Family has long been of central importance to the God of War series, even before the latest entry made Kratos' relationship with his son a priority. It was the inadvertent murder of his own family that turned Kratos against his master, Ares, but the god of war is responsible for another loss even earlier in Kratos' life: that of his brother, Deimos. A misunderstood prophecy lead to Deimos' hatred of his own brother, a broken familial relationship that was explored in one of God of War's PlayStation Portable titles.
In Ghost of Sparta, which released for the PSP in 2010, it is revealed that a prophecy has foretold the demise of the Olympian gods. The Oracle has stated that their downfall will not be brought about by the Titans, but a mortal known only as the Marked Warrior. Although Kratos left some Greek gods alive in God of War before leaving for Midgard, it's clear that the Marked Warrior moniker refers to him. The gods, however, believed differently, which directly contributed to their slaughter at the hands of Kratos. Ghost of Sparta reveals that Kratos has a brother, Deimos, who Kratos believes was taken by the Olympians and killed at a young age.
Deimos was born with an unusual, bright red birthmark, which ran over his left eye, along the top of his head, down his back, up the side of his chest, and circled around his left shoulder. Zeus and Ares believed Deimos was the prophesied Marked Warrior, the one who would eventually topple the Olympian pantheon. Deimos indeed had dreams of becoming a renowned Spartan warrior, and seemed poised to fulfill the prophecy. In an attempt to avoid their fate, Zeus and Ares devise to have Deimos captured. Ares interrupts a childhood training session between Kratos and Deimos, accompanied by Athena, who is theorized to be God of War Ragnarök's villain.
God Of War - Deimos Is Tortured Into Hating His Brother Kratos
Ares kidnaps Deimos, and attempts to kill Kratos when he tries to intervene. Athena stops the god of war, reminding him that they are only there for the Marked Warrior. Kratos, believing that his brother is lost forever, is distraught and guilt-ridden after having promised Deimos that he would always protect him. To honor his brother's memory, Kratos gets a bright red tattoo in the shape of Deimos' birthmark. Combined with the ashes of his dead wife and daughter, cursed to make his skin white, this tattoo contributes to Kratos' iconic look.
In the God of War timeline, Ghost of Sparta fits in immediately following the original game. Kratos has exacted his revenge against Ares, and after taking his throne on Mount Olympus, learns that his mother, Callisto, may still be alive. Against the advice of Athena, Kratos travels to Atlantis, a city built in honor of Poseidon. After besting the monster Scylla to gain access to the city, Kratos eventually finds Callisto, who reveals to him that his brother Deimos was not killed as a child, and is being held captive by the god of death, Thanatos. On his way out of Atlantis, Kratos frees the Titan Thera, which combined with the destructive battle against Scylla causes the city to sink into the ocean.
When Deimos was taken as a child, he was not simply executed for his unknowable threat to the Olympians. Zeus and Ares instead put him in the custody of Thanatos, who restrained the child and tormented him while Kratos grew into a famed warrior. After a brief return to Sparta, Kratos decided he has to confront Thanatos. The god of death wasn't one of the Greek god Kratos had met in the series yet, even though God of War III released before Ghost of Sparta. Determined to enter death's domain, Kratos returns to the ruins of Atlantis and eventually finds the entrance to Thanatos' realm.
There Kratos finds his long-lost brother Deimos, but the reunion is not a pleasant one. Deimos' mind had been warped by years of imprisonment and torture. When they were young, Kratos told Deimos that he would always protect him, and for a while after his capture, Deimos believed it. That hope for Kratos' rescue eventually turned into resentment, and Deimos blamed his older brother for seemingly abandoning him to a life of torture at the hands of Thanatos. Consumed with rage, Deimos attacks Kratos after finally being freed from his bonds, claiming he will never forgive Kratos.
Kratos And His Brother Deimos Eventually Reconcile In God Of War
The fight against Kratos' brother in God of War is only briefly saved from a tragic conclusion by Thanatos' interruption. As revenge for Kratos killing his daughter, Thanatos takes Deimos and whisks him away to the Suicide Bluffs, where he plans to kill Deimos. Kratos follows and arrives just in time to save Deimos from plummeting to his death. In the end, Deimos forgives his brother, and the two unite in a battle against Thanatos. The reunion is short-lived, however, because Deimos is soon slain by the god of death. This prompts Kratos to be consumed by an incredible rage, and he destroy Thanatos shortly after. The final segment of Ghost of Sparta sees Kratos carrying Deimos' corpse up a winding path to the top of the Suicide Bluffs, where the mysterious grave digger has a fresh grave ready.
Like the death of Kratos' first wife in God of War, Deimos' fate spurs Kratos to seek revenge on the Olympians once more. The conclusion of Ghost of Sparta leads directly into the events of God of War II, which released three years earlier. Though the story of Deimos is presented as an important chapter in Kratos' fight against the Olympians, it ultimately may have been missed by several players who never had access to the PSP games. God of War III even released before Ghost of Sparta, making the latter fit somewhat awkwardly into the series' timeline. The PlayStation Portable titles were remastered on the PS3 as part of multiple collections, and are among the God of War games playable on the PS5, available for those interested in seeing Kratos and Deimos' relationship end first-hand.