Ben Stiller Dresses Up Like Kratos In New ‘God Of War: Ragnarök’ Ad

I have to give Sony points for creativity when it comes to the latest God Of War: Ragnarök trailer.

The new spot stars Ben Stiller, John Travolta and LeBron James—along with their kids—in a God Of War inspired dad support group.

This plays off the Kratos/Atreus relationship that was established in the previous God Of War—a father/son dynamic that will continue in God Of War: Ragnarök when it comes out on November 9th—just over a week from now.

Stiller is the only one in the group to have worn his Kratos costume to the group, though he asks how Travolta has enjoyed wearing his. Travolta responds that it’s going great. He wore it the other day and people were pointing, likely mentioning what a great dad he was.

“That’s not why they were pointing,” his daughter replies. All three kids are embarrassed and exasperated with their fathers. It’s cute.

“Is a costume really necessary?” LeBron asks.

“I don’t know,” Stiller replies. “Is it necessary to wear a costume when you play basketball?”

“It is a costume,” Travolta chimes in.

Travolta, of course, looks most like Kratos of the bunch, especially with his shiny bald pate:

Of the three dads, LeBron is the least onboard with this whole Kratos dad therapy, looking almost as confused as the youths, while Stiller—bedecked in leathers and furs face painted red—is much more on Travolta’s level: Eager, excited to be there, happy to share.

When he mentions that last night, at 2am, he was up thinking about Kratos, Travolta jumps in “Are you kidding? That’s me! Big time!” His daughter leans in and says “Too thirsty” to which he replies that no, he’s hydrated. John Travolta is adorable, that’s all there is to it.

“The God Of War dynamic plays out in every parent/child relationship,” Stiller says at one point. “When that clicked for me, I picked up my Leviathan Axe and felt truly close to my son for the first time.”

“I’m seventeen,” his son replies, irritated. “Exactly,” Stiller responds.

“Leviathan Axe,” Travolta mutters to himself, jotting down a note in his journal.

There’s a framed painting of Kratos and Atreus up on the wall behind them.

It’s a funny ad that should generate some buzz—which, of course, is the point. You don’t get to see much of the actual game, but there are plenty of other trailers for that. And really, this is a great game for dads to play. Play games with your kids! It’s great fun!

God Of War releases on both PS4 and PS5. Paul Tassi has already written a preview of the game up (here) and will be penning the official review for Forbes. I’ll pick up a copy when it comes out and have my own thoughts here on this blog.

Here’s the new trailer:

What do you think of this one, dear readers? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook or in the comments section below.