Bungie makes the best out of an impossible situation with Destiny 2’s Commander Zavala

Commander Zavala has at all times been my favourite Future character. He’s a dogmatic Paladin whose fervent devotion to his beliefs makes him a rock for his allies — my favourite archetype. And, most significantly, he was voiced by Lance Reddick, an actor I’ve liked since I first noticed The Wire in school.

When Reddick unexpectedly handed away final 12 months, Guardians like myself arrange a type of vigil by Zavala within the Tower, standing watch in reminiscence of our fallen commander. I cried then, and I’ve cried a number of instances penning this piece. It was a devastating loss for all the Future neighborhood, not solely as a result of Lance was an avid enjoyer of the sport, however as a result of Zavala’s story wasn’t completed but. With this primary Future saga so near the top, how might Bungie ever hope to resolve Zavala’s arc with out the person behind the voice?

Fortunately, it’s a problem Future’s writers appear to have taken in stride, and one his alternative — the legendary Keith David — took to coronary heart. The narrative group might’ve simply written Zavala out of the story and left his decade-long arc within the mud, however as a substitute, they did what they might given the state of affairs and used our collective loss as a storytelling system.

[Warning: this post contains very light spoilers for The Final Shape campaign, up through the Liminality Strike.]

Picture: Bungie

Since Guardians began toying with the Darkness in Past Mild, Bungie has slowly been transferring Commander Zavala down what I’d name a “disaster of religion” storyline, which is usually a crucial fork within the street for dogmatic characters in fiction. As Guardians started to maneuver towards the Darkness, Zavala pushed again, diving additional into his perception within the Mild. He in the end grew cynical over The Traveler’s silence.

Each step Zavala has taken over the previous 4 years has eroded him. And whereas he’s spent this whole time standing tall like he at all times does, he’s weaker on the within than he appears. So when Zavala lastly will get the prospect to enterprise into The Traveler itself and evict The Witness alongside Ikora, Cayde, and the Guardian in The Closing Form, he begins to crumble when The Witness strikes at that weak spot.

This shift is acted brilliantly by Keith David, who begins the enlargement by emulating Reddick earlier than totally taking maintain of the character and twisting it into his personal. Reddick had a stern kindness to his voice that has served Zavala completely for a decade. David has a equally deep and calming voice, however he’s additionally utilizing his talents as an actor so as to add in a way of hidden malice, which he begins to attract out because the enlargement goes on.

This modification actually begins to come back into focus when Zavala sends you on a Strike mission in The Pale Coronary heart to seek out a Tormentor in a cave filled with Ahamkara skulls. The commander begins off sounding pissed off, and he pushes you to enact vengeance on the creature. Past that, he suggests you are taking dangers by harnessing the magic of those long-dead wish-dragons in your profit. When it really works, he acts as if there was by no means an opportunity that it wouldn’t.

Picture: Bungie

In different phrases, Zavala begins to behave recklessly right here, and Ikora calls him out for not solely endangering the Guardian needlessly, however appearing not like himself. As an alternative of what would usually be a measured response from Zavala, he sasses Ikora for lecturing him. And when she pushes again once more, he yells at her over the comms with a speech alongside the traces of, “Isn’t this what you at all times wished from me?”

These moments really feel antithetical to Zavala as we’ve identified him, and if the writing or efficiency had been dangerous, it might in all probability really feel just like the character had simply modified for no cause. However Bungie’s writers and Reddick had already been placing within the work towards a damaged Zavala for years, so David is ready to take that historical past and promote these moments. I didn’t really feel like a brand new voice actor was altering my favourite character, I felt like I used to be watching a pal who had gone by an immense quantity of trauma lastly unraveling earlier than my eyes — one thing I’ve sadly witnessed in my very own life.

There’s a transparent separation between the Zavala we’ve identified and the Zavala we’re getting in The Closing Form. I spotted for the primary time in the course of the Strike how really completely different David and Reddick sound from each other, and it’s deliberately unsettling. It made me yearn for the previous Zavala and Reddick — one thing I’ll by no means have once more — and that damage, in the best way that the perfect sorts of artwork can damage.

Picture: Bungie

For Zavala, The Closing Form’s marketing campaign acts as a type of chrysalis and metamorphosis. Bungie’s writers deftly maneuver between Zavala experiencing speedy character development and appearing out of character. David enhances that writing past itself — as solely nice actors can do — with a masterful efficiency, providing us a Zavala who’s drowning with out ever letting the person we all know dip beneath the waves for too lengthy.

It’s a dangerous transfer from each events that I’m prepared to guess received’t work for everybody. However as somebody who initially couldn’t think about anybody else getting into Zavala’s sneakers, I used to be blown away by how David and the writing group at Bungie had been capable of honor Reddick and his unique efficiency.

Even so, it’s not possible to not really feel deep disappointment that Lance Reddick wasn’t capable of be a part of The Closing Form after years of being considered one of Future’s most well-known characters and beloved neighborhood members. And there’s little question in my thoughts that he would’ve crushed this efficiency, simply as he crushed all of the others. However I feel it’s lovely how the writers and Keith David had been capable of take advantage of out of a horrible state of affairs, and to provide Zavala a few of the greatest story moments within the sequence throughout The Closing Form.

Relaxation in peace, commander — Zavala is in good palms.