Round One: Hercules vs. Kratos

Posted by Sebrina Pilcher on Thursday, May 9, 2024
Video game protagonists have a disadvantage that many gloss over. It's a major problem for Kratos. He needs certain special items and aid that is borderline Divine Intervention. The goddess Athena gave him weapons. Kratos had to get his hands on Pandora's Box to take the fight to the gods. He needed the help of some mystery Deus Ex Machina gravedigger Zeus to live and beat Ares himself. Even the game is set to where he has to gather a lot of blood orbs in order to be a real threat. Kratos being some badass is a pretty big misconception. He is a beggar Link with muscles.

What made Hercules the flag bearer for masculinity was the fact that he never leaned on any god to help him. Out of his 12 Labors, gods came to his aid twice. Once was Athena giving him noise clappers to make man-eating birds fly off and the other was Hermes and Athena showing Hercules the way in and out of the Underworld. That's it. No special weapons. No saving his life. Hercules doesn't need a god to be awesome. He wrestled countless demi-gods and beat/killed them through his Labors. He can subdue monsters with his bare hands, split mountains in two, and hold the very heavens on his shoulders. The Hercules of myth is leaps and bounds above Kratos. He doesn't need orbs or Feathers.

And it is also worth noting that GOW Hercules wasn't wearing his invulnerable Nemean Lion skin, something that is essential to his character by the end of the 1st Labor. It is one hell of a piece of armory.

Hercules has a bow, swords, clubs, his legendary strength, and his wit, which is highly underrated. Kratos has to pray that a god gives him what he needs because this is the first round and he hasn't collected enough orbs to make Herc sweat.

Vote Hercules Hercules Hercules

ncG1vNJzZmien6fCrr%2BNsKmeq6Shsru7zZ5lnKedZMGpvsSam6xnoqTCr7CMqKWeZZiav6TBy56qZq6jYrizrdOoqmdrYWuAcoGO