God Of War TV Series: 10 Actors Who Would Kill It As Kratos

Netflix absolutely crushed it in adapting The Witcher for television. But a huge, huge reason why they crushed it so hard is that it was Henry Cavill’s dream role and he was absolutely perfect for the part. But it’s still gotten people thinking about why God of War should be the next video game saga to be adapted for the silver screen. But much like The Witcher, adapting God of War will come down to getting the perfect actor to play Kratos. Because that’s what God of War is. It’s Kratos. Even more than The Witcher is Geralt of Rivia.

With that in mind, certain things are needed—obviously the physique. But the beard and bald head combo is vital as well. Kratos is not Kratos without that fierce salt-and-pepper beard and bald head. Of course, he also never smiles. Which might be harder to swing. Whatever the case, here are ten actors who could kill the role.

10 Dominic Purcell

Probably the guy who looks most like Kratos, just factor in the beard. Dominic Purcell has the demeanor, build, all of it. He could be Kratos tomorrow if he just sprouted that beard. Although he doesn’t have the acting chops of some of the other people on this list, he does have a pretty decent acting resume, with his most notable role coming as Lincoln Burrows on Prison Break.

Purcell has yet to venture into the realm of mythology/gods/historical, but this could be his breakthrough into that theater of acting.

9 Dwayne Johnson

He kind of just had to be included on the list, even if he might not be the best candidate for the role. Obviously, he has the bald head and build down, with the beard easy enough to come up with, but the primary concern with him, same as with Gerard Butler coming up next, is that it’s not a role that suits his acting style.

Kratos has a subdued, serious personality, and the Rock has never been subdued a day in his life. He’s an expressive actor, no matter the part, and that wouldn’t translate well to traditional Kratos. Of course, he could always shake up the role, but with Kratos as iconic as he is, that may not be the best approach to this.

8 Gerard Butler

The original (Hollywood) Greek warrior, Gerard Butler’s Leonidas from 300 made him an immediate action hero with a penchant for mythological and historical roles. He’s got the beard, he’s got the build, but the big question is if he could play a subdued character like Kratos, who never smiles or shows much emotion whatsoever.

Gerard Butler is probably the safest bet of the lot, but that doesn’t necessarily make him the best. He’d get the job done, but having already made Leonidas iconic, could he do the same as Kratos, or would he just be Leonidas playing Kratos?

7 Chris Hemsworth

He could definitely pull it off. There shouldn’t be any doubts about that. All the physical traits and the acting ability is all there. The big concern with him is from a lore standpoint. Hemsworth has become Thor. It’s impossible to separate the two.

Which makes it kind of dicey to let him also depict Kratos, who has more than his fair share of run-ins with Thor and Thor’s family throughout God of War 4. Obviously, these are two separate universes, but purists out there would not take kindly to Hemsworth essentially double-dipping as the hero and the villain.

6 Christopher Judge

Having done such an excellent job as the voice of Kratos in God of War 4, Christopher Judge at least deserves a shout at the live-action role itself. He’s got the build down and with a beard, he could pull off a convincing Kratos. Obviously no one has the voice down better than him either.

The big question is if he has the acting ability to pull it off. He hasn’t had that one defining role yet, though he was pretty excellent as Teal’c in Stargate SG-1. Most of his work outside of that has been voice acting, but that doesn’t mean that Kratos can’t be a breakthrough for him. It’s hard to imagine anyone having a strong connection to the role than him.

5 Tom Hardy

Everyone likes Tom Hardy, right? So any role that he could pull off, he has to be in consideration for. And initially, he ticks off all the boxes. The build, the beard, the bald head (can be arranged) and the demeanor too. He’s got an impressive acting resume that would make just about any role within his realm of possibility.

The big problem with Hardy is that he’s actually rather short for Kratos. Though that can always be manipulated, as it was when he played Bane.

4 David Wenham

One of the more under-the-radar options that could turn into a dark horse favorite. David Wenham has played numerous historical roles, most notably as Faramir in Lord of the Rings, as well as Dilios in 300. So the action chops are certainly there as well. For Wenham, the primary concern would be pulling off the look. He is one of the shorter options on this list, he’s never had a beard and he’s never been bald (at least not recently).

So essentially he could play the role, but no one would recognize him. Not the worst thing in the world.

3 Djimon Hounsou

This is a really exciting option because of all the boxes he ticks off on the list. He’s got the booming deep voice, he’s got the build, he’s got the bald head and the beard isn’t far behind. He’s well-versed in mythological and action flicks and has played numerous challenging roles in that universe.

Although he is traditionally a villain in that realm, it’s never too late to venture into the world of heroes. And it’s not like Kratos is all good either. He’s certainly got his villainous tendencies as seen from his time in Greece.

2 Jason Momoa

No discussion about actors with the physique to play a god makes it very far without mention of Jason Momoa and, unless that Super Bowl commercial was more truth than fiction, he would make a pretty believable Kratos. He certainly has the voice and the demeanor to make the part work, and his beard could pull off an inner Kratos.

The big concern is the hair. Would Momoa go full-on Samson and shave his head bald to bring one of the most iconic video game personalities to real-time?

1 Dave Bautista

After his excellent depiction of Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista’s stock as an actor took off. Of course, as Drax he plays a bit of a dullard, which he pulls off to perfection, so it would take a complete 180 to accurately portray the intelligence and Kratos. Still, there has to be a lot of faith in his acting chops from Drax alone. Plus, he’s been getting a ton of rolls lately but has yet to venture into the ‘gods’ territory that so many others have already dabbled in.

He’s got the bald head down pat, he’s certainly tall enough, the question is whether or not he could pull off the beard.

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