This year is shaping up to be a great year for gaming, as the PS5 and Xbox Series X enter their first full year. There are many games that can be called the most anticipated games of 2021, and among those for many is the upcoming God of War Ragnarok sequel. Not much is known, but there's a lot to build off of from the last game.
It's uncertain how many characters fit in, how the battle with Thor will go, how Atreus' role of Loki will play out, and more. Most importantly, it seems likely that Odin is the big bad of the Norse games, as he is the head honcho much like Zeus from the original. However, it's worth considering how Zeus and Odin clearly diverge in one single way in God of War.
God of War: Zeus vs. Odin, the Evils of the World
In God of War, Mimir describes Odin as clever but ruthless, barbaric, heartless, and paranoid. He sent Baldur to find Freya, had Valkyries locked up in prisons, had murals scattered around Midgard, and had icy ravens gathering information around the world. In other words, Odin has been watching and spying on Kratos and Atreus. According to Mimir, it seems that Zeus is afraid of Kratos, knowing that he and Atreus have some important role to play in Ragnarok. This paranoia isn't new, as Odin has acted against and led the slaughter of Giants, the Vanir, and possibly even his own son Tyr, and in this way, he's similar to Zeus.
As many know, Ares feared a prophecy that eventually led to his downfall at the hands of Kratos. But Zeus would be the one behind the curtain thereafter, manipulating events and obsessing over the death of Kratos. God of War's Zeus and Odin parallel in their obsession over Kratos and a prophecy related to him, their paranoia over his role in Godhood, their desire to see him dead, and various others. Seemingly, however, their reasoning there appears to differ. Odin is different, though, in that this seems to all come natural to the god. It was the opening of Pandora's Box that saw Zeus degrade into the villain he was, not that any of those emotions were any less true, but his fall to Fear is what led Zeus to act against Kratos the way that he did.
For Odin, there is no Pandora's box. There's no mythical object to explain away his actions. While his character is still, more or less, undefined in terms of actually playing a big role so far (that fans can know of, anyway), it'll be interesting to see how any and/or all of this leads to the God of War Ragnarok sequel's events.
God of War Ragnarok Sequel May Follow Suit
There's a lot of reasons to explain why Odin is so paranoid in the God of War Ragnarok sequel. It could just be part of his character, as it seems he's always been this way, or there could be some other influence. Regardless, as is the case with many of these prophecies, it's likely Odin and Thor's actions lead to the Ragnarok they are trying to prevent. This begs an interesting question, however: what if this difference just appears on the surface, and what if Odin has, like Zeus, actually fallen to Pandora's Box?
Right now, there's really no explanation on how Kratos got to Midgard or how the Norse world connects to Kratos' Greek one. There's a lot of possible explanations, but one is rather simple: they are connected in some way. As such, it's possible that the opening of Pandora's Box didn't just affect the Greek World, but the Norse one too. Oddly enough, it lines up. Counterparts Odin and Zeus could have been infected with Fear, Obsession, and Treachery, while Helios and Baldur (warrior-gods of Light) gave into Pride. This may not be a complete 1:1, but as Kratos was given the power of Hope, albeit buried under a ton of pain and guilt, it would make sense if Tyr was gifted with Hope as well.
Thus far, Tyr is the only God in the Norse world really portrayed in a positive light. The fact that Tyr is a God of War, much like Kratos, means this could make sense. There are a ton of other explanations possible, of course, but it would be interesting to see if Pandora's box continues to play a role or impacted the Norse World. Clearly, as with the Blades of Chaos, the franchise has no issue looking back, and it could be that the events of the original trilogy are far from over as a result.
The God of War Ragnarok sequel is in development.