We've spent this week catching up with the cast of Mortal Kombat Legacy: Battle of the Realms, and recently spoke to the voice of Raiden, Dave B. Mitchell. The prolific voice actor has a long list of credits to his name, but in a week where everyone has been talking about a certain web-spinner, we had to ask Dave about his time playing Shocker in 2018's Spider-Man video game.
He may not have been a member of the Sinister Six, but Shocker was one of Spidey's most formidable foes in the game and a villain who delivered a memorable boss battle with that fight in the bank.
We asked Dave what the role meant to him and he made it clear it was a project that meant a lot.
"It was a thrill and an honour. I’m an honest to God, dye in the wool, card-carrying geek. I have been my whole life. I’m a comic book fan, a science-fiction fan, [and] a video game fan," the actor told us. "The nice thing is that I get to work on so many things that I already have a love for and Spider-Man was definitely no exception. I’m a longtime Spider-Man fan. Shocker is a great character and one of the most difficult opponents that Spider-Man ever had because he’s had Spidey on the ropes a couple of times in the comics! He’s no joke. To get to bring that character to life was amazing."
"My performance aside - take me out of the picture - just the version of Shocker that they conceived for the game is my favourite version of the character. I love the reimagined look of his armour," Dave continued. "One of the things that really struck me when they showed me some of the early animations when we started doing the game, when you saw him use the shock gauntlets, I kind of felt like that was the first time in any medium we’ve seen just how powerful those shock gauntlets are. The fact that Herman [Schultz] really is a genuine threat and when I saw those in action I went, ‘Wow, I can really feel the power of those for the first time.’"
We know a Spider-Man sequel is in the works, and while Venom and the Green Goblin are expected to serve as the big bads of that follow-up, there's definitely room for Shocker to make his return.
"As far as coming back, oh God yes," Dave said of possibly reprising the role. "If they ask me back, I will be there in a heartbeat. I would love to play Herman again." Fingers crossed it happens because it's always fun to see Shocker square off with Spidey, and the actor's take on the villain was...spectacular! For now, you can check out his work as Raiden in the latest Mortal Kombat movie.
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms arrives August 31 on 4K/Blu-ray & Digital!