The first glimpse of Kratos and Atreus in live-action has finally been revealed.
The upcoming Prime Video adaptation of the popular God of War video games dropped its first look on Friday. In the photo, the lead pair, played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, are on a hunting expedition.
While the image went viral, garnering more than 4 million views on X in just a few hours, it proved extremely polarizing. Diehard fans were unimpressed and criticized the first look by responding with hilarious memes.
Highlights
- God of War unveiled its first live-action look at Kratos and Atreus, and a viral wave of memes and online backlash followed.
- Fans criticized the image as “mediocre,” with some mocking the casting and others upset that the series is starting with the Norse-era storyline.
- Showrunner Ronald D. Moore revealed the adaptation begins with the 2018 game to explore its emotionally compelling father-son story.
“If this popped up on any other account, I would have been saying this looks like mediocre quality AI,” one wrote.
God of War live-action adaptation’s first look divides the internet
Image credits: Prime Video
A live-action show based on Sony's video game franchise was first announced in December 2022. After almost three years, fans received the first big update in January 2026, when Ryan Hurst was cast as Kratos.
Vinson’s casting as Atreus was confirmed in early February. By the end of the month, Prime Video confirmed the series was in production by sharing the father-son duo’s first look.
Some netizens argued that it looked more like “a cosplay shot” rather than a big-budget Hollywood adaptation. Others trolled Hurst for allegedly being out of shape for the role.
A second said, “Could they not have sent him to one of those marvel superhero doctors to get him in shape? He looks like someone’s dad dressed up for Halloween.”
“Kratos survived Greek gods, Norse gods, and now he has to survive a streaming adaptation, the hardest battle yet,” a third added.
Aside from the first look, fans have one major issue with the God of War series
Image credits: @primevideo
While the memefest continued on social media, several fans had one gripe with the adaptation, which was completely unrelated to the first look.
Several fans argued that starting the series by adapting the Norse era games instead of the classic Greek era was a major disappointment.
One user wrote, “Should be starting with original Greek storyline. Not too optimistic about this.”
Meanwhile, some netizens felt the adaptation was being judged too harshly based on a single image.
“I love God of War, and I am still very excited for the series, but you guys should have waited and released a better picture,” a fan shared.
God of War showrunner on why the series is starting with the Norse era
Image credits: Sony Interactive Entertainment
The 2018 game, currently being adapted, largely focuses on Kratos’ relationship with his son.
During an interview with IGN, showrunner Ronald D. Moore confirmed that the father-son relationship was the reason the 2018 game was chosen as the starting point.
He revealed that after watching cutscenes from the different games, he “responded to the characters” of Kratos and Atreus. Despite finding the monsters and combat interesting, he was drawn to their bond.
“I kept coming back to this story of father and son, and it was just emotional, and it was different, and I hadn't seen anything like that before,” he confessed.
When asked whether the earlier, more violent version of Kratos would appear in flashbacks, he simply said:
“Well, maybe you'll have to wait and see it.”
God of War will stream on Prime Video, but doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet.