Kratos' adventures have taken him to the Greek and Norse realms, but the newly released God of War: Fallen God comics recently revealed that Egypt might be next. Because Kratos was able to cross realms and enter an entirely different mythological world after exhausting Greece, the idea has always been out there. If he can travel to the Norse realm, why can't he travel to others?
The 2018 God of War game hinted at other pantheons existing that Kratos may have spent some time in before coming to Norway, and now fans are finally getting to see some of that backstory. Even though fans are still waiting for news about God of War: Ragnarok, speculation is already beginning about what could come after it.
God of War: Fallen God just released, but it may have huge implications for future games. The comic book series will detail Kratos' physical journey from Greece to Norway as well as his emotional journey. The Kratos in God of War 3 is very different from the one in God of War, who seems to have finally learned to control his anger. Kratos aged significantly between God of War 3 and the 2018 reboot, so there's a lot of ground for the comics to cover, but Egypt was brought up pretty quickly.
Kratos Goes to Egypt in God of War Comics
A lot of fans already knew that Kratos had been to Egypt. It was revealed in Tyr's Vault that other pantheons exist and that Kratos had encountered some of them, including Egypt, before God of War. There's a huge gap between Kratos' escape from Greece in God of War 3 and the beginning of God of War, and Kratos' life has never been peaceful. God of War: Fallen God will fill in the gap between games, and it's possible Kratos visited many lands before finally settling in Norway.
One of the lands he travels to in the comics is Egypt. Kratos is attempting to rid himself of the Blades of Chaos, which serve as a reminder of his servitude to Ares and the violent acts performed in his service. The Blades of Chaos also killed Kratos' wife and daughter, so it makes sense why he'd want to get rid of them. Because of his identity as the God of War, however, the blades are bound to him and that task is much easier said than done.
Upon arriving in Egypt, Kratos is confused when the locals run from him in terror. A mysterious old man informs him that the people are afraid because they don't know about the destiny Kratos has in "the land of the pharaohs." Kratos isn't impressed by the prophecy and doesn't enjoy talking about destiny, so his response is flippant. Destiny is a hard thing to outrun, though, so odds are Kratos will have to fulfill his destiny in Egypt one way or another. Whatever the old man meant, it wasn't a random statement.
Will Future God of War Games Be Set in Egypt?
It's possible that Kratos will return to Egypt in the comics, which still have a long way to go, but now fans are wondering if future games could be set in Egypt. That may be looking a little too far ahead, seeing as a trailer for God of War: Ragnarok still hasn't been revealed, but there's no reason barring future games being set in Egypt.
Egypt could be a future destination, but probably not in the near future. God of War: Ragnarok could be the end of Kratos and Atreus' journey in the Norse realm since Ragnarok is essentially the Norse apocalypse. If Ragnarok happens the way it does in Norse mythology, there won't be a whole lot left for them to do. The end of the Norse world could push the father and son towards new realms where they'll face new pantheons of gods, and Egypt may be their next destination. That said, these games take a long time to develop and Santa Monica could be planning for the current reboot to be a trilogy, so fans shouldn't be looking for an Egyptian game anytime soon.
The old man in Fallen God told Kratos he has a destiny to fulfill in Egypt, which means he'll probably have to go back at some point. At this point, it's unclear whether Kratos fulfilled his destiny in Egypt before going to Norway. It might be covered in the comics and reveal that Kratos and Atreus don't actually need to go. Japanese and Celtic pantheons were also teased in Tyr's vault, so Egypt isn't the only option, either. If Kratos hasn't settled the score as of God of War: Ragnarok, though, it's more a question of 'when' than 'if.'
God of War Was Almost Set in Egypt
In 2016, before the God of War release, director Cory Balrog revealed that the reboot was almost set in Egypt. In fact, half of the creative team preferred Egypt over Norway. The main reason Santa Monica chose Norway instead came down to what it envisioned for Kratos' new journey. Ancient Egyptian civilization was less isolated than Norway and the mythology has a lot to do with pharaohs believing themselves to be physical manifestations of the gods. In other words, there's a lot going on.
There's a lot going on in Norway as well and Norse mythology is incredibly rich, but the team felt that Egypt would have too many unnecessary distractions for this stage in Kratos' journey. Santa Monica wanted the primary focus to be on Kratos as a character, and the reboot was intended to make him feel more human than he had in previous games. The epic action is still there, but God of War is filled with intimate character moments that may not have worked as well with an Egyptian setting.
If Egypt isn't in Kratos' future, fans know now that it is in his past. It's always possible that there could be a new game set between God of War 3 and the 2018 game, or that Atreus could go to Egypt in future spinoffs. There's a very good chance that fans can look forward to exploring new pantheons in future games, but the context in which that will happen isn't set in stone. The conclusion of God of War: Ragnarok should give fans a better idea of what they can expect for the rest of the franchise.
God of War is available now for PS4 and PS5, and God of War: Ragnarok is scheduled to release in 2021.