The Marvel's Avengers version of Black Panther is voiced by God of War's Kratos actor Christopher Judge, and according to one of the game's writers Judge was always Crystal Dynamics' number one pick. Christopher Judge is largely known for his work on Stargate SG-1 and reinventing Kratos in God of War, but he now has big shoes to fill as Black Panther in Marvel's Avengers.
Marvel's Avengers already features several iconic Marvel characters, and Crystal Dynamics is about to add its most anticipated post-launch character to date with a free expansion. Marvel's Avengers' War for Wakanda expansion will bring Black Panther and Wakanda into the developer's corner of the Marvel universe, a relatively tall order. Over the last few years, Black Panther has exploded in popularity and become a character many hold dearly. Thankfully, the team seems confident it chose the right person to bring the character to life within the game.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Marvel's Avengers writer Hannah MacLeod discussed the casting process for Black Panther and expressed how excited Crystal Dynamics was when it was able to land Christopher Judge for the role. Coming fresh off his celebrated performance in PlayStation's God of War, MacLeod noted how the team was unsure if it would be able to get the Kratos actor to play Black Panther into Marvel's Avengers cast, but they say Judge was the top pick when casting began.
"When we were thinking about who to cast as Black Panther, we had this dream list of people who were never ever going to say yes, but that was the caliber of T'Challa we were looking for. Chris Judge was number one, but we were like 'He's not going to do it, there's no way he's going to do it, but if we can give someone who has that gravitas, that would be amazing!' And then he said yes! So, it was like this dream come true situation, where we'd done the auditions, but number one would be Chris Judge. It was crazy, I'm with you, he's the perfect T'Challa for this game."
Starting Tuesday, Marvel's Avengers' War for Wakanda update is expected to provide a bevy of new content that will not only give players plenty to do, but also continue the ongoing story Crystal Dynamics has been developing since launch. The studio is remaining silent on just how Wakanda and Black Panther will impact the larger story, but it seems like the expansion's plot will play a substantial role in the overarching narrative going forward.
Picking Christopher Judge to serve as Black Panther in the game's ever-evolving story may prove to be an effective casting choice. Given how Judge was able to inhabit Kratos while the character was being evolved on a writing level, he seems like a smart choice for a new interpretation of Black Panther. Whether or not T'Challa will be a main character in future updates remains to be seen, but Christopher Judge will hopefully do Black Panther justice in Marvel's Avengers.
Marvel's Avengers is available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia.