The God of War franchise could be considered a classic in the hack-and-slash genre, with its tormented and heavily tattooed demigod protagonist Kratos being an iconic antihero. Historically, Kratos is known for his unstoppable rage and furious screams as he battles to tear the Olympian gods down from the heavens, but the recent series reboot that began with 2018's God of War and continues in God of War Ragnarok shows fans a calmer, wiser Kratos. The difference is so striking that one fan decided to compare Kratos' past and present in the form of the annoyed bird meme.
In the unedited version of the meme, a small grey bird is shown chirping on a branch before a huge crow begins cawing loudly, overshadowing its song. The final panel shows the annoyed grey bird staring at the viewer while an enormous speech bubble reading "CAW!" takes up almost the entire background. Reddit user KingFahad360 appears to have found the comic inspiring and made a voiced parody version focusing on both versions of Kratos, with Kratos' young son Atreus also featuring.
KingFahad360's video places the older and wiser Kratos in the role of the grey bird, with him calmly calling Atreus' name--and scolding the boy--instead of singing. This focus on Kratos' new voice provided by voice actor Christopher Judge, highlights the contrast with his previous voice when the original, rage-fuelled Kratos appears in the role of the noisy crow. The decision to have the original Kratos begin talking right after the new Kratos snarls at Atreus is an excellent showcase of the differences between Judge and Terrence Connor Carson's takes on the character.
Birds of War. from GodofWar
Carson's Greek Kratos is shown to be physically larger than Judge's Norse Kratos, and his bellowing announcement that he is the God of War may easily eclipse the more subdued scolding Judge's Kratos was delivering. He appears in front of the tree Norse Kratos and Atreus are perched in with a flash of green light. The following shot reveals that Greek Kratos is standing on top of an enormous, avian rendition of Gaia, whose wrathful facial expression reflects his.
As of writing, other fans appear to be very entertained by KingFahad360's meme edit. Several users expressed delight at the sight of a bird version of Gaia. Others discussed their fondness for both the Greek and Norse versions of Kratos. A conversation sprang up discussing how suitable Carson and Judge's voices were for the versions of Kratos they portrayed, with one fan hoping that God of War Ragnarok would have the present Kratos facing down his rage-driven past self.
God of War Ragnarok releases in 2022 for PS4 and PS5.