PLEASE NOTE: This article contains MINOR Spoilers for God of War Ragnarok. Proceed at your own risk.One of the biggest strengths of God of War Ragnarok is its character development, enveloping not only the main cast of characters, but fleshing out even the most obscure side characters as well. Throughout God of War Ragnarok's lengthy 25+ hour campaign, fans will get to learn a lot more about their favorite characters, and a real highlight of the entire experience is Atreus and his own personal journey in the Norse saga.
In God of War 2018, Atreus serves as Kratos' sidekick, firing arrows into enemies and giving hints about puzzles. During the course of that game's story, Atreus learns that he's a god, and his resulting arrogance was a big point of contention for even die-hard God of War fans. But thankfully, Atreus has grown up a lot since then, and God of War Ragnarok shows that even Atreus hates his younger self.
Even Atreus Doesn't Like His Younger Self
In God of War 2018, Atreus starts the game as a naive, inexperienced child that's just lost his mother. Atreus is pretty standoffish and can get heated very quickly, but with Kratos as a father, that's all pretty understandable. During the course of the game, Atreus proves that he's capable of fending for himself, and at one stage even protects his father from hordes of Alfheim elven warriors while he's incapacitated.
The more that Kratos can see Atreus as an asset, the more he lets him chip away at his impenetrable exterior, and the more that this happens, the closer the player gets to understanding Atreus as a character. Eventually, Atreus discovers that he's a god, and upon learning this, he starts to act more selfishly. Outwardly expressing that his position as a god makes him better than mortals, Kratos snaps that they're not above anyone, and they have a responsibility to be better. Atreus doesn't listen, however, and his arrogance leads him to kill Modi, Thor's son. Though God of War 2018 ends with Atreus understanding that being a god is a lot of responsibility, his arrogance throughout the game's story definitely grated on some fans.
Taking place three years later, God of War Ragnarok sees an older, more mature Atreus take center stage alongside his father. Rather than being relegated to the sidekick role, Atreus shows from the offset that he's a lot more capable than in the previous game, and he plays a much more pivotal role in the game's story and themes. It's immediately clear that Atreus has grown a lot since God of War 2018, and he's become a much more passionate character, caring deeply about his friends and animals.
A few hours into God of War Ragnarok, Atreus enters a dream-like state in which he's haunted by visions of his past. Here, he sees snippets of his journey from the previous game, hearing his younger self boast about being a god. Upon hearing that, Atreus visibly winces and turns his face away. After being overwhelmed by visions of his cockier younger self, Atreus is then forced to relive Modi's murder, and it's clear that Atreus is distressed. In God of War Ragnarok, it's clear that Atreus hates his younger self, and he harbors a great deal of guilt for his past actions. Throughout the game, Atreus is constantly checking himself, making sure he's not letting godhood go to his head and trying to do what's best for the majority.
God of War Ragnarok is available on PS4 and PS5.