Zeus (God of War)

The Lord of Olympus and ruler of the Gods, Zeus was the undisputed king of the world throughout the God of War universe. Born as the son of Cronos, the King of the Titans, and Rhea, who devoured his children to prevent a prophecy that told that his own children would bring his downfall, Zeus was only able to escape by the love of his mother, who hid him from her husband and sent him off to be raised in secret by another Titan, Gaia. As an adult, Zeus declared war on his Father, wielding the legendary Blade of Olympus, cutting him open and freeing his devoured brothers and sisters. These Olympians formed a new government and overthrew the Titans- killing many, and banishing the survivors to horrific fates as punishment, including his own adoptive mother Gaia. For many generations, the Olympian system worked well, though it planted the seeds of doubt it Zeus' mind about his own potential children- having set up a chain of sons overthrowing fathers.

When Ares defied the laws of the Gods and began to lay siege to the lands of his sister, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom relied on her mortal champion, Zeus' son Kratos to retrieve Pandora's Box and kill the God of War. While Zeus was unable to interfere directly, he still manipulated the events by taking the form of an Athenian Grave-digger, who told Kratos he was digging the Ghost of Sparta's grave, and that he hoped to have it finished in time. After Kratos was killed by Ares in Pandora's Temple, Kratos was freed from the pits of the Underworld when Zeus' grave was finished, allowing the disguised God to drop a rope down and let Kratos climb out, both rescuing his son and leading him on a shortcut back to Athens. After Kratos killed Ares, Zeus allowed Athena to take Kratos onto Mt. Olympus as the new God of War.

Later, as Kratos fell into the same rut as Ares did, Zeus and Athena were forced to conspire against him and interfere with his quest to lead Sparta to ultimate conquest. Zeus brought the Colossus of Rhodes to life, sending the giant to battle the God of War, and just as Kratos began to gain an advantage, Zeus tricked Kratos into draining his power into the Blade of Olympus, leaving him depowered and vulnerable, before the King of Olympus ultimately stabbed and killed Kratos, before wiping out the entire Spartan army with a single swipe of his hand out of spite. Rescued from the hands of death by Gaia, who also wanted vengeance against Zeus for his betrayal, Kratos embarked on a quest to kill the Sisters of Fate to return back in time to fight Zeus. While he nearly won the battle, Athena sacrificed herself to prevent Kratos from killing Zeus, claiming that no man should have to kill his father.

Enraged, Kratos returns to the time of the War with the Titans. He rounds up all the Olympian's precursors and leading them back to the present to wage war with Zeus once again. He and Gaia battle Zeus once again, but this time the God is able to defeat Kratos, and nearly severs Gaia's hand, causing Kratos to fall into the Underworld where he meets the spirit of Athena, who aids him in his war. After killing many Gods and Monsters, it became clear to Kratos that Zeus was not evil, nor was everything that had happened entirely his fault- When Kratos opened Pandora's Box to fight Ares, it released all the cardinal sins which infected the Gods, leaving only Hope to wield as an ultimate weapon. Consumed by the sin of Fear, Zeus descended from a beloved and fairly benevolent ruler to a mad dictator seen in Kratos' time as a God. Nevertheless, Kratos and Zeus have their final showdown, and after many hours, Kratos is able to kill Zeus, causing the world to be torn apart by violent tornadoes and deathly wind storms.