Last week, Amazon pulled back the curtain on its hotly anticipated God of War TV show with a first look image of Ryan Hurst as Kratos and Callum Vinson as Atreus. It did not go well.
Some said it looked like an AI-fueled deepfake. Others said it looked cheap, like cosplay. Others said Hurst wasn’t ripped enough to play Kratos, and that Callum Vinson is too young to play Atreus. Whatever your feeling on the image, it’s clear God of War has made a poor first impression.
Then, over the weekend, after a brutal few days in which the God of War image had become the butt of the internet’s jokes, Hurst issued a cryptic statement on his Instagram stories, saying: “Don’t believe everything you see on the internet, kids.”
It’s an odd statement. It does not mention God of War in any way, but after the events of last week and the backlash to the image of God of War, it seems unlikely it could be about anything else. Assuming it is about the image, perhaps Hurst is suggesting it does not reflect what fans will see on-screen when the God of War TV show hits Prime Video. Will the end result be changed significantly?
If that’s the case, God of War may be set for a Sony-style visual fix. For the uninitiated, the initial design for Sonic the Hedgehog in Paramount’s now hugely successful movie franchise met with an online backlash so vociferous, it forced a redesign. That redesign worked, fans were much happier with their big screen Sony, and Paramount enjoyed hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office.
Maybe Kratos will get a similar makeover. Or, perhaps more likely, given God of War is now in production, this image represents an early — maybe too early — look at the characters in costume, without the polish and production value we can expect from Prime Video. Maybe what Hurst is actually trying to do here is reassure fans, admitting that the image is just awful, perhaps aided by AI in some way, and that better things are to come. Fingers crossed!
“This makes me think one of three things,” one fan suggested. “The photo is AI, or at least HEAVILY enhanced by AI. I’m inclined to think the latter thought, but why else would he say this? With this being a first-look, he’s essentially saying it is not the final look. That would not be surprising, as it is normal for first-looks to change and look better in the final product. He’s trying to save face. That now they have heard the responses from the public, and will now go into making things look closer/better to how they should.”
the amount of my friends i had message me genuinely asking if this was AI is crazy
extremely poor decision by Amazon for making this the first official look at the God of War show https://t.co/JoRrV3EfoG
— Radec (@realradec) February 27, 2026
“Atreus, the 10-year-old son of Kratos, grew up in a remote forest cabin, isolated from the rest of the world and raised almost entirely by his mother, Faye,” an official description for the character says. “He is an accomplished archer, has an affinity for animals, and is intensely curious about what lies beyond the confines of his forest home. After his mother’s death, Atreus is left with a cold, distant father who he barely knows and who knows little about him in return. Nonetheless, Atreus yearns for his father’s approval and is desperate to prove he is strong enough to survive in a harsh and dangerous world.”
Hurst, meanwhile, played Thor in Sony Santa Monica’s 2022 video game sequel God of War Ragnarok. “Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god,” an official description says, “while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.”
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Teresa Palmer, Max Parker, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, and Mandy Patinkin have joined as Sif, Heimdall, Thor, and Odin, respectively. The most recent additions saw Amazon bringing back Alastair Duncan as Mimir, while also adding newcomers Danny Woodburn as Brok and Jeff Gulka as Sindri. Deadpool actor Ed Skrein plays Baldur.
Production is currently underway in Vancouver, with a two-season order setting showrunner Ronald D. Moore of Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek Deep Space Nine fame up for some time.
Word of a live-action God of War adaptation first arrived in early 2022 before Amazon moved to officially announce the project later that same year. After a troubled development saw the exit of previous showrunner Rafe Judkins as Amazon hit the reset button, the show eventually found a new creative direction. Moore took over as showrunner in late 2024, with Shogun and The Boys veteran Frederick E.O. Toye tapped to direct its first two episodes.
Amazon and Sony have not announced a release date for the God of War show. While we wait, check out our interview with Ronald D. Moore from SDCC 2025, where he talked about his vision for the series. We’ve also got a story on Sony Santa Monica’s reported next God of War game, which is a bit surprising.
Image credit: Amazon Prime video.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.