The passing of the beloved Hollywood actor and video game VA Lance Reddick has shaken the Destiny 2 community, and even Bungie developers are now chiming in, sharing their memories of the man behind the legendary Commander Zavala. While Reddick's legacy lives on in all the games he left his mark on, the actor was particularly fond of Destiny, according to those who interacted with him in-game.Destiny 2's Commander Zavala is one of the most prominent characters in the game, and Reddick's work had come to define the very core of Bungie's flagship IP over the years. Whereas many of the game's launch-day talent have been replaced with other VAs as time went on, Reddick's iconic performance as the steadfast Commander of the Tower Vanguard remained the same, which resulted in him becoming a big deal in the community.Most interestingly, Lance Reddick wasn't just a VA working on Destiny 2, he was also a big fan of the game from the very start and played it often. Bungie Project Lead Blake Battle took the opportunity to reminisce about his time playing the original Destiny's Wrath of the Machine raid alongside Reddick, who hadn't had the chance to complete it up until then. Rather than setting it up as a PR event, the fireteam simply went through the raid one encounter at a time, and Battle remembers how Reddick was "kind, sociable, and patient" throughout the session, elevating the experience with his presence. Reddick even came to the group's aid during a particularly tense moment, pulling off an important stun on the boss before a wipe nearly sent the team back to the start of the battle.
As soon as the news broke, Bungie commented on Lance Reddick's passing by praising the "uncompromising dedication to his craft," which was apparent in the fact that he often played Destiny in the first place. In fact, it didn't take long for players to discover that Reddick had been playing Destiny 2: Lightfall just the night before his passing, having almost completed the new DLC campaign. Reddick's in-game nickname was "idontcare789," and he had roughly 2800 hours' worth of playtime across both Destiny titles, with a Triumph Score of 22,000, revealing the scope of his dedication.
Destiny 2 Guardians paid tribute to Lance Reddick following his passing, holding vigil in the Tower right next to Commander Zavala's usual lookout. It is currently unclear what, exactly, will happen with Commander Zavala as Bungie has almost certainly already charted his character arc for the next couple of years. Yet, with Reddick's passing, the community is torn on whether Bungie should re-cast the role or send Zavala off with a bang instead, as a tribute to the late actor.
Whatever the case may be, it's a simple statement of fact that Lance Reddick marked the Destiny community and Bungie at large for times to come. Reddick wished happy holidays to Destiny 2 players late in 2022, which is now going to remain one of his final direct communications with fans of his work.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.