By More than two decades have passed since the initial God of War debuted in March 2005. To commemorate this milestone, Sony introduced several new features in God of War Ragnarok and held discussions with the creators of the franchise along with actors from both the current generation and the original series, featuring T.C. Carson and Carole Ruggier as Kratos and Athena, respectively.
Kratos, particularly in the early installments, is often recognized for his constant anger. This fury became an essential aspect of the series, with his equivalent to a Devil Trigger dubbed “Rage” in every game.
God of War 20th Anniversary – Cast Reunion Panel | PlayStation – YouTube
During the panel, Santa Monica Studio’s narrative director Matt Sophos inquired of Carson about how he developed Kratos’ original voice. “Kratos is T.C. 12.0,” Carson remarked, elaborating that, “during that time, I was extremely angry; there were numerous issues in my life putting me in a very dark place.”
Nonetheless, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity, as “Kratos helped me channel that. He allowed me to express all of that anger, and I believe that’s what resonates with people, because it felt genuine.”
Carson further noted, saying, “It felt similar to therapy,” mimicking the deep exhale he would do after a session. He concluded, “Ultimately, the voice is just the rage within me.”
The actor continually provided the voice for Kratos throughout the series, including brief appearances in titles like Mortal Kombat, Everybody’s Golf, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, until 2013’s God of War: Ascension, when Christopher Judge took on the part for the 2018 reboot.