Kratos, the iconic protagonist from Sony's God of War franchise, has an unforgettable voice. The irony is that Kratos has actually had two voice actors over the game's series. T.C. Carson voiced Kratos in God of War, 2, 3, Soul Caliber, Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta, Mortal Kombat, and Ascension. Christopher Judge voiced Kratos in God of War (2018) and 2022's God of War: Ragnarok.
Both Carson and Judge have had prolific voice acting careers, with the latter also having a memorable live-action role in Stargate: SG-1. Carson also had a great performance in Final Destination 2 and appeared in an episode of Black Lightning. Both have voiced other video game characters before, and they've put in great performances while doing so.
Updated November 9, 2022 by Mark Sammut: God of War Ragnarok is finally out, and Judge is back as Kratos' voice actor. The performer has played a crucial part in helping the PlayStation icon transition to a new era, one that presents a more subdued version of Kratos. In celebration of Ragnarok's release, a few more examples of Judge and Carson's voice acting skills have been added.
10 Judge As D-Mob – Def Jam Vendetta & Fight For NY
Christopher Judge worked throughout the '90s in film and TV, but the actor did not make his video game debut until 2003. Cast as D-Mob in EA's Def Jam Vendetta, Judge's powerful voice complemented the mob boss's authoritative persona. D-Mob serves as a fantastic antagonist in Vendetta, and his presence does a lot to elevate the story.
Judge returned for Def Jam Fight for NY, once again reprising the role of D-Mob. Although not a full departure from Vendetta, D-Mob has a notably different demeanor from the previous game. No longer all that aggressive or intimidating, this version of the character is considerably more approachable. This change could have fallen flat if the voice acting failed to deliver, but Judge has the necessary range to sell D-Mob's character development.
9 Judge As Black Panther – Marvel's Avengers
One notable role for Christopher Judge came from the DLC to Marvel's Avengers that added the King of Wakanda, Black Panther. Judge's voicework for T'Challa in this game is gruff and menacing, which is how it should be for King T'Challa. Black Panther is a serious man who bears a great sense of responsibility to his nation.
This is another great voice acting performance from Christopher Judge, and it shows that he was a great choice for Black Panther in the Avengers game.
8 Judge As Magneto/Magnus – X-Men Evolution
Stepping temporarily away from the gaming industry, Judge has a handful of voice acting credits in the animated scene. The actor is Wacky Races' Brick Crashman and also makes appearances in Final Space and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. However, his most well-known role in animation is probably Magneto in X-Men: Evolution, a series that was underappreciated during its run but has since grown a cult following.
X-Men Evolution has generally nuanced interpretations of Marvel's iconic characters, and Magneto is no exception. He is a complex figure in the show, one torn between acting the part of a leader and playing the role of a father. Judge gives a memorable performance as the mutant.
7 Judge As Akunda, Gorak Tul, & Sunwalker Ordel – Battle For Azeroth
Judge also joined the cast of the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azaroth expansion. He provided three voice roles for this game: Akunda, Gorak Tul, and Sunwalker Ordel.
Akunda is a thunder lizard and the Loa of storms and new beginnings. In essence, he is a deity who believes in the cleansing power of storms. He has no preference for the Alliance or the Horde and has no interest in their conflict. Gorak Tul is the King of the Drust, an ancient people who waged war on the earliest human settlers. He still lives and seeks vengeance on the descendants of those who defeated his people long ago. Sunwalker Ordel is a Tauren Warbrave, and doesn't have much more to his story than that.
6 Judge As Jericho – Turok (2008)
Judge also played Jericho in Turok (2008), which was a first-person shooter developed by Propaganda Games. It used a futuristic setting for this iteration of Turok, and it clearly took some notes from games like Halo and Gears of War.
Judge's character, Jericho, was a big man who wielded a heavy machine gun. He was a part of Whiskey Company alongside the titular character, Joseph Turok. He seemingly died while holding off mercenary troops while Turok broke into a base.
5 Carson As Mace Windu – Several Star Wars Games
Aside from Kratos, TC Carson's best-known character is Jedi Master Mace Windu from Star Wars. Carson has voiced Mace Windu in Star Wars Episode III the Video Game, the original Star Wars: Battlefront 2, Star Wars: Clone Wars - Republic Heroes, Kinect Star Wars, and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Carson also voiced Mace Windu in the 2005 Clone Wars series as well as the 2008 Clone Wars series. This arguably makes T.C. Carson just as essential to the Mace Windu character as Samuel L. Jackson, as the former has voiced the Jedi Master in many of his most well-known appearances.
4 Carson As Tensay The Shaman – Far Cry: Primal
Carson voiced Tensay, a shaman of the Wenja tribe in Far Cry: Primal. This would have posed a difficult role for any voice actor since Wenja, the language spoken by the tribe, was constructed specifically for the game. Wenja is not totally fictional though, as it used elements of languages from ancient European cultures.
Carson knocks it out of the park as Tensay. His performance is both energetic and eerie. The character is one who clearly has a different view of reality from most of his peers, and he is forced to be apart from them as a result. He's also a man who has experienced trauma, as he worked as a slave to the Izila tribe. All of that comes out in Carson's voice performance.
3 Carson As Big Tony Green – Saints Row 1 And 4
Carson provided voice works for one Saints Row character in the first and last Saints Row titles. He voiced "Big Tony" Anthony Green from the initial Saints Row game. Green is Benjamin King's loyal bodyguard and Tanya's boyfriend. He is killed by the player character when they go to save Johnny Gat from Tony.
In Saints Row 4, a simulation of Big Tony is sent to try and kill Benjamin King, and Carson reprises his role as Tony Green in this game. Carson's performance as Big Tony sets the perfect tone for a heavy like Tony, and it provides the perfect amount of menacing when he's trying to intimidate Gat.
2 Carson As Othello – Unreal Tournament 3
The Unreal Tournament series of games put out by Epic to spotlight the newest improvements to the Unreal Engine. It's a first-person arena shooter that has done pretty well for itself over the years. Unreal Tournament 3 had the character of Othello, voiced by TC Carson.
An adrenaline junkie and daredevil, Othello was born into wealth and developed a hunger for risk and challenge. This led him to the point in his life where he is in Unreal Tournament 3 and, ultimately, his demise.
1 Carson As Agent Hardstack – Agents Of Mayhem
In recent years, Carson seems to have largely stepped away from the video game scene. His last credit in the industry came in 2017's Agents of Mayhem, with the actor voicing Agent Hardtack, one of the game's playable characters. As Volition's open-world third-person shooter was not a commercial hit, there is a good chance that Carson's potentially final performance in gaming went largely unnoticed.
The game has 12 playable agents and allows players to select three for missions; consequently, Hardstack's presence will vary greatly depending on a user's preferences. Regardless of everything, Carson delivers a dependable performance as the Franchise Force agent.