Zeus (God of War)

"It did not have to be this way, my son.. This path is of your choosing.." ~ Zeus (said as he is killing Kratos)

Zeus is an antagonist in the God Of War series of videogames - although he only becomes a true antagonist following the events of the original God Of War storyline: he is the king of the Olympians and was originally a fair god by Olympian standards but grew to become one of Kratos' most powerful and merciless opponents as the series progressed.

When Kratos obtained the power of Pandora's Box in the original God Of War he opened the box in order to gain the power necessary to slay Ares and avenge his family - however in the process Kratos unleashed all the evils the Box had hidden within it, these evils swept across the land and infected the gods of Olympus - turning many of them insane.

Zeus, as the king of the gods, was arguably corrupted the most by this event and became infected with the evil of Fear - he saw how Kratos had slain Ares and feared that the Spartan could do the same to him, becoming convinced that Kratos would slay him just as Zeus had once slain his own father (Cronos): Zeus' paranoia grew into hatred for his mortal son and he devised a plan to kill him and thus ensure that his reign as king of Olympus could never be challenged.

In the opening of God Of War II Zeus sets the Colossus Of Rhodes to battle Kratos and weaken him, after which he brutally impales his son with the Sword Of Olympus - during this scene Zeus shows his corruption as he accuses Kratos of plotting against him and mercilessly murders hundreds of Spartans out of apparent malice, he then cast Kratos into the pits of Hades.

However Kratos was not to die so easily, for the Titans decided to intervene and use him in their own quest for vengeance against Zeus and the gods - sending him on a quest to undo the actions of Zeus, by the end of God Of War II Kratos and his Titan allies had already began an assault on Olympus to take down the mad god.

In God Of War III Zeus' madness intensified as he set the full wrath of Olympus down on Kratos, sending many of the gods to their deaths, ultimately Zeus would wage battle with Kratos again and fall at the hands of his son, just as he had feared - as Kratos beat Zeus to death with his bare hands the world was cast into chaos as the king of the gods finally died - however with his passing Kratos was able to finally make the sacrifice required to give humanity the one weapon even the gods could not rival: that of Hope..