Destiny 2‘s Titan Vanguard, Commander Zavala, doesn’t show up too often in Bungie’s latest video documentary for The Final Shape. His presence is marked by his usual imposing, stoic stance—and a new voice by Keith David, as seen in a video today.
Zavala’s brief appearances in today’s documentary show off veteran voice actor Keith David giving the Commander’s new voice, shifting away from Lance Reddick’s classic performances. The focus of the Destiny 2 documentary was hardly on Zavala, but his new voice still grabbed fans’ attention.
David’s performance as Zavala maintains the character’s gravitas, mixing it with more emotion in a somewhat rare moment of vulnerability for the Commander. “I used to think I’d give anything to bring you back,” he says, presumably to Cayde-6.
David is a veteran actor both on and off the screen, with a litany of credits to his name and multiple Primetime Emmys under his belt. Video game fans may recognize his voice as the Arbiter from the Halo franchise and Admiral Anderson in Mass Effect. He’s also appeared in Rick and Morty, Adventure Time, and the Spawn animated series, complete with an appearance in Mortal Kombat 11.
David replaced Reddick after the actor’s tragic passing in 2023. Reddick had voiced Zavala since Destiny, giving depth to the Vanguard leader for nearly a decade. Bungie unveiled David as the Commander’s voice in August 2023, just months after Reddick’s passing.
Reddick’s performance as Zavala was beloved by fans, who gathered around his character in the Tower and held vigils for him as a way to honor his memory. Guardians also put together a memorial for him in r/place, a Reddit minigame where users can build images by placing pixels on a screen.
Players can hear Keith David as Zavala after The Final Shape is released in Destiny 2 on June 4.
