How God Of War Voice Actor Christopher Judge Feels About Ryan Hurst's Kratos Casting

When it was first announced that there would be a television adaptation of the hit video game series "God of War," the most pressing question was who would play series protagonist, Kratos. "God of War" fans didn't want anyone but Christopher Judge as the live-action Kratos, given he'd voiced him in the 2018 hit "God of War" and the equally popular 2022 sequel "God of War Ragnarök." Judge was also already an established on-screen actor (he's best known for playing Jaffa warrior Teal'c of Chulak in "Stargate SG-1"), so it made sense. However, it was eventually revealed that he wouldn't reprise the role for the Amazon Prime Video series, with Ryan Hurst (Opie in "Sons of Anarchy" and Beta in "The Walking Dead") cast instead. 

Naturally, there was instant speculation regarding how Judge felt about this decision. Was he angry? No. Quite the opposite, in fact. In a clip shared by Fan Expo HQ, Judge had this to say about Hurst's casting: "All I wanted was for whoever was cast as Kratos was that they love, cherish, and respect Kratos as much as we all do. And with Ryan Hurst, they have done that. It's a magnificent choice. Not only a great actor, but a great person and a gamer who actually played 'God of War' since its inception." Hurst also brings the added cred of already being part of the "God of War" franchise, having played Thor in "God of War Ragnarök."

Of course, longtime "God of War" fans know that Christopher Judge isn't the only actor to have ever voiced Kratos. The series goes all the way back to 2005, and the actor who originated the role of Kratos in previous entries — plus the character's appearances in titles like 2009's "Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny" and 2011's "Mortal Kombat" — is Terrence "T.C." Carson. He's a veteran of video game acting, having also played the likes of Mace Windu in several "Star Wars" games, Anthony Green in "Saints Row," and Green Lantern in "Justice League: Cosmic Chaos," but in live-action terms, he's best known as part of the cast of the '90s sitcom "Living Single," having appeared in over a hundred episodes as the suave investment banker Kyle Barker.

As for why Carson was replaced as Kratos ahead of 2018's "God of War," he says it came down to him not being big enough to portray Kratos in motion capture. The game's director, Cory Barlog, wanted the same person to both voice Kratos and physically portray him, and Judge's height and build made him the better choice. While Carson initially felt slighted by the way his replacement was handled, he has clearly since mended fences with the creators of the games — he returned to voice Kratos in the 2026 prequel "God of War Sons of Sparta" and he will also play him in the upcoming remakes of the original trilogy.