Fans wondering who will take on the task of voicing Black Panther in Marvel’s Avengers‘ upcoming War for Wakanda DLC finally have an answer following months of speculation. Christopher Judge, whose involvement had already been heavily rumored, is confirmed to be voicing the fictional African nation’s ruler King T’Challa as well as his superhero alter ego when the expansion drops next month.
Arguably best known for playing Teal’c in the late 90s/early 2000s sci-fi show Stargate SG-1, Judge earned himself a legion of new fans back in 2018 for lending his powerful voice to Sony Santa Monica’s critically acclaimed God of War reboot. Replacing Terrence C. Carson as the game’s titular deity Kratos, Judge’s performance earned him numerous nominations and recognition alongside co-star Sunny Suljic, who voiced his on-screen son Atreus.
The duo is set to reprise their roles in a future sequel for PlayStation 5 but in the interim, Judge has taken a detour into the Marvel universe. Confirming his casting to Entertainment Weekly, the actor admits that when he was first approached for the part, he “turned it down straight away.”
Referencing the late Chadwick Boseman’s unforgettable performance as T’Challa in the MCU version of Black Panther, he said: “There are many Black Panthers, but I really didn’t believe that anyone should ever do T’Challa again,” explaining his initial answer. Upon further consideration, Judge says he ultimately took the part because his family jokingly threatened to disown him should he turn it down.
As for when Marvel’s Avengers fans can look forward to seeing the end result for themselves, War for Wakanda is scheduled for release in August for Xbox One, Series X|S, PS4, PS5, PC and Stadia. Developer Crystal Dynamics recently released some concept art of the add-on’s new environments, which you can see here.