You once stated that Kratos an Thor were equal, but the prophecy in Ragnorak says Thor would kill Kratos if he gives into his rage. I thought Kratos is capable of defying fate and destiny.
Does this mean Thor would be stronger than young Kratos in the old games? The power levels of God of War feels inconsistent.
This isn't Dragon Ball or Asura's Wrath.
Let's say this: If Kratos reverted back to being the Ghost of Sparta and allowed his rage consume him, he is playing into Odin's hands.
While his rage is arguably greatest strength, it is his greatest weakness.
You see, in the previous games, while Kratos was relentless and dangerous with his sheer rage and bloodlust, a lot of gods like Zeus, Athena, and even Hephaestus manipulated Kratos in his journey.
When enraged, Kratos becomes incredibly tunnel-visioned, blinded by his bloodlust, which allowed some of the Greek Gods to manipulate him for their plans. The only reason this all failed is because they underestimate Kratos' tenacity as a trained warrior and Spartan. They instead prefer to gloat and rub it in his face.
Back to Thor, you wonder just how would he even beat Kratos to begin with?
Let me remind you, what makes Kratos extremely dangerous is his battle IQ and strategic mindset as a Spartan warrior. Kratos is known for being resourceful and using any item or specific weapon that is required to counteract abilities of other gods to gain an advantage over them.
If Kratos fought recklessly and gave into his rage, the battle against Thor isn't as one-sided as many would like to think. He wouldn't be thinking clearly when he is angry.
Thor is also a seasoned warrior himself, a veteran as slaying Giants.
If we take into account of the actual Norse Mythology statements:
The Giants in Norse Mythology aren't anything to dismiss themselves. They are primordial beings who personify the chaotic, untamed forces of nature. Their power roughly matches or even exceeds that of the gods, acting as a constant threat to order. They possess immense physical strength, shape-shifting abilities, and powerful magic.
Individual giants boast superhuman strength, often forcing the gods to use tricks or magical weapons (like Thor's hammer, Mjölnir) to defeat them. They are also masters of illusion, prophecy, and elemental magic.
Lastly, the Giants are at their absolute peak of danger during Ragnarök because they shed all restraint to destroy the cosmos. Meaning, the Giants are at their most dangerous during Ragnorak.
And the fact that Thor is only half-giant and can singlehandedly decimate a lot of them with Mjolnir, this says a lot on how strong Thor actually is.
Even Kratos admitted in his own journal entry Thor hits with a lot of heavy force, indicating and confirming that Thor is one of the strongest gods he's ever fought.
Additionally, Thor isn't really as stupid as many people think. In Kratos' entry, he mentioned that unlike Baldur, Thor is calmer than him, implying the big guy is disciplined and restrained compared to his brother. Even Kratos tried to knock a pillar down with his axe, but Thor saw through this trick and destroyed it. Not enough to convince you?
Thor proves himself to be very observant, acknowledging Kratos' desire to change. In fact, Thor understands his own tragedy. He explicitly notes that Odin views him purely as a tool of destruction, demonstrating profound, painful self-awareness rather than simple ignorance.
He is AWARE of Odin manipulating him.
In the midst of the first battle, Thor instantly analyzes Kratos's defensive patterns. He effortlessly catches a full-force shield strike and counters it immediately.
Thor's coordination with Mjölnir requires precise spatial awareness. He throws it to manipulate the environment, bouncing it off surfaces to strike Kratos from blind spots. When he threw Mjolnir at Kratos, Kratos just puts it behind him and Thor used that moment to hit from behind. That demonstrates some battle IQ to boot. Hell, he even uses Mjolnir as a defibrillator to bring Kratos back. So he has an understanding on how electricity works.
Remember also that Thor is arguably physically stronger than Kratos and his fighting style puts a lot of emphasis on his raw power and might. This had been shown in various instances that he is able to knock Kratos around the place and he's even faster than him too as shown in the final battle.
You also have to remember that Thor is extremely durable and has high pain tolerance. He was able to tank ALL of Kratos' weapons in his arsenal and still kept fighting. Even when Kratos bested him, Thor was still determined to keep fighting him until Kratos convinced him to stop. His endurance and relentless nature is nothing to scoff at, man. Kratos had to use EVERYTHING, including a small knife to try to pin him down.
While it is true that Kratos won because he was fighting smarter and had more weapons and versatility, it wasn't an easy fight.
Do not forget that Mjolnir and the Leviathan Axe are stated to be equal to each other and to counteract each other in power.
With all that in mind, if Kratos becomes too enraged against Thor ( with Odin backing him up), there is a chance that Kratos could make a fatal mistake and Thor could bait him into doing something reckless or Odin could swoop in when Kratos least expected it.
Fortunately, because Kratos is willing to change himself and control his anger, the roles in the prophecy are reversed and one of the many factors as to why Kratos won was that Thor's mental state wasn't at its best. Thor was fighting recklessly and mentally conflicted with his life between his family and his father.
To conclude this, I'd say Kratos and Thor are still roughly equals at best. Just have different fighting styles.
Kratos did 'defy' his own fate by choosing to not let his past define him and to not relapse back into the Ghost of Sparta.
