“God Of War Ragnarok” Developer Slams Racist Trolls for Accusing Him of Creating a New Character
For a while, we’ve been waiting for the unveiling of God of War Ragnarok. We’ve been waiting since the 2020 teaser and were rewarded last week with our first glimpse at the game at PlayStation Showcase. After the trailer reveals, we got to see Kratos & Atreus in action. Some amazing photos of the cast were also posted online.
As we’ve mentioned, Thor’s appearance has been controversial. The MCU looks great, but it has distorted the image of what a god should look like. Bulky muscles and washboard abs may not be all you know. Some people are upset that the game features a Black player. They are fine with giant serpents or blue dwarves. But apparently, Black persons in a mythological gaming game is too much… The Ragnarok developers have something to share about this.
One post on ResetEra noted that Matt Sophos, the writer and story leader on Ragnarok, has faced trolls complaining against Angrboda. Angrboda is a Jotunn woman who is believed to be the mother of monsters. She could also be a potential mate for Loki. Laya De Leon Hayes will play her, a young Black woman who has shocked some people online.
Sophos, spotted by a troll and asked why the character was Black in a game based upon Norse mythology, replied: “Do they also possess blue Dwarves from Norse mythology?” Is Loki the son or daughter of a Greek demigod. Would you please point me to the Eddas that says all Jotunn are lily-white? I’ll save you time: you won’t. They’ve been read.”
A troll replies, “Then I trust you’ll make some mythological characters white in Egypt’s eventual series of GoW gaming.” I don’t think there should be any double standards. Sophos responds: “You do know Jotunn aren’t real, right?” They could be anything or anyone. Some even look like giant serpents. But I get it. Jormungandr was fine because his scales had white skin. Good luck! We hope you find the right game for your tastes.
Some people choose to pick the exact moments they believe are historic. The entire game is fantasy. It doesn’t claim that it follows original mythology or lore. The world of God of War is built from characters and stories of the past that developers can turn into a story they enjoy and want to tell. If you are arguing with the author of the story about why one of the characters is Black, you probably won’t be the right audience.
