He is easily one of the largest enemies you fight, at one point nearly crushing Kratos between his finger and thumb as one might crush a grape. At one point, he even manages to swallow Kratos whole. Of course, Kratos manages to escape by cutting his way out of Cronos’ stomach, but the Titan is still easily one of the most memorably intimidating boss’ from the early games.
Baldur Is Seemingly Invincible
Baldur is the first god you’ll fight in 2018’s God of War, which might lead you to believe that he shouldn’t be so high on this list. However, it becomes quickly apparent during his fight with Kratos that Baldur is not to be underestimated. Despite not appearing as strong as Kratos physically, Baldur is relentless in his attacks, and seems only capable of being stalled or sent away, but never truly defeated. This invincibility makes him a terrifying foe for Kratos who is used to cutting down his enemies relatively easily.
Aside from just being a relentless force of nature, Baldur is terrifying for his role in the narrative of both Norse God of War games. It’s Baldur’s death that kicks off Ragnarök. Throughout God of War Ragnarök, there is a persistent fear that Kratos will die as prophesized, and this is indirectly related to Baldur and his death. This means Baldur is responsible for one of the biggest sources of anxiety in the newer games.
Zeus’ Cruelty Is Only Matched By His Paranoia
If there is one consistent through line that you can grasp from reading Greek mythology, it’s that Zeus is kind of the worst. This is exemplified in the earlier God of War games where Zeus’ paranoia that Kratos will take over Olympus leads him to not only kill Kratos, but also destroy all of Sparta in an act of petty vengeance. Zeus is also consistently shown to be a cruel father, committing acts like the brutal torture of Hephaestus.
A cruel and paranoid character willing to inflict violence on innocents and his own children is terrifying enough. Make that character the most powerful of all the gods, and it quickly amps up the intimidation factor. Zeus’ villainy and terrifying presence made him the perfect ultimate antagonist for the original God of War trilogy, even if he wasn’t the outright villian from the first entry.
Gná Is One Of The Toughest Bosses In The Series
Gná is the new Queen of the Valkyries in God of War Ragnarök, and has a personal vendetta against Freya after she decided to leave Asgard. While Gná is an intimidating enough figure in the game’s story, she doesn’t really reach the same heights of outright villainy as some of the other characters, nor does she commit any especially heinous acts. Instead, her inclusion here is much more tied to gameplay.
Of all the bosses in the God of War series, Gná is the one that gave me the most trouble. Gná is an optional boss that you can choose to fight after finishing the main quest in God of War Ragnarök, and as an optional endgame boss, she is understandably very challenging. From a fictional standpoint, there are plenty of gods I would be more afraid of in the God of War universe, but few I’d be more afraid to fight in-game again than Gná.
Odin Is Like Zeus, But Smarter And Trickier
Much of what could be said of Zeus can also be said of Odin. He is a patriarch of a pantheon who is equal parts powerful and paranoid. Odin also has his own cruel streak against his own children, best exemplified by him killing Thor when Thor shows Kratos mercy. What makes Odin more terrifying than Zeus is his intellect.
Now, part of this could be chalked up to the fact that the newer God of War games simply have more robust storytelling than the originals. Still, Odin comes off much cleverer and more conniving than Zeus in the original trilogy. While he embodies all the same things that made Zeus so scary, Odin’s ability to package it in subterfuge and manipulation before having to display outright force makes him a much scarier enemy to have.
Kratos Can’t Be Stopped
Aside from the newcomers from God of War Laufey, all the terrifying gods on this list have one thing in common: they were defeated or killed by Kratos. This clearly shows that Kratos is the most powerful among all of them. While Kratos is shown to be less cruel, especially in the newer games, he is still the most terrifying enemy you could ever have. Nothing, even his own prophesied death, has ever stopped him, and it seems unlikely anything ever will.
Players are more comfortable Kratos because they play him throughout the God of War franchise. But, when you consider that every terrifying god on this list is likely even more terrified of him, you get the sense for just how scary he can be.
- Video Game(s)
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God of War (2005), God of War II, God of War: Betrayal, God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War III, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, God of War: Origins Collection, God of War: Ascension, God of War III: Remastered, God of War: A Call from the Wilds, God of War (2018), God of War Ragnarok
- Created by
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David Jaffe
- Upcoming TV Shows
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God of War
- Character(s)
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Kratos, Atreus, Athena (God of War), Ares (God of War), Zeus (God of War), Baldur, Thor (God of War), Freya (God of War)