Christopher Judge won't ever voice a young Kratos in God Of War

Despite being around since 2005 following its inception on the PlayStation 2, the God of War series arguably has not been as hot as it is today thanks to the soft reboot of 2018.

God of War (2018) is widely considered one of the greatest PlayStation titles of all time setting a new benchmark for the series with its cinematic storytelling and stunning visual presentation. What’s more, it also came with a new voice of Kratos, none other than the charismatic Christopher Judge.

Check out the God of War (2018) trailer below!

However, long before Christopher Judge arrived on the God of War scene, Terrance C. Carson was the angry voice of Kratos and a splendid one he was at that. Carson’s signature delivery as the God of War is a big reason why this character became so iconic not to mention the developmental talents of Santa Monica Studio, of course.

The God of War series before 2018 was also somewhat of a different gameplay experience. Unlike the over-the-shoulder camera perspective of today’s entries, the original series featuring Carson not only had a larger emphasis on hack-and-slash mechanics, but it also featured a more fixed camera perspective. That being said, the man who helped create the original God of War also believes that modern-day Kratos has gone soft.

Recently, Santa Monica Studio released the free Valhalla story DLC for God of War Ragnarök and without giving too much away, it seemingly leaves the door open for at least one more entry to conclude the Norse era, but what comes after? Some fans are hoping that Kratos may take on Christianity and pick a fight with Jesus, while rumours suggest that Kratos might be heading to ancient Egyptian or Aztec times. There has even been speculation that the original God of War trilogy might receive a modern remaster, despite God of War III already having a remaster in 2015.

If the original God of War trilogy were to receive a remake or remaster, the current voice of Kratos, Christopher Judge has stated that he’d turn down the role out of respect for Terrance C. Carson. As reported by The Gamer, Judge was speaking during a livestream on the YouTube channel Steamily and said that he’ll not only turn down the role, but he may already have.

“I never watched any of the scenes from the earlier [God of War games] because TC’s so great, and I thought it would be a disservice to try to voice match him or anything, nor did they ask for it,” said Judge. “From the very beginning, it was about making it my own.”

Judge also revealed that he had already turned down a similar role offered by Santa Monica Studio “not too long ago”. At this time, we don't know for sure whether the actor is referring to scenes intended for modern-day God of War or the rumoured remakes/remasters.

“They wanted me to somewhat match the voice of that character, and I said, ‘Absolutely not,’” Judge continued. “I love this dude [Carson]. That would be such a slight. We are not celebrated for what we, as individuals, bring to stuff. That’s across the board, no matter what you do. I just think it’s inherently wrong to try to commandeer something else that someone has already established.”

At this time we can also speculate what the future holds for the God of War series, but if there’s one thing for sure, the excitement looks to continue for fans of Kratos. God of War (2018) is out now on PC and PlayStation, and its sequel God of War Ragnarök is out on PS5 and PS4.