10 Video Game Characters Stolen Straight From Hollywood

7. Kratos - Derek Vinyard (American History X)

Kratos American History X
Sony/New Line Cinema

Bald, ultra-violent, and generally a nasty piece of work that you wouldn't really want to spend time with if they weren't the protagonist of the story you were following - it can only be Kratos, right? But look on over to Hollywood and you'll see who the idea for the Greed God of Smashing Sh** Up was inspired by.

Derek Vinyard, the neo-nazi played by Edward Norton in gritty monochrome drama American History X, was, according to God of War dev David Jaffe, the model for Kratos.

Jaffe was taken by the moment at which Vinyard gets arrested after the, errr, kerb 'incident', and wanted to transfer the "sense of power and aggression' in Vinyard's face to the world of Greek Mythology. And he didn't do a bad job...

Contributor
Contributor

Gamer, Researcher of strange things. I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.