10 Things You Learn Replaying God of War (2018)

After playing through God of War: Ragnarok and its Valhalla expansion it's easy to feel sympathetic towards Magni, Thor's fallen son. In those games, Magni is depicted as a tragic character, a man who spent his life being bullied and belittled by everyone around him. Heck, even in the one game he appears in his most significant moment is being stabbed in the neck by Kratos' son Atreus - a pathetic end for a pitiable man.

Or rather, he would be pitiable if he weren't such a massive c*ck.

Going back to God of War after a seven year absence, it's astonishing to rediscover just what a revolting specimen Magni was. Somehow time, and his sympathetic depiction in follow-up games, whitewashed the fact that Magni is utterly detestable in the 2018 reboot. Every sentence out of his mouth is either vulgar, violent, or both. Hell, his last words are an "I f**ked your mum" joke to Atreus, knowing full well that the latter's mother is dead.

Intriguingly, when Atreus recalls his murder of Magni in Ragnarok he's shown to have completely forgotten Magni's provocation - a powerful indicator of the guilt he feels, as his own mind refuses to let him justify his actions. (A phenomenon familiar to anyone who's ever suffered a guilty conscience. You never remember the hunger, just the moment your hand entered the cookie jar...)