Henry is back. Well, technically Tom McKay is back, but for anyone who spent dozens of hours scrubbing blood off gambesons in 15th-century Bohemia, they are one and the same. It’s a weird thing, honestly. Usually, in RPGs, the protagonist is a blank slate or a customizable avatar, but the cast of Kingdom Come—specifically the upcoming sequel—is built on real faces, real voices, and real sweat. Warhorse Studios didn't just hire voice actors; they hired performers who had to strap on mocap suits and actually inhabit the dirt of Kuttenberg.
People forget how risky the first game was. It was a janky, beautiful, hyper-realistic mess that somehow became a cult classic. Now that Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is arriving in 2025, the stakes for the actors have shifted. It’s not just a "indie" project anymore. It’s a massive production where the likeness of the actors is just as important as the lines they speak.
The Man Behind Henry: Tom McKay’s Evolution
If you’ve seen Tom McKay in The White Queen or Hatfields & McCoys, you know he has this grounded, almost weary energy. That is exactly what makes Henry work. Henry isn’t a superhero. He’s a guy who initially couldn’t hold a sword without dropping it. In the sequel, McKay has to portray a Henry who is older, more cynical, but still carries that core of "local boy makes good."
Most games use generic facial rigs. Warhorse doesn't. They used intensive 3D scanning. When Henry looks tired in the sequel, it’s because McKay’s actual facial geometry is being translated into the engine. It’s a performance that spans years of the actor's life. McKay has joked in interviews about how he’s basically grown up with Henry. The voice has dropped a bit. The movements are more deliberate.
The chemistry between McKay and Luke Dale, who plays Sir Hans Capon, is the secret sauce. Without that duo, the game is just a history lesson. With them, it's a buddy comedy set during a bloody civil war.
Sir Hans Capon and the Luke Dale Factor
Luke Dale basically owns the role of Hans Capon. You can tell he’s having the time of his life playing a spoiled noble who eventually realizes he’s a bit of a prat. Fans love him. Like, really love him. Go to any Kingdom Come subreddit and you’ll find hundreds of memes about the bathhouse missions or Hans’s terrible poetry.
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Dale is very active in the community, which is rare. He does let’s plays, he talks to fans, and he’s become the "face" of the game’s PR in a way. In Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Capon’s role is significantly expanded. He’s no longer just the sidekick you rescue from Cumans; he’s a political player.
The mocap sessions for the sequel were apparently much more intense. We're talking about full-body performance capture where Dale and McKay are in the same room, improvising bits of dialogue. This matters because it prevents that "uncanny valley" feeling where characters look like they are talking at each other rather than to each other.
New Faces and Historical Figures
While the core duo remains, the cast of Kingdom Come is expanding to fit the scale of Kuttenberg. Kuttenberg was a massive silver-mining hub, basically the New York City of medieval Bohemia. You can’t populate a city like that with five voice actors.
One of the biggest additions is the inclusion of more diverse voices to reflect the actual historical reality of a trade city. We’re seeing a mix of:
- British stage actors (for that classic "period drama" feel)
- Czech actors providing authentic accents for local NPCs
- German performers to represent the Holy Roman Empire’s influence
Warhorse has always been stubborn about historical accuracy. They don't just hire whoever is "famous." They hire people who fit the grit. You aren't going to see a Hollywood A-lister doing a bored voice-over here. You get theater actors who know how to project and how to handle a heavy script.
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Why Likeness Capture Matters for Immersion
Think about the way Henry's parents were portrayed in the first game. When they died, it felt heavy because they looked like real people, not stylized cartoons. The sequel doubles down on this. Using the actors' real faces allows for subtle micro-expressions.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II uses an updated version of the CryEngine. The way light hits the skin of the actors is frighteningly realistic. If a character is lying to you, you might actually be able to see it in their eyes or a slight twitch in their cheek. That’s not "AI" doing that—that’s the animators painstakingly mapping the actors' real-life performances onto the 3D models.
The Unsung Heroes: The Stunt and Combat Teams
We can't talk about the cast without mentioning the people who do the sword fighting. In most RPGs, you just press 'X' and an animation plays. In Kingdom Come, the combat is based on actual HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts).
The "cast" includes professional swordsmen who spent weeks in mocap suits recording blocks, parries, and strikes. When you see Henry struggle with a longsword, you’re seeing the motion data of a person who actually knows how to use one. It adds a layer of physical weight that most games lack.
Key Actors You’ll Recognize:
- Tom McKay as Henry: The heart of the story.
- Luke Dale as Sir Hans Capon: The comic relief turned loyal friend.
- Michael J. Pitthan as Godwin: The "warrior priest" who everyone wants to have a drink with.
- Victoria Hogan as Theresa: Providing a much-needed grounded perspective in a world of men at war.
Theresa’s role is particularly interesting. In the "A Woman's Lot" DLC from the first game, Hogan gave a performance that was arguably more emotional than the main campaign. Fans are hoping she has a significant presence in the sequel, though the story seems to be pulling Henry further away from his home village of Skalitz.
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The Complexity of Voice Direction
Voice director John Comer has a hell of a job. He has to balance the "Ye Olde" English that players expect with a script that doesn't sound like a high school Shakespeare production. The goal is "modern-adjacent." The characters should sound like they belong in 1403, but they shouldn't be unintelligible.
They also have to manage the different languages. While the game is played in English by most, the Czech dub is a massive point of pride for the studio. Some members of the cast actually perform in multiple languages, which is a logistical nightmare but great for authenticity.
What This Means for Your Playthrough
When you eventually jump into Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, don't just skip the cutscenes. Pay attention to the way the characters move. The cast has put in thousands of hours to make sure Henry’s journey from a blacksmith's boy to a man of consequence feels earned.
The fact that Warhorse kept the original core cast is a huge win. It provides a continuity that is often lost in sequels where studios try to "upgrade" to bigger names. We don't need a bigger name. We need Henry. We need the guy who is constantly hungry and always losing his hat.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Newcomers
If you want to get the most out of the story and the performances, here is what you should actually do:
- Replay the "A Woman's Lot" DLC: It’s the best showcase of the acting depth in the series. It sets the tone for the darker, more mature themes of the sequel.
- Watch the "Making of" Documentaries: Warhorse released several videos showing Tom McKay and Luke Dale in the mocap studio. It changes how you view the characters when you see the human beings behind the pixels.
- Pay Attention to the Eyes: In the sequel, look for the subtle "eye tracking." The developers have worked hard to make sure the cast’s performances aren't lost in translation, especially during the high-tension political debates in Kuttenberg.
- Listen for the Accents: Notice how the accents change as you move from the countryside to the city. It’s a deliberate choice by the casting directors to show the class divide.
The cast of Kingdom Come isn't just a list of names on an IMDB page. They are the reason a niche historical sim turned into a global phenomenon. Without McKay’s sincerity or Dale’s charm, it’s just a game about mud and rusty swords. With them, it’s a story worth living through.
Final thought: Keep an eye on the side characters. Warhorse has a habit of giving the most interesting lines to random innkeepers and friars. That’s where the world-building really happens.