Mortal Kombat 1's Homelander is missing something crucial: the actor's voice

13.11.2023 - 14:36 / pcgamer.com / Antony Starr / Quan Chi

Despite lending his likeness to Homelander's guest appearance in Mortal Kombat 1, actor Antony Starr has seemingly confirmed that's where his involvement ends.

The Boys actor won't be providing any voice work for the character in NetherRealm's fighting game, as noted by Twitter account UppercutLLC. When asked on Instagram if he would be voicing Homelander in Mortal Kombat 1, Starr gave a rather succinct response: «nope».

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Understandably, fans are pretty down about the whole ordeal. Starr does a fantastic job of portraying Homelander in The Boys—to the point I often have to remind myself while watching that yes this is an actor, acting, doing his job—and his foray into the fighting game world doesn't feel quite right without Starr's voice behind it. It's even more disappointing considering Starr provided some voice work for Homelander's appearance in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 earlier this year.

There could be a thousand reasons for Starr to bow out of voice work for Mortal Kombat 1, the most likely pointing towards the SAG-AFTRA strike that took place between mid-July and early November. Starr actively participated in the strikes, sharing images of him picketing with fellow SAG-AFTRA members on social media. It could be something as simple as a scheduling conflict, but neither Starr and NetherRealm have divulged specifics.

It's unknown who will be voicing Homelander in Starr's stead, but they've certainly got big vocal cords to fill. Now of course, there's still a small chance that the whole thing could be a playful lie, but it seems doubtful. The actor has since locked his Instagram comments—a move that's likely unrelated to the Mortal Kombat 1 situation—but has made it harder for fans to express their sadness at his vocal absence.

Homelander is set to swoop into Mortal Kombat 1 in Spring 2024. We just had the release of Omni-Man—for owners of the Kombat Pack, that is—voiced by none other than J.K. Simmons himself. Other DLC fighters in the pipeline include Quan Chi, Peacemaker, Ermac, and Takeda who are all releasing between Winter 2023 and Summer 2024.