Why King Randor From Masters Of The Universe: Revelations Sounds So Familiar
The "Masters of the Universe" franchise was already iconic, but it recently had new life breathed into it by Kevin Smith with the debut of "Masters of the Universe: Revelation." The Netflix series was a semi-sequel to the original "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon from the 1980s, and features many of the best characters from that corner of the universe, such as He-Man, Orko, Skeletor, and more. One particular character who stands out in the new series is King Randor, the father of Prince Adam aka He-Man.
King Randor's voice may seem familiar to audiences well-versed in the field of animation, and that is due to the fact that comedian and voice actor Diedrich Bader lends his vocal chops to the character. A seasoned animation veteran who has worked on innumerable beloved animated projects, Bader's IMDb page is a laundry list of fan-favorite films and TV shows. With all of that said, the following list highlights some of his most well-known voiceover roles to date.
He voiced Hoss Delgado in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
One of the voice roles that audiences may recognize Diedrich Bader from is his voiceover performance from "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy." Specifically, for his role as monster hunter Hoss Delgado, a one-handed and one-eyed monster hunter who often creates trouble for Billy, Mandy, and Grim. "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" represented one half of the "Grim & Evil" block on Cartoon Network in the early 2000s, consisting of three seasons and 26 episodes in total.
Much of the success of the Hoss Delgado character lies in his appeal not only to children, but adults as well. In fact, the character is largely a parody of iconic action and horror movie characters from beloved 1980s and 1990s franchises. Perhaps the most notable references of the bunch are "Escape from New York" anti-hero Snake Plissken, who seems to largely serve as the base of the character. There is also clear reference to "Evil Dead" and "Army of Darkness" hero Ash Williams as well, due to Hoss Delgado's ability to attached different weapons to the stub where his hand should be. A lot of this points to how "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" was able to appeal to adult viewers while not sacrificing kids' entertainment, and Bader's performance played a major role in that.
He reprised his iconic Rex role in the Napoleon Dynamite animated series
"Napoleon Dynamite" was a massive sensation when it debuted in theaters in 2004. Hitting around the same time as other hits like "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," the film never received the sequel that some demanded. Still, it did get an animated spinoff in 2012 –- aptly titled "Napoleon Dynamite." The series brought back plenty of familiar faces, including Diedrich Bader as the now-iconic character Rex Kwon Do. Like his film counterpart, Rex was a hyper-masculine martial arts master known for a deep, raspy voice and vibrant American flag-themed parachute pants.
The "Napoleon Dynamite" animated series was unique in the sense that almost all of the original cast and creators returned to take part in the project. As such, Diedrich Bader was joined by fellow live-action "Napoleon Dynamite" cast members including Jon Heder, Efren Ramirez, and Jon Gries, among others. However, the series was not well received at the time of its release in 2012. As a result, "Napoleon Dynamite" ran for one season and a total of six episodes on Fox.
He voiced Princess Carolyn's assistant in BoJack Horseman
"BoJack Horseman" had one of the deepest and most hilarious rosters of voiceover talent of any recent Netflix series. One such cast member was Diedrich Bader as Judah Mannowdog. Introduced in Season 3, his character was set up as the hyper loyal assistant to Princess Carolyn, with a dry and deadpan personality. Like many characters on the series, his name is a pun -– in his case, a play on the phrase "you da man now, dog." The character arguably provided a nice change of pace for Bader, as the actor is largely known for more aggro characters with much more energy and intensity than Judah.
Judah Mannowdog would go on to serve as a recurring character on "BoJack Horseman" through the back half of the show's run. A major presence in Season 3, he is eventually fired in Season 4 for rejecting a merger proposition without consulting Princess Carolyn. He would later return in Season 6 to begin a formal relationship with his former boss, with the two eventually getting married –- and then married again, in public, as a publicity stunt.
He voiced a star quarterback in American Dad
As a seasoned comedian, Diedrich Bader has played numerous hilarious characters in both live-action and animation. One such recurring character is Juan "Johnny Concussion" Consuelo in TBS' "American Dad." He is presented as the star quarterback for The Langley Falls Bazooka Sharks, as well as the hero of Stan Smith's son Steve. Steve initially convinces Johnny to give up football after a series of head injuries, but he eventually makes his way back to the game. The character has become popular enough that some have even pitched the idea of a Johnny Concussion-centric episode becoming a Super Bowl tradition for "American Dad."
To date, Diedrich Bader has only had the chance to play Johnny Concussion twice on "American Dad." The Seth MacFarlane-created series cycles through numerous side characters in its storytelling, which is often a side effect of the fact that it has little qualms about killing them. However, Johnny Concussion seems to be immune from this problem, as his last appearance teased a possible death for him but concluded with the promise that he is still very much alive in the "American Dad" universe and that he always gets back up after a bad hit.
He has voiced countless DC & Marvel characters
Some of the most consistent work that Diedrich Bader has received as a voiceover performer in Hollywood has been in the world of comic book adaptations. Specifically, he has voiced countless characters in the DC universe. In fact, over the course of his career, Bader has vocally performed as a long list of iconic heroes and villains, including Lex Luthor, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Ace the Bat-Hound, Kilowag, and more –- not to mention a host of random background characters.
However, arguably his most iconic and consistent vocal DC performance is also one of DC's most beloved characters, and that's Bruce Wayne aka Batman. Bader played Batman for several seasons on "Batman: The Brave and The Bold," and he also currently voices the character on HBO Max's "Harley Quinn" animated series. His take on the famed vigilante ditches most of the darkness the character is known for, and instead brings in a more Adam West-esque sense of gravitas.
While he has numerous DC credits to his name, Diedrich Bader has not exclusively worked in the DC realm throughout his career. In fact, there have been several Marvel projects that he has provided his vocal chops to as well. Specifically, Bader's voice can be heard as Maximus in the animated "Guardians of the Galaxy" series, as well as the 2019 video game, "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order."