When Keith David was reveaಞled to be the new voice of Destiny 2’s Commander Zavala, following the loss of original actor Lance Reddick last year, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t put much thought into who would take over as Zavala - I found the constant speculation of how Reddick’s passing would impact Destiny’s ongoing story shortly after his death to be incredibly ghoulish - but as The Final Shape approache⛦d I started to feel some discomfort about hearing a new, unfamiliar voice come out of the Commander’s mouth. Thankfully, David’s voice is anything but unfamiliar, and his performance in The Final Shape brought Zavala to life in a way that honors the character, and the late actor he belongs to.
This is one of those casting choices that feels so obvious and perfect in retrospect that you can’t imagine it ever being anyone else. David’s acting resume is covered end to end in video game credits, with major roles in massive franchises like Saints Row, Mass Effect, Call of Duty, and Halo. Though he’s certainly better known for his roles in films like The Thing, Platoon, and Armagꦦeddon, Destiny players will recognize his voice, subconsciously or consciously, as one that belongs in video games. Acclimating to a new voice from such a beloved character is difficult, and it was wise of Bungie to choose a voice that people are already comfortable with and enjoy.
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And David’s a phenomenal actor. His performance gives the impression that he was well-researched and in tune with the character wheꦦn stepping into the role. Zavala has the most consequential and emotional arc out of everyone in The Final Shape, and it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to step into a role this dynamic and complex in the final act. David captures Zavala’s spirit and energy beautifully while also taking him to some emotional places we’ve never seen Zavala go before.
The fact that Zavala is going through big changes in The Final Shape has proven to be a point of contention among fans. I’ve seen criticisms of David’s performance that read more like criticisms of Zavala’s character arc. It’s an interestiꦯng wrinkle here that while Zavala now sounds like a different person, he’s also acting like a different person. For me, his new voice intensified the way I experienced his transformation in The Final Shape. ღOthers were less open to the change. He doesn’t sound like Zavala, he isn’t acting like Zavala, therefore, he isn’t Zavala.
If you’re invested in Destiny’s story though, there’s nothing sudden about Zavala’s descent throughout The Final Shape&🌌rsquo;s story. His crisis of faith has been going on for years, and countless things have happened that have steadily pushed him furth🧸er and further away from the Traveler’s light. David had the task of completing that arc, and the natural intensity in his orotund voice fit perfectly with the person Zavala has become.
I think Bungie made the right call not to seek out a Lance Reddick impersonator or try to get David to do an impression of him. I’ve seen some say they wish Bungie had used AI to recreate Reddick’s voice, and to those people I say, please don’t ever share your ideas on the internet again. It was important for David to bring himself into the character, both for this expansion and the future of Destiny, and make the role his own. That’s what best served the story and the character, which in turn honors Reddick’s work, and his memory. There’s no replacing Reddick here. He was and always will be Commander Zavala. But🎐 in an impossible situation, David stepped in with a fantastic performance, bringing dignity and respect to one of Destiny’s most important characters.
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