Posted in: Fantastic Four, Games, Interview, Marvel Studios, Mobile Game Publishers, Mobile Games, Movies, NetEase Games, Video Games | Tagged: blade, Marvel Rivals, mcu, the fantastic four: first steps

Marvel Rivals: Kunda on Finding His Blade Voice, Apex Legends & More

Gabe Kunda (Apex Legends) spoke to us about developing his voice as the supernatural vampire hunter, Blade in NetEase's Marvel Rivals.

Gabe Kunda knew early in his life that he wanted to be a voice actor for animated projects, video games, and promotional work. He found two of those three working for Marvel for their popular game Marvel Rivals as the voice of Blade, and promoting their MCU films like the recent Fantastic Four: First Steps. With over 115 credits to his name, Kunda spoke to Bleeding Cool about how he got involved in the Marvel Games Group and NetEase Games superhero team-based PVP shooter, his favorite roles, and getting a slice of the live-action MCU in the process.

Gabe Kunda on Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends, MCU & More

How did you get involved with Marvel Rivals?

Well, through the audition. I got it from my agents, and I didn't know it was Marvel Rivals to begin with. I knew it was some Marvel property because it was clear to me that it was Blade. That's how I auditioned for it, and then a couple of weeks later, I got a call that I booked it for Marvel Rivals. I didn't know then what it was or how big it would become, almost a year ago, when they discussed it at Comic Con. However, no one really knew what it would do, so it was crazy.

How did you develop your Blade voice?

I tried to watch a little bit of what was out there, like the Blade movies. I grew up on Wesley Snipes' Blade, and looking at some other things, like animated series that Blade was a part of. Little things here and there, but not too much to completely skew my performance, but enough to give me a ballpark of what Blade feels like and where he's typically at, so locally, I knew he needed to believe what they asked for. Something a little bit deeper, more grounded, some aggression to it, but nothing over the top. I followed that lead, and I came up with the reform.

Was voiceover something you always wanted to do as an actor, or was it something you fell into?

I wanted to do voiceover since I was a sophomore in high school. I saw a video on YouTube that showed a bunch of people doing voiceover, and I was like, "I didn't know this was a career," and from then on, I was like, "I wanted to be a musician, but no, I want to do a voiceover and be a voice actor." I've been chasing after it, and then when I graduated from college, I went into it full-time. It worked out well, but yeah, it's been something I wanted to do for quite some time now.

Did you have any personal favorite roles?

This one is a new favorite in terms of number one. My second one would be my role in Apex Legends as Newcastle. I love that role because it's my natural speaking voice, and it's very positive and uplifting. That's how I am. Those are the two right now Marvel Rivals Blade, and Newcastle from Apex Legends.

Were you shocked when Marvel tapped you to work with them for Fantastic Four: First Steps?

Oh yeah. I've done a few Marvel films thus far. I did the Black Widow campaign and Thunderbolts*, Captain America: Brave New World and a bunch of other stuff. Still, when Marvel says, "Hey, we want to use you for this thing," and you're like, "Oh my God! Me, again?! Are you sure you don't want somebody else?" Yeah, it's an honor. Its working voice and movie trailers are super cool. I'm a little piece of their marketing pie, but it's cool helping people spread some seeds.

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