Christopher Judge, who voices Kratos in 2018’s God of War and its sequel, God of War Ragnarök, has stated that he would not voice a younger version of the character out of respect for Terrence C. Carson, who played the character in the original trilogy of games. Judge spoke on the matter in a video from the YouTuber AbdBay, as originally reported by PlayStation Lifestyle.
“I never watched any of the scenes from the earlier ones,” Judge stated, “because TC is so great, and I thought it would be a disservice to try to voice-match him or anything, nor did they ask me to. From the very beginning, it was about making it my own.”
He goes on to praise TC Carson’s work, and says that he would not try to mimic his voice. “Even if they had asked, I would have said no,” he stated. “I was actually offered something not too long ago and I had to turn it down because they wanted me to somewhat match the voice of that character.”
“I love this dude, and that would be such a slight. Often, we are not celebrated for what we as individuals bring to stuff,” he finished. “I just think it’s inherently wrong to try to commandeer something that someone else has already established.”
Spoiler Warning for God of War Ragnarök’s Valhalla DLC: At the end of the campaign of the roguelike Valhalla DLC for God of War Ragnarök, Kratos encounters a vision of his younger self. The character is completely silent in the final game, but this suggests that he was once intended to be voiced by Judge, who would be replicating Carson’s voice for the character.
Based on this interview, Judge refused the role out of respect for his fellow voice actor’s work. He won the Game Award for Best Performance in 2022 for his portrayal of the character in Ragnarök, which was particularly notable for his extended victory speech. With that, it’s safe to say he’s made his own mark on the character that’s worthy of respect.