Ryan Hurst’s New GOD OF WAR Kratos Photo Makes Us Wish He Was Still Playing the Role

Well, damn. Ryan Hurst really did look like Kratos.

The former star of Amazon’s God of War series has shared a new photo of himself as the Ghost of Sparta, giving fans another glimpse at the version of Kratos we were originally going to see in the live-action adaptation.

Compared to the first official image Amazon released earlier this year, this new shot does a much better job of selling Hurst as the legendary warrior.

Ryan Hurst in his latest Instagram story as Kratos from the live-action ‘GOD OF WAR’ series. pic.twitter.com/YX6hdvAWqV

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Hurst posted the photo to his Instagram Stories, showing himself fully transformed into Kratos with the character’s pale, ashen skin, red markings, beard, and imposing presence. This is much closer to what fans wanted to see when his casting was first announced.

I’ve always liked Hurst for Kratos. He has the size, intensity, voice, and physical presence to pull off the character, and this photo makes it even easier to imagine what he could have done with the role.

That makes his departure from the series even more disappointing. Amazon released its first official look at Hurst’s Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus back in February, and the reaction wasn’t exactly what the studio was probably hoping for.

The costumes and presentation looked surprisingly cheap for a major live-action adaptation of one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises. Instead of feeling like we were getting our first glimpse into the brutal Norse world of the games, the image looked more like a professionally staged cosplay shoot.

Even original God of War creator and director David Jaffe came away unimpressed, and plenty of fans had similar complaints.

This new Hurst photo is a major improvement. The lighting, makeup, expression, and overall presentation actually allow you to see why he was cast.

He looks weathered, intimidating, and believable as an older Kratos. Had Amazon led with something closer to this, I imagine the initial conversation surrounding the series would have been very different.

Unfortunately, we’ll never get to see Hurst complete his run as Kratos. The actor suffered an injury during production that forced him to leave the project, putting Amazon in the difficult position of recasting its lead after filming was already underway, with Dave Bautista in talks to take on the role.

The production will reportedly have to reshoot multiple episodes once a replacement is secured. It’s a shame because Hurst could’ve been awesome in the role.

Kratos needs more than somebody who can simply look huge while carrying an axe. The character in the modern games is a battered father trying to control a lifetime of rage, violence, grief, and regret.

Hurst has shown throughout his career that he can bring emotional weight to physically imposing characters, which is one of the reasons his casting made so much sense.

Bautista certainly has the physical presence for the character, and he has grown into a strong dramatic actor over the years, so there’s plenty of potential there if the deal happens. Still, seeing Hurst looking this good as Kratos makes it hard not to wonder what his completed performance would have been like.

The series has assembled an impressive supporting cast that includes Mandy Patinkin, Teresa Palmer, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Ed Skrein.

I’m curious to see where Amazon takes God of War and who ultimately ends up wielding the Leviathan Axe. Bautista could potentially do something great with Kratos if he officially lands the part. But this new image makes Hurst’s exit suck a little more.

He looks great as Kratos. Far better than Amazon’s original promotional photo suggested. Hurst already had me sold when he was cast, and after seeing this photo, I really wish we could’ve seen what he would have done with the character across an entire season.