Across its original Greek mythology trilogy, numerous spinoff titles, and recent foray into the world of Norse mythology, the God Of War franchise has garnered its fair share of epic villains. Given that these evildoers are inspired by ancient mythological figures, many of them are quite imposing, although some are more impressive than others.
From their physical appearance to their abilities to their evil deeds, there are plenty of qualities that separate these mighty gods and beasts from each other. While some of these epic figures are reduced to something almost laughable, others are raised up in the translation to the video game medium to the status of epic bosses that strike fear into the hearts of gamers.
Updated on November 9th, 2022 by Jom Elauria: Now that God of War Ragnarok is finally here, more people than ever are excited to see what’s in store for Kratos and Atreus in the Nine Realms. In his long and arduous journey of gaining vengeance against the gods, Kratos has numerous foes. Some of his enemies are iconic enough to send shivers down a gamer’s spine, while some are just plain ridiculous. Revisiting what transpired in the previous games is essential for gamers before they get their hands on God of War Ragnarok.
15 Hercules
Despite being half-siblings, Kratos and Hercules hold no mutual love for each other. Hercules has always been envious of Kratos, especially since Zeus largely favors him while leaving Hercules to do menial tasks that are barely fit for a demigod.
Hercules meets his demise at the hands of Kratos in God of War 2, after he tries to target Kratos and steal his God of War title. The fight with Hercules is a tad absurd as well, as he can be easily defeated after clearing the undead soldiers that he conjures up.
14 Ceryx
The mobile game God Of War: Betrayal is one of the lesser-known and less-beloved entries of the franchise, taking place between the original game and Ghost Of Sparta. As such, it has one of the least prominent franchise villains as its main antagonist: Ceryx, the son of Hermes sent to stop Kratos' rage.
There isn't much about Ceryx that makes him stand out among God Of War villains, as he is a messenger doing the bidding of the Olympians without any grand plans for himself. As a boss, Ceryx is also a little underwhelming, mostly attacking with three-headed dogs that he summons, as well as staff and lightning attacks.
13 Magni & Modi
These sons of Thor made their villainous debut in God Of War (2018), where they are primarily featured as accomplices to the game's main antagonist Baldur, due to their loyalty to him through their father. Despite the brothers' imposing natures and sadistic tendencies, as seen in Modi's torture of Kratos' son Atreus, their stories are reliant upon Baldur's own plans more than anything.
One of the most notable elements of these characters is their rivalry, as Thor prefers the elder brother Magni to his younger son Modi. While this gives the characters their own motivations, it also makes them villains in terms of their family connections, and their powers are overshadowed by those relatives, too.
12 Atlas
Although he would be an ally to Kratos in God Of War II, Atlas is on the villainous side of the conflict for the prequel game Chains Of Olympus, assisting the game's main villain Persephone in her plot to end all human life by destroying the Pillar of the World. With his four arms and enormous strength, Atlas attempted to complete Persephone's request.
Kratos ultimately stops Atlas, but not before the Titan tears Helios, the Sun god, from the sky, plunges the world into darkness, and nearly destroys the Pillar. Despite Atlas' clear strength, the fact that he is simply a part of Persephone's master plan makes his own feats less directly villainous.
11 The Trolls
In God of War (2018), Kratos and Atreus come across dangerous trolls a number of times. The huge and aggressive creatures are not discerning to the beings they choose to attack, as they also try to harm dwarves that encounter them. The game hosts different trolls that can harm Kratos and his son, including one that was born and raised in the Realm of the Dead.
Battling against trolls can be a challenging ordeal, especially since some trolls have acquired and developed special skills, such as wielding fire-based attacks and icy piercing strikes. While they’re not the main bad guys in the game, the Trolls are still a formidable opponent that players need to watch out for.
10 Freya
Despite not being a primary villain in God of War (2018), Freya’s story does plot her out to be a great antagonist in God of War Ragnarok. The estranged wife of Odin, Freya was the queen of the Valkyries who was cast away after breaking off her marriage to Zeus.
Freya’s relationship with her son is also one to be taken note of, as it was revealed at the end of the most recent game that she’s the mother of the primary villain, Baldur, and is loathed by him due to the spell that she cast on him. While Freya only did what she thought was best for Baldur, it drove her son to greatly resent her. Her incredible witchcraft powers that heal, fortify, and curse an individual make her a villain of note.
9 Athena
Just like other Greek gods, Athen was also misrepresented in the God of War series for the sake of narrative. While she’s known to be the goddess of wisdom and practical reason, Athena was consumed by madness and was obsessed with reshaping the world as she sees fit.
The unexpected pipeline of deuteragonist to main villain makes Athena one of the most notable villains in video game history. Her descent to a state where she is beyond reason makes for a good story. Also, her incessant torturing of Kratos, even after her death, makes her an enduring villain.
8 The Furies
Taking place before the events of all the other games in the franchise, God Of War: Ascension pits Kratos against the Furies, a trio of powerful sisters who operate as ruthless judges and tormentors under Ares' tutelage. The three sisters, Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, are foreboding and sadistic foes.
All three Furies have different sets of powerful and terrifying abilities that involve shapeshifting into giant monsters and summoning dark beings to do their bidding. While the Furies are largely tied to the plans of more foreboding and conniving villains like Ares, there is no denying that their abilities are impressive.
7 Persephone
The primary villain of Chains Of Olympus is Persephone, who wields her position as Queen of the Underworld and her alliances with Morpheus (one of the franchise's few survivors) and Atlas to attempt to end the world. Much like Kratos would later do, Persephone wants to take revenge against the Olympians for her fate.
Not only is Persephone a powerful being who puts up quite a fight against Kratos even without her powerful allies at her side, but she is also a dastardly schemer, using Kratos' daughter Calliope against him. Her regal looks may appear intimidating-yet-harmless, but she is evil to the grave, correctly threatening Kratos with continued suffering as she dies.
6 The Valkyries
God of War (2018) took a lot of creative liberties and didn’t accurately represent Norse mythology for the sake of its story. While the Valkyries are loyal beings that serve Odin in Norse mythology, the game depicts them as corrupted beings who have been imprisoned in their physical bodies by the All-father.
Despite only appearing in side quests in the game, defeating the Valkyries is no easy task, especially since they all differ from each other. For example, the Valkyrie Hildr uses ice-based attacks, while their queen Sigrun wields all the especially attacks the other Valkyries had. Facing them in the game is no laughing matter, even if they are considered optional battles.
5 Thanatos
As the central villain in spinoff title Ghost Of Sparta, Thanatos, God of Death, is not the most prominent antagonist in the series, but he is one of the most striking. An ancient deity with incredible power, Thanatos appears as a shadowy winged figure and even fights brothers Kratos and Deimos as a horrifying dragon.
Like many of the series' most notorious villains, Thanatos targets Kratos' family, specifically his brother Deimos, although he does so initially at the behest of Ares, later pursuing the siblings out of revenge for the death of his own daughter. In his final moments, Thanatos continues to taunt Kratos, showing that he remains cool, collected, and conniving even in defeat.
4 Baldur
The first major villain of God Of War's transition to Norse mythology, Baldur proves a dastardly and powerful foe for Kratos and Atreus to face. He is initially driven to destroy Kratos as he mistakes him to be the Jötunn Guardian whom Odin sends him to destroy, but he is also driven by hatred for his mother Freya, whose protective spell cursed him with the inability to feel.
There is nothing immediately special about Baldur's looks, but he is incredibly powerful, punching Kratos through the roof of a house and being invulnerable to almost all damage thanks to Freya's spell. His pursuit of Kratos and Atreus is unrelenting, and his final moments involve attempting to kill his own mother before being killed himself, making him quite the sinister figure.
3 Gaia
Of the many betrayals and twists in the God Of War franchise, Gaia turning on Kratos in God Of War III after being a faithful ally to him in the previous game is one of the biggest. An immensely powerful deity representing the Earth itself, Gaia uses Kratos in her plans to lead the Titans in an attack on Olympus.
After Kratos is no longer useful to her, Gaia treats him as expendable, showing her devious side and her unilateral dedication to the Titan cause. When Kratos eventually takes Gaia down, it is quite an ordeal, as her ancient powers are immense, and she herself is a gargantuan woman who throws all sorts of obstacles at Kratos as he attempts to destroy her in an epic boss fight.
2 Zeus
Zeus is the King of the Gods and the leader of Olympus, as well as the ultimate villain of the original God Of War trilogy and Kratos' father, so he is possibly the most important antagonist in the entire franchise. Beginning as an ally of Kratos in his quest against Ares, Zeus soon betrays his son out of fear that Kratos is fated to destroy the Olympians.
As the King of the Gods, Zeus is incredibly powerful, wielding not only immense strength and lightning attacks, but also abilities like controlling an astral form and stripping other gods of their powers, making him a formidable foe. A powerful warrior, an imposing presence, and an impressive schemer, Zeus is one of the series' most impressive villains.
1 Ares
The final boss and main antagonist of the still impressive-looking first entry in the God Of War franchise, Ares' influence engulfs Kratos' entire journey, so it's fitting that the series is named for him. Ares is the imposing God of War who seeks to destroy Olympus and take Zeus' throne, planning to use Kratos to do so.
His manipulations ultimately lead to Kratos murdering his wife Lysandra and daughter Calliope, driving the warrior to seek revenge against his former master. Not only does Ares have the look and strength of a terror-inspiring god, but his evil deeds also make him a sinister villain that fans love to hate.