God of War Ragnarok gives Loki a mask — just like The Mask (1994) - Gamezon

[Ed. note: The following contains spoilers for God of War Ragnarök.]

It was time for the credits to roll. God of War Ragnarök, I had one big question: What’s up with that mask?

It’s a decent portion of the journey into Ragnarök, Atreus disobeys his father’s wishes and heads to Asgard to meet Odin. Atreus will be able to learn more about Odin’s identity and godly powers. He also hopes to discover the name that his mother originally wanted to give him, Loki. Odin has something else in mind — he wants Atreus’ help to study a mysterious mask. Atreus will need to embark on several missions in order to locate all the pieces and return the mask’s full potential.

Atreus experiences a strange connection with the mask. Atreus can see the ancient languages written on the surface and also sense what is hidden behind it. It allows him to find the missing pieces to build the mask. Odin, who believes that Atreus will gain omniscience, pressures Atreus at the end to put on the mask. Instead, Atreus decides to cut the mask in half and then throw it through a portal which appears to be closed behind him.

This portal, as well as the mask itself, remain a mystery at the game’s end. The origin of the mask? The portal led to where? Atreus also called Loki had a strong relationship with the mask. The mask is destined to come back to him in the future, maybe as a part of a game.

Jim Carrey’s original mask prop from the movie The Mask, exhibited during a press preview of Prop Store’s Iconic Film & TV Memorabilia on May 14, 2021, in Valencia, California — Jim Carrey’s original mask prop from the movie The Mask (1994).

Because this game’s characters are based on Norse mythology, I assumed it would be simple to find information about a mask belonging to either Odin or Loki. But, the evidence I was able to find that the mask is of historical or mythological importance according to Old Norse sources did not support my suspicions. Loki is the most well-known reference to Loki’s mask. The Mask(1994) and its follow-up, Son of the Mask (2005).

Although Dark Horse Comics was the first series, The Mask does not refer to Norse mythological figures, the films and animated series name Loki as the mask’s owner. Both the movie and television series portray the mask as making its wearer unrecognizable, invincible and free from all inhibitions.

It’s not too hard to see the parallels between these masks. This mask is Ragnarök has a very similar look to the mask’s design in the comics, movies, and animated series. It’s made out of wood and looks ancient and cracked; in the game, it glows with bright green power when Atreus focuses on it, similar to how the movie version turns green when worn.

What I’m trying to say is, I’m pretty sure Loki’s mask in Ragnarök This is an inspiration The Mask (1994). It’s definitely not inspired by any mask that actually exists in Norse mythology. It could be the Ragnarök team remembered a story about Loki having a superpowered mask, but they couldn’t quite remember where they learned that bit of information? Or maybe somebody thought the mask from the movies had an actual basis in Norse myth, even though it doesn’t…?

Atreus inspects a broken half of a wooden mask as Odin looks on in God of War Ragnarök — Atreus and Odin looking at pieces of the broken mask together in Odin’s study.

Atreus looks at a massive sleeping wolf, which appears to be chained to something with giant chains, in God of War Ragnarok. — Atreus looks at Garm, the sleeping giant wolf Garm in Helheim. The mask on his left hip is glowing green as power.

Naturally I reached out to the PR department. Ragnarök to connect me with the game’s writers so I could inquire about this important piece of lore. At first, narrative director Matt Sophos gave me this mysterious reply: “We deliberately never say where the mask comes from. We Do specifically say the Giants didn’t make it, but it’s a mystery to Odin that’s at the heart of what he’s trying to figure out.” Sophos has yet to respond to a more direct follow-up question from me about whether The MaskThis was a great source of inspiration.

Anthony Burch who contributed to the game’s writing did reply to my inquiry. This confirms that Sophos and he were well aware of parallels with the film. The Mask:

Very, very briefly I can recall:
– I beat out a lot of the Loki/Odin plot arc and had them focusing on some sort of macguffin that represented Odin and Loki’s relationship
– Either myself or Matt Sophos…I’m almost sure it was Matt Sophos…suggested the macguffin should be a mask because Loki is searching for identity etc etc

It is the following:
Google the topic The Mask mask, sending it to Matt and also concept art, and at some point later on summarizing the plot of the game as ‘ssssssomebody stop Odin’”

In response to this, I did ask Burch whether he was joking, to which he replied: “I’m not joking!”

These are just a few of the things you can expect to see if your eyes were open. Ragnarök’s credits and you had more questions about the mask in the game, you may as well watch The Mask(1994), and its TV sequel. That’s the only other mask that has a connection to Loki and Odin, after all — and that story could even explain where the mask ended up after Atreus threw it into that strange portal. It ended up landing on Earth where it was discovered by Stanley Ipkiss. It’s not a crossover that I ever expected to see in this game, but at least now I have a little bit more context on the game’s most underexplained plot point.

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