Kratos and the Wings of Icarus: A Bloody Acquisition

Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta, acquired the Wings of Icarus through brutal force. During his descent into the Great Chasm in God of War II, he encountered Icarus, driven mad by his imprisonment in the Underworld. After a brief and violent struggle, Kratos ripped the wings from Icarus’ back and attached them to his own arms. The game doesn’t provide a precise mechanical explanation, but it’s implied that Kratos simply used his immense strength and possibly some brutal ingenuity to fuse the wings to his body, likely using bone, flesh, and brute force.

The Icarus Encounter: More Than Just a Boss Fight

The encounter with Icarus is significant not just for the acquisition of a new ability, but also for its stark portrayal of Kratos’s ruthlessness. Icarus, already driven mad by his fate, represented a pathetic figure, further highlighting Kratos’s descent into a being motivated solely by revenge. The wings themselves became another tool in Kratos’s arsenal of destruction, a means to an end. The fact that Kratos rips them rather than finding a gentler way to acquire them, underlines his aggressive methods.

Why These Wings Mattered

The Wings of Icarus provided Kratos with the power of flight, a critical ability for traversing the game’s expansive environments. Before their acquisition, Kratos was largely confined to ground-based movement and limited jumping. The wings opened up new possibilities for exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat. They allowed him to reach previously inaccessible areas, battle enemies in mid-air, and escape dangerous situations. This is an excellent example of environmental storytelling, a concept explored frequently by the Games Learning Society. You can learn more about this concept by visiting GamesLearningSociety.org.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Kratos and the Wings of Icarus

1. How did Kratos have wings in God of War?

Kratos gained the ability to fly by ripping the wings off Icarus during their encounter in the Great Chasm in God of War II. He then attached them to himself, allowing him to glide and fly short distances.

2. Why is Icarus crazy in God of War?

In the God of War series, Icarus is driven insane because he died and fell into the Underworld, where the torment of his prison and the weight of his own pride pushed him over the edge.

3. What happened to Icarus’ wings that made him fall in the original myth?

Icarus flew too close to the sun, ignoring his father’s warning. The heat melted the wax holding his feathers together, causing them to come loose. He then plummeted into the sea and drowned.

4. What did Kratos do with his wings after acquiring them?

The Wings of Icarus were used extensively throughout God of War II for traversal and combat. However, they are not seen in later games, suggesting that they either degraded and became useless, or Kratos simply abandoned them. He has the Blades of Chaos.

5. Was Icarus a god?

No, Icarus was not a god. He was a human figure from Greek mythology, the son of Daedalus, a master craftsman.

6. Can Kratos still breathe underwater?

Yes, Kratos can breathe underwater using Poseidon’s Trident, which he acquired in the first God of War game and continued to use in God of War II.

7. Why is Kratos all white?

Kratos’s skin is pale white due to the ashes of his family being permanently fused to his skin. He was cursed by a village oracle to bear the “mark of his terrible deed” after he unknowingly killed his wife and daughter in a fit of rage induced by Ares. This earned him the title “Ghost of Sparta“.

8. Why did Kratos hide his blades in the Norse games?

Kratos hid the Blades of Chaos under the floorboards of his family’s home because they reminded him of his violent past and the monster he used to be. He wanted to distance himself from that life and protect his son, Atreus, from the truth of his origins.

9. What is Kratos’ godly power?

Kratos is a demi-god, the son of Zeus. His inherent abilities include immense strength, superhuman durability, and the ability to regenerate from injuries. However, his most remarkable power is his resilience and ability to overcome death itself.

10. Why did Zeus fear Kratos?

Zeus feared Kratos because of a prophecy that a “Marked Warrior” would one day seek revenge against the gods of Olympus and destroy them. Kratos’s destructive behavior and relentless pursuit of vengeance led Zeus to believe that he was this prophesied warrior.

11. What is the most evil thing Kratos has done?

Determining the “most evil” act is subjective, but some of Kratos’s most reprehensible actions include:

• Murdering his own family (albeit unknowingly, under Ares’s influence).
• Destroying entire cities and civilizations in his quest for revenge.
• Killing numerous innocent people caught in the crossfire of his battles.
• Ripping the wings off Icarus.
• Releasing Pandora’s Box which unleashed evil upon the world.

12. Who was the strongest Greek hero?

Achilles is generally considered the strongest warrior and hero in the Greek army during the Trojan War.

13. Has Kratos ever felt fear?

Yes, Kratos has experienced fear. In God of War III, he confronts his fears and is finally able to forgive himself for the murder of his family. He also expresses fear for Atreus and the legacy he might inherit.

14. How many Greek gods survived Kratos?

While the exact number is debatable, estimates suggest that around 11 Greek gods managed to survive Kratos’s rampage through Olympus. These were typically gods who either fled or played a less direct role in Kratos’s quest for vengeance.

15. Can Kratos still grow in size?

In the original God of War trilogy, Kratos as the God of War could change his size to an enormous scale. However, this ability is not seen in the Norse games, suggesting that he lost this power after relinquishing his godhood or that he has chosen not to use it.