God Of War Fans Spot Easter Egg In Atreus' Scars
As we get ready for God of War Ragnarok in 2022, players have noticed a sneaky Easter egg relating to Kratos, Atreus, and the series' long-awaited return to form.
When 2018's God of War released, Sony Santa Monica has a seemingly immeasurable task of reintroducing the Ghost of Sparta and making Kratos relevant for a whole new generation of fans. Added to this, there was a whole backstory to flesh out, with Atreus stepping up to the plate as a secondary protagonist.
What's The Secret Hidden In Atreus' Scars?
Posting on Reddit, u/LupusDeusMagnus asked how Atreus got so many scars despite his young age. There's a relatively simple answer, given that we see a bearded and brooding Kratos training his son to hunt like a skinner version of his former self.
Delving deeper into the world of video game Easter eggs, others noted that one of Atreus' scars looks like Kratos red lightning bolt. One commenter wrote, "His scar on his left eye has the shape of Kratos’s eye tattoo. So to answer your question, most likely for plot relevance."
Remembering the big twist that Atreus is actually the Norse god Loki, someone else said, "I always thought it was just a nod to Loki mythos. I read Loki was scarred he was bound with a snake dripping venom on his face. He is described as almost disfigured having burnt skin and scars."
If you think it's just a coincidence, God of War Art Director Raf Grassetti has previously posted a picture of Atreus' face with a cryptic caption reading "birthmark". Over on his Instagram, he shared concept work for Atreus - where you can see his Kratos-inspired scar more clearly.
What's Next For Atreus' Story?
View this post on Instagram
Questioning whether Atreus' potential family lineage could come into play in Ragnarok (or beyond), someone concluded, "Hmm so really it wasn’t Kratos or Deimos as being the 'marked one' the Olympians were warned about. It was really Atreus they were being warned about."
We don't know what's going on with the God of War mythos beyond Ragnarok, with confirmation we won't be getting a trilogy in Norse mythology. Then again, that doesn't necessarily mean Kratos has to die or the story will end here.
Personally, we'd like to see some sort of time travel adventure or the story catapulting forward to an adult Atreus who has beefed up to become the new God of War - completely with a gnarly facial scar. With the God of War Ragnarok release date coming at some point in 2022, there hopefully isn't long to wait.