Hope (God of War)



Hope. While it acts as a virtue it also powers Kratos's ambitions of revenge and makes him capable of damaging the world by killing the gods.

History
Long ago, when Zeus sealed the evils of the Titanomachy within Pandora's Box, Athena feared that the box would one day be opened, releasing the dark forces it held. As a safeguard, she placed Hope - a power great enough to kill a god - inside the box with the myriad evils. In God of War, it was believed that Kratos absorbed the evils of Pandora's Box to defeat Ares. However, Kratos had actually consumed the power of Hope to gain the strength to defeat his former master. From the time of the end of God of War to the end of God of War III, Hope was trapped behind layers of guilt. Apart from unknowingly using it to slay the God of War, Kratos wasn't able to use Hope's power until he had forgiven himself for his perceived sins.

After his fall from Mount Olympus during the beginning of the second Titanomachy, Kratos encountered Athena's spirit in the Underworld. She advised Kratos to seek out Pandora's Box once more, in order to use the power of Hope she believed it still contained against Zeus. During his quest, Kratos met the living key to the box's protection, Pandora, who strongly believed that hope was the core force that let the living keep on living. However, when Kratos managed to open the box, he found it to be completely empty.

Eventually, with the help of Pandora, Kratos managed to forgive himself while wandering throughout the fear and chaos of his soul, reawakening the long-dormant power of Hope. With the power of Hope, he was able to defeat the spirit of Zeus and finally fulfill the revenge he had long sought.

Athena then appears, demanding Kratos return to her the power of Hope. Kratos states the box was empty. Not believing him at first, Athena then remembers the power of Hope she initially hid inside the box. As Kratos refuses to give Athena the power of Hope, he instead kills himself, thereby releasing the power, granting hope to humanity. Athena, after saying that mortals cannot yet wield such power, removes the Blade of Olympus from Kratos' torso and walks away. Kratos, lying on the ground, laughing and dying, finds solace in his actions, and having forgiven himself for the murder of his family, felt ready to let the Underworld take him.

But as the post-credits scene reveals, Kratos was no longer on the ground. In his stead, a trail of blood led back to the sea, implying that he still refused to accept his fate.