Where would the God Of War series be without the gravelly tones of the series protagonist? Sure, the story itself can stand on its own as a Homerian Odyssey epic told via conflict and immersive world-building, but the protagonist so often defines the success of the game. We have seen this most recently with Metal Gear Solid alumni David Hayter being replaced in Metal Gear Solid 5 by the A-list actor, Kiefer Sutherland. Sutherland was chosen to play the role due to his status and in the hope that he would bring non-gamer fans to the product, merely just to enjoy his content. Nevertheless, it backfired, with thousands of people deciding to boycott the game until Hayter was given his role back. As you can see, the actor can so often affect the product, and this is no different with Kratos. But who are Kratos’ voice actors – both past and present?
The Original Kratos: TC Carson
Terrence C. Carson had been the voice actor best known for playing Kratos in every single entry in the series through to 2018. He first took on the role on in the series’ tilt, God Of War, back in 2005. The actor was allegedly chosen due to him being a low-impact actor in the film industry and having no previous experience in the video game space. Terrence brings a hoarse, almost gravel-like, vocal performance to Kratos. His intonations and inflections through his performance, project every emotion – or lack thereof – perfectly and became synonymous with the series, even gaining adoration from fans the world over.
He was often seen at conferences, conventions and openings and was always seen as approachable and affable to everyone he encountered – in direct contrast to his fictional counterpart, of course!
Carson’s tenure as Kratos came to an end in 2018, with the performance instead being awarded to Stargate veteran, Christopher Judge.
Kratos was recast unceremoniously for the Norse era and Carson was replaced by Judge in later instalments, as he explains here:
Norse-Era Kratos: Christopher Judge
If that name seems familiar to you, you are not alone. Christopher Judge is an acting leviathan, with over 50 titles credited to his name. Ranging from being a bit-part in a tv series like Macgyver all the way through to acting opposite a leather-clad Christian Balein The Dark Knight Rises. Needless to say, his prestige status speaks for itself.
Judge was chosen to voice Kratos in God Of War (2018) due to his deep and dark voice. He is often associated with villains, anti-heroes and morally grey characters, which allows him to explore the complexity and depth of a old-man Kratos character. His vocal performance understands the history of the series and every line is delivered with the punch one would expect from a creature as combat-fermented as Kratos.
Judge has now been retained for the series going forwards, and I think it is safe to say, that us God Of War fans, could not be happier.
Here he is speaking about his plans for the future and what it’s like to play Kratos:
There we have it: Kratos’ voice actors past and present. The thing that these actors have in common is obvious to the ear: The gravel. The nuance. The depth. For any actor who may have his eyes on the prize going forwards, I only have one thing to say: You have mighty big shoes to fill.