Athena (God of War)

"Death cannot hold those with purpose, Kratos."

- Athena to Kratos.

Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom and war who is a character from the God of War game series, and she secretly plays a villainous role in the game God Of War III.

Role as a villain
While most of the God of War games, Athena was the least selfish and most noble goddess, however, in God Of War III, she is affected by Greed, one of the evils of the world which was locked in Pandora's Box. She motivates Kratos in his quest for vengeance against Zeus. She didn't show any of signs of evil while alive, possibly due to her selfless nature, with death allowing it to overwhelm her. She also claims to have a message for humanity.

In  God of War III' s ending, it can be assumed that what she actually wanted was to take the great power of Hope back, rebuild the world and rule over the mankind alone as the sole all-powerfull deity. However, Kratos stopped her by suiciding himself with the Blades of Olympus and let the hope out, in order to save the corrupting world. Athena left with rage and disappointment, and leaving Kratos' fate unknown (presumed dead).