God Of War Sequel Leaks Explained: Who Is Replacing Kratos?

One of the most influential game franchises in recent history is "God of War," which has inspired countless games like it since the hack-and-slash series debuted in 2005. The game follows the Spartan warrior Kratos, who seeks vengeance on the entire pantheon of Olympian gods over the loss of his family. 

The series dramatically changed directions in 2018's "God of War," with a more mature story that pitted Kratos against the Norse pantheon, with his tale continuing in 2022's "God of War: Ragnarök." The franchise is now set to shift again, with reported leaks from the planned sequel suggesting a dramatic change-up in protagonists.

If these leaks are to be believed, Kratos will not be the main character of the next "God of War" game. Furthermore, rather than introducing a completely new protagonist, a previously established character could be set to take on a starring role — at least for a single game. This change is sure to raise some eyebrows among the fans and is poised to point the classic franchise in a boldly different direction. Here is who the purported "God of War" leaks reveal as the protagonist set to replace Kratos in the sequel.

According to leaker NateTheHate in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the protagonist of the rumored "God of War" sequel will be Faye. This comes with reports that Sony Santa Monica is working on a spin-off set in the "God of War" universe with the franchise's longtime director Cory Barlog involved. The resulting game reportedly will lean heavier into action than the post-2018 mainline games that have been set in Scandinavia. Additional reports indicate that the currently unconfirmed game is targeting a release window within the first half of 2027.

As a reminder, Faye is the second wife of Kratos and the mother to his son Atreus, with the character played by Deborah Ann Woll in "God of War: Ragnarök." Faye dies before the events of 2018's "God of War" from undisclosed causes, with Kratos and Atreus mourning her loss in the game. The ending of "God of War" reveals Faye was secretly a giant, effectively making Atreus half-god and half-giant through his parents. In the 2018 game, Faye's remains are cremated by Kratos, with his son accompanying him to scatter her ashes from the tallest peak as per her dying wishes.

By shifting to a strong father-son story, "God of War: Ragnarök" provided the perfect setup for the series' new protagonist to be Atreus himself. There are sections of the 2022 PlayStation 5 game where players control Atreus instead of his father, making that progression all the more expected. 

"Ragnarök" ended with Atreus parting ways with his father to find any surviving giants while Kratos learned to forgive himself for his violent and spiteful past. The game's DLC epilogue had Kratos accept his place in the Norse pantheon as its new god of war, looking to restore peace and justice across the nine realms.

The original beginning to "God of War: Ragnarök" would have had Atreus stepping up even earlier to resurrect Kratos after his father's untimely death fighting Thor. These plans were dashed in favor of the more conventional opening to the game, but it also indicates there was an intention for Atreus to have a more active role early on. While Atreus may take on the protagonist role in the franchise eventually, it appears that he's sidelined for now. That leaves some of the biggest questions from "God of War: Ragnarök" still unanswered for the foreseeable future.

Centering Faye as the franchise's new protagonist, at least for this upcoming game, suggests several possible paths for the series to take. Though Faye is still presumably dead, the game could take place earlier in the "God of War" timeline as a prequel before her marriage to Kratos. In the 2018 game and its sequel, Kratos alludes to Faye keeping much about her past life from him, including her true identity as a giant warrior. This new game could shine a light on that previously unseen history, perhaps through the eyes of Atreus as he learns more about his own heritage.

The other distinct possibility is that Faye could come back from the dead in some capacity, which the franchise has certainly set precedent for. Kratos has died multiple times throughout the series' narrative, only to rise again through sheer force of will and fiery vengeance. Faye could similarly be resurrected via some driving motivation, ready to resume the warrior ways she discarded for domesticity. Either way, "God of War" fans are in for an intriguing future whenever Sony reveals their true franchise plans.