In God of War Ragnarok, Thor is making his first appearance in the franchise. The game's story trailer teases him and Kratos in what promises to be a massive standoff. However, this has left a lot of us wondering exactly what kind of Thor we should expect.
God of War Ragnarok certainly looks promising. Judging from the trailer, it looks like the stakes of Kratos' violent adventures have never been higher. Kratos' impending fight across God of War Ragnarok's nine Norse realms looks like it'll be grueling, to say the least. It's already been confirmed that the latest title will conclude the Norse saga and round out the current chapter of the series.
Set to release November 9 on PS5 and PS4, it's clear that God of War Ragnarok will heavily feature Thor. The god of thunder and strength was heavily referenced during the previous game, so his menacing appearance in the recent God of War Ragnarok trailer has certainly been anticipated.
To help you prepare for the next leg of Kratos' journey, we've plumbed the depths of the previous title and spoken to experts on Norse mythology to find out exactly what we can expect from Thor in the upcoming game.
God of War Ragnarok Thor: your complete guide
God of War Ragnarok Thor: appearance and personality
Judging purely by aesthetics, Santa Monica Studio has certainly distanced itself from the more sanitized version of Thor we've seen in the Marvel movies. This Thor is robust, uncompromising, and more in line with the traditional portrayals of the god.
According to Norse scholar Katie Wakelin, Thor is depicted as a "large, powerful man", a "straightforward warrior type" with a "red beard". They go on to say that in Thrym's Poem, Thor is "described as having eaten a whole ox, eight salmon" and "three chinks of mead, so it's safe to assume that he's a chonky boy."
In addition to his vivacious and gregarious nature, he is also "brash, blunt and easily deceived". Often "manipulated" by others, Thor is also known for his rages – something which Kratos will inevitably have to deal with in short order – as we saw in the previous God of War's true ending.
God of War Ragnarok Thor: role in the previous game
In God of War (2018), Thor casts a long shadow over the campaign despite only appearing in the game's true ending. By the time of God of War Ragnarok, you've already done plenty to draw the thunder god's wrath, having killed his son Magni and disgraced his other son, Modi before Atreus kills him later in the story.
We also learn that God of War's Thor fought the World Serpent, Jörmungandr, during his battle with the Giants. However, the epic battle ended in stalemate, creating a longstanding rivalry between the two beings.
In the true ending, we see Kratos have a prophetic dream where he foresees the arrival of Thor. In the dream, the thunder god attacks him and his son as an act of vengeance for the deaths of his sons.
God of War Ragnarok Thor: role in Norse myth
In the eponymous Ragnarok, the Thor of myth fights Jörmungandr once more. Defeating the beast, he then takes nine steps before perishing due to the worm's venom. Since it is the emergence of Jörmungandr that helps cause Ragnarok in the first place, we can likely expect the great worm to turn up in one form or another.
Since Jörmungandr is a child of Loki in the myths and Atreus is known as Loki amongst the Giants, it's likely that there's some connection between Kratos's son and the great worm, too. However, we shall have to wait and see as to what form that'll take if that's the direction that Santa Monica Studio has chosen.
That's everything we know about Thor, both from the God of War series and from the Norse mythology that inspired it. Though there's a lot of speculation here, one thing's for certain: we can't wait to see what's in store for us come November 9.
Special thanks to Katie Wakelin MA (Cantab), our expert in all things Norse.
