Destiny 2: The Final Shape has revealed the first look of Keith David as Commander Zavala following the death of the character's previous actor, Lance Reddick, last year.
The reveal comes as Bungie is continuing to tease out the release of Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion. The latest of which showcases how David sounds when he assumes the role of Commander Zavala. This particular role is a key character in the Destiny franchise.
Keith David as Commander Zavala
(Photo : Bungie / Screenshot taken from Steam)
The studio, as part of the upcoming expansion's marketing cycle, is in the midst of releasing a series of short documentaries on the making of The Final Shape. The first part, which debuted on May 23, 2024, featured two brief scenes showing David as Zavala.
The first scene that was shown comes roughly three minutes into the first part of the ViDoc and features Zavala talking to an unseen character. He is saying that he would have given anything to bring them back, according to Kotaku.
Many fans presume that Zavala is talking to Cayde-6, who is a character killed off in 2018's Forsaken expansion. This is also a character whom the commander had a close relationship with.
The video later shows another cutscene where Zavala is telling his fellow vanguard Ikora Rey that he will not "lose another soldier in this war." It was also impossible not to read the lines as the game's developers and fans alike had wished Reddick could still be here for this momentous time in the series.
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Reddick's character became an increasingly integral part of the long-running story in Destiny. On top of this, the actor was also a positive fixture of the game's community in real life. Fans have adored Reddick, who more often than not took the time out of his day to engage with them on social media.
On top of his iconic role in Destiny as Commander Zavala, Reddick was also quite popular for portraying Charon in the John Wick movie franchise. He also played characters from The Wire, Lost, Horizon Zero Dawn and its sequel, and many others, said IGN.
Lance Reddick's Legacy
He was also a loving fan of the Destiny franchise and gaming in general which made it no surprise that many fans paid tribute following news of his death. David taking on the mantle of Zavala was announced in August last year. At the time, he posted a message praising Reedick's work on the series.
David's first look as Zavala had been positively received by many fans and many replies on X, formerly known as Twitter, express the understandable sentiment that Reddick cannot be replaced. They added that David's take on the character, even if only brief, is right on the money.
Many people also pointed out that with the new voicing, Zavala seems to have aged a few years with a deeper and more timeworn voice. One particular apt description said that David's voice in the role is "like a different but familiar feeling."
Prior to Reddick's death, Zavala was the last of the vanguards in Destiny 2 to still have their original voice actor. Nathan Fillion was replaced by Nolan North for Cayde-6 while Gina Torrest was replaced by Mara Junot for Ikora Rey, according to PCGamer.
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