God of War: Ragnarok may include a shocking heel turn inspired by Norse myth

Ragnarok is coming. This important event in Norse mythology often involves the death of many gods. It's not only served as the inspiration for a Netflix show and the third Thor movie, but it will clearly play a major role in 2021's follow-up to the critically acclaimed God of War. When the series made the jump from Greek to Norse mythology, tackling Ragnarok seemed inevitable.

This sequel, which is God of War: Ragnarok, is still shrouded in mystery. But when you look at the Ragnarok myth and what was teased at the end of 2018's God of War, it seems possible that Kratos and Atreus will come into direct conflict with one another in the sequel.

Spoilers for God of War (2018) follow.

It's revealed in God of War towards the very end that Kratos' son, who goes by Atreus, is actually the Norse god Loki. MCU fans will definitely be familiar with this character, but within Norse mythology, he is a Trickster god who is the driving force behind Ragnarok. Following a Great Winter, Loki leads an army of giants against the gods in a major act of betrayal.

Looking at the some Ragnarok translations, we see phrases like "father will slay son, and son will slay father." That stands out when we remember that Kratos and Atreus/Loki are at the game's focus.

At the end of God of War, Kratos and Atreus see a giant mural that recounts their adventures and lives. But Kratos is the only one that sees a part of the mural depicting his death with Atreus standing nearby. There's also some kind of mysterious magical energy coming out of their mouths, which is strange.

The game does not go into any more detail about what this image means, but it does make it clear that every image on this mural comes true.

As such, it's possible that we'll see the death of Kratos in God of War: Ragnarok and that Atreus could even be the one to kill him. The mural makes no clear indications as to whether or not Atreus and Kratos are still allies at the time of Kratos' death. We only see Kratos dying in Atreus' arms.

When God of War ends, Kratos is still clearly on Atreus' side as Thor confronts them, and the game shows time and again that Kratos does love his son even if he's tough on him. Still, if Atreus truly evolves into full-on Loki trickster and decides to side with the giants, Kratos could find himself at odds with his own son.

While players might fight him as Kratos, the mural suggests that Kratos would lose that battle. Atreus going on a rampage against the Norse gods would also mirror Kratos' own vendetta against the Greek gods. A showdown between father and son over this would truly be an epic story worthy of the myths that inspired God of War.

Ragnarok is notable for including the death of many gods and the rebirth of the world. Kratos, even if he's made the jump from the world of Greek gods to that of Norse gods, is still technically a god. Because of that, Ragnarok could pose a threat to him, especially if Atreus decides to betray Kratos as well.

Will Atreus betray his father? How closely will Atreus' journey mirror that of the actual Ragnarok myth? And just how accurate is that mural from the first game? These are the major questions that God of War: Ragnarok will need to answer.

God of War: Ragnarok will be released for PS5 in 2021.