God Of War: 10 Pantheons The Franchise Could Explore In The Future

With God Of War closing the Norse chapter of the franchise, for now, there’s no telling where the series could be heading next. With countless complex and intriguing mythological and religious Pantheons to explore, there’s plenty of narrative potential for the future.

Each of these Pantheons has been worshipped at some stage during human history, with some of their mythology or Deities still very much present within some communities today. Each has rich storytelling potential which could be respectfully applied to the video game series, allowing for these detailed legends and religious readings to come to life in a way that can be appreciated by a new audience.

10 Roman

The Roman and Greek Pantheons are not too dissimilar. Both have extremely similar structures, with many of the Gods actually serving the same purpose, but by different names. It would be interesting to see God Of War tackle this parallel though, with Kratos perhaps hunting down Mars next in the quest to become the ultimate warmonger.

There are a number of small details throughout the game which suggest there could be some kind of Roman mythology out there, but the developers may feel that the concept is a little too close to what they have already achieved within the franchise.

9 Egyptian

Considering fans know that Ragnarök will be the end of the Norse mythology, plenty have already pointed to one of the other major Pantheons from ancient history. The Egyptians worshipped a range of Gods, many of which would serve the tone of the franchise incredibly well.

Not only is the setting itself a stunning location for players to be able to explore, but the God of War Montu would also be a very viable threat. With well-known Deities like Isis, Horus, and Anubis to potentially feature in the game, alongside monsters like a Sphinx, there’s a lot of potential for visually vibrant and imaginative storytelling.

8 Mayan

There’s a lot of room within the Mayan culture to be adapted to a video game, considering the depth of the religion and the range of Deities within its Pantheon. This ancient civilization is famous for a lot of things, from the calendar to its impressive architecture.

The historical significance of the Mayans makes this an intriguing culture to explore, but what’s more, so many of their actions were fueled by their Gods. From the creator God Hunab Ku to the Rain God Chaac, many of the deities serve very different purposes from many comparable religions. For the Mayans, Ek Chuah Ek was the God of war, sacrifice, and violent deaths.

7 Arabian

The pre-Islamic ‘Arabian’ religion when the region was politically organized quite differently, was actually polytheistic in nature. They worshipped more than one God with the Pantheons largely being grouped by a Northern and Southern divide.

Al-Lat was the Goddess of both fertility and war, but Shay al-Qawm was also linked with battle as well. Many aspects of this culture are rarely portrayed on screen in any capacity and would mark a genuine shift in the franchise if God Of War was to explore this huge array of Deities.

6 Aztec

When looking at ancient religions in this context, not only would the studio have to think about the potential for great story beats but also the types of figures within that culture, for everything from boss battles to expanding the lore of this video game universe.

The Aztec Pantheon, while sometimes confused with the Mayan Gods, is incredibly diverse in its own right, featuring lots of new avenues to explore. Huītzilōpōchtli is the major God of war here, alongside the sun and sacrifice. The Aztecs are also known for Deities like Tlaloc and Mixcoatl.

5 Japanese

The Japanese Pantheon actually has influences from plenty of other cultures and is, therefore, one of the most complex mentioned here. It contains mythology dating back centuries and is often divided regionally based on local beliefs, consequently contributing to a diversity of legends to draw from.

Hachiman a Shintō God in the religion is considered to be the God of war although he has also been associated with warriors in general. Considering the success of Ghost Of Tsushima, which heavily draws upon Japanese culture and mythology, perhaps some of the same video game techniques could be applied to God Of War. 

4 Hawaiian

The traditional Hawaiin religions are not practiced quite in the same way today, but the term encompasses many of the Deities from the Pacific Islands which have come to make up this tapestry of beliefs. The figures within the Pantheon are also regionally influenced.

With four main gods, Kū is the God of war for the Hawaiin Pantheon and therefore the figure that Kratos may fight against. Kāne, Lono, and Kanaloa make up the rest of the four though. The setting that the game would have to create would surely be breathtaking if it is to be based upon this part of the world. Perhaps the God Of War sequel will answer the question of whether Hawaiin Deities are next.

3 Mesopotamian

Mesopotamia is one of the earliest civilizations in human history. There has to be some narrative significance to that in God Of War with these Deities perhaps coming far before Zeus or Kratos ever actually existed. The Pantheon is full of genuinely intriguing characters.

Zababa is considered to be a war God within Mesopotamian culture, although there are other warrior-esque Deities the game could pull from. The religion is actually structured similar to the Greek Pantheon, with minor and major Gods, alongside the equivalent of Titans.

2 Celtic

For the most part, Kratos is a largely sympathetic character because of the forces he has to face off against. If he needs a true threat to his warrior spirit then the Celtic Gods may be the way to go, considering they are well known for their own berserker spirit. The religion is again divided by region.

There are therefore Celtic influences in multiple parts of the world, with Wales and Scotland having variations on the culture for instance. In war, there are countless gods associated with battle including Macha, Ernmas, Rudiobus, Caturix, Aeron, Veica Noriceia and, Agrona.

1 Original

It’s very possible that the video game developers actually create their own Pantheon for God Of War which takes elements of multiple different religions while also combining it with their own unique imaginative storytelling. This would be a really interesting path forward.

Very rarely do franchises exploring Deities actually step into creating their own. Marvel Comics famously created Gods of their own, from the alien Skrull Pantheon to the Celestials. Perhaps God Of War could also turn to the mysteries of the cosmos beyond the stars.

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