Ryan Hurst’s Height Compared To God Of War’s Original Kratos

Kratos is huge in terms of height and weight in the God of War games, which meant that Prime Video, too, had to look for someone with a similar frame to portray him on the small screen. As reports confirm, Ryan Hurst has been cast to play the video game character, and he seems perfect for the role in more ways than one.

Considering the acclaim and popularity the God of War games have earned over the years, Prime Video’s take on them is easily one of the most hyped upcoming fantasy shows. However, the series will only succeed if it gets the games’ lore right and does not drift too far from its source material. Ryan Hurst’s casting as Kratos suggests the show has taken one step in the right direction to deliver a worthy adaptation.

Ryan Hurst Is Nearly As Tall As Kratos In God of War 2018 & God of War Ragnarök

The Greek Kratos in God of War 1-3 was described to be 7 feet 8 inches, allowing him to tower above everyone else (via Gnomon). As reports reveal, though, Prime Video is primarily focusing on the Norse saga from God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarök in which Kratos’ official height was adjusted to 6 feet 4 inches. This decision to shrink his frame was driven by many creative decisions.

Interestingly, Ryan Hurst is slightly taller than the Norse Kratos, standing at 6 feet 4.5 inches (via Celeb Heights). Since Hurst’s IMDb profile also suggests that he is 6 feet 5.5 inches, it would be safe to assume he is somewhere close to 6 feet 5 inches.

Here’s a breakdown of all the main characters’ heights in God of War‘s Norse saga:

The fact that Ryan Hurst is slightly taller than the original character makes it hard not to wonder who Prime Video will cast for characters like Thor and Tyr, who tower Kratos in the games. Thor is over a foot taller than Kratos in the Norse saga, which seems to limit the show’s casting options for the role.

However, actors like Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (The Mountain from Game of Thrones) and Olivier Ritchters (Paulie from Reacher) could be great fits.

Why Kratos’ Height Is Such A Big Deal In God Of War

One of the biggest reasons why Kratos was shrunken to 6’4″ in the Norse games was that the creators wanted him to look more human and less like an overpowered godly figure. A significant story arc in the games revolves around Kratos’ relationship with his son Atreus. If the games had inclined more towards portraying him as a 7-foot-plus god, his bond with his son would not have felt natural.

Since Atreus is closer to 5 feet 7 inches in God of War Ragnarök, the show should also find someone in the same range to accurately portray him beside Kratos.

In God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarök, Kratos is also depicted more as an underdog instead of a massive force to be reckoned with. Through his appearance alone, the games establish that he will have to overcome impossible physical odds to emerge victorious over threats like Thor and Tyr, who are 7 feet 4 inches and 8 feet 5 inches, respectively.

Finding someone taller than 8 feet to play Tyr would be impossible for Prime Video’s God of War. However, the show will still have to ensure its casting choice for the role is visibly bigger than Ryan Hurst. Even if the show does not, though, it can always rely on clever camera work, CGI, and digital scaling to get Tyr right.