'God of War' Is a Messy, Beguiling Take on Fantasy Violence and Toxic Masculinity

Kratos, the star of the God of War series of action games, is a bad man. Devised as an ersatz Achilles edgy enough for gaming in the mid-00s, all anger and very little pathos, the one-time god and long-time god-killer is one of the biggest dicks in the medium. He had a family, once; he murdered them. He was a womanizing, cruel, monstrous hero. Over three games, he single-handedly slaughtered the entire Greek pantheon, destroying everyone and everything who got in his way.