Kratos, the iconic protagonist of the God of War series, was nearly saddled with a name that evoked thoughts of pizza delivery. Series creator David Jaffe revealed on X that the character was initially intended to be called Dominus.
Jaffe explained that Dominus sounded fittingly brutal and dominant for the character. However, the name quickly became the subject of relentless jokes among the development team, with constant references to Domino's Pizza slogans and mascots. After approximately 50 such instances, the name was deemed untenable.
While Dominus is a Latin word meaning “lord” or “master,” it is not of Greek origin, unlike the established mythological setting of the early God of War games. Jaffe shared that a lengthy list of ancient Greek male names was compiled, but none initially captured the team's attention. It was marketing lead Susan Panico who proposed Kratos, a name Jaffe later discovered was on his original list but had been overlooked.
Kratos, derived from the Greek word for “power” or “strength,” proved to be a fitting name for the character. The original God of War launched in 2005, establishing a successful franchise rooted in Greek mythology. Later installments, beginning with the 2018 soft reboot, shifted Kratos's setting to Norse mythology.
Future installments in the God of War universe are planned, including God of War: Laufey, which will focus on Faye. Santa Monica Studio has also confirmed remakes of the original Greek trilogy and an untitled sequel that will feature Kratos. A television adaptation of the 2018 game is also in development for Prime Video, with Dave Bautista attached to play Kratos.