God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok’s Christopher Judge is uninterested in voicing a younger version of Kratos out of respect for the character’s original actor, Terrence C. Carson.
As reported by TheGamer, Judge shed light on his feelings about the Ghost of Sparta’s early days during a livestream event with YouTuber AbdBay and Streamily. He says that, although Kratos is a role he did not want to take lightly, he also wanted to focus on leaving his own mark on the character.
“I never watched any of the scenes from the earlier (God of War games) because TC’s so great, and I thought it would be a disservice to try to voice match him or anything, nor did they ask for it,” Judge said. “From the very beginning, it was about making it my own.”
Spoiler warning for God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla.
Judge continued to say that, even if PlayStation developer Santa Monica Studio had asked him to work off of Carson’s portrayal, he “would have said no.” Interestingly, when highlighting Carson’s work, the current Kratos actor added that he was “offered something not too long ago” but turned it down.
“They wanted me to somewhat match the voice of that character, and I said, ‘Absolutely not,’” Judge explained. “I love this dude. That would be such a slight. We are not celebrated for what we, as individuals, bring to stuff. That’s across the board, no matter what you do. I just think it’s inherently wrong to try to commandeer something else that someone has already established.”
Judge doesn’t outright say what the role was or who offered it, but he may be referring to a moment in God of War Ragnarok’s recent Valhalla DLC. Those who have seen the rougelike mode through to its narrative conclusion will recall a moment when current-day Kratos comes face-to-face with an illusion of his former self. It’s an eerie callback to an early series moment that saw the god killer sitting on a stone throne.
While this apparition sees Kratos confronted with his deadly past, the younger Kratos that appears doesn’t actually say anything. It’s possible the role Judge turned down involved this moment in the DLC, though we can only assume as much without clear confirmation.
Judge had godlike shoes to fill when he took on the role for 2018’s soft reboot. Considering he went on to be nominated for his performance at The Game Awards that year and eventually returned for a sequel, he definitely managed to impress.
For more, check out our 8 best starter tips for God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla and the best settings for God of War Ragnarok on PS5.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.