“Helldivers 2 Writer Had Just a Week to Create the Unofficial Face of the Franchise: Meet John Helldiver, the Galaxy’s Most Cheesy Character”
It takes a serious commitment to democracy to embody the spirit of Super Earth, a lesson learned by Arrowhead while casting for the role of John Helldiver, a character who is both a fool and a source of inspiration.
In a recent episode of Dev Tales on the Helldivers 2 YouTube channel, former lead writer Russ Nickel shared insights to celebrate the second anniversary of Helldivers 2. The game’s intro cinematic has become iconic, introducing John Helldiver as the unofficial mascot, but Arrowhead initially underestimated the importance of casting him.
Nickel recalls his thoughts: “‘This is gonna be John Helldiver.’ We can’t just hire someone who’s merely good; we need the funniest person we can find.” Arrowhead agreed but set a tight deadline of just seven days for Nickel to find the right actor. Fortunately, Craig Lee Thomas was available and ready to embrace the role.
Once Thomas learned about John Helldiver, he quickly recorded a self-tape and found out later that day he was among the top three candidates. “I was like, ‘Jesus, they are moving f***ing quick on this,'” Thomas remarked during his candid interview on Dev Tales.
The following day, Arrowhead ensured Thomas had a passport, as he was set to start filming that Sunday. Nickel had met his deadline.
“‘Hey, I’m the cheesiest, most insincere’ – that’s something I always enjoy doing,” Thomas said about portraying John.
Nickel humorously apologized to all the Johns out there, noting that a key aspect of Super Earth is the unwavering belief of its citizens. They wholeheartedly embrace the idea that “managed democracy is perfect. It’s the ideal form of democracy. Yes, I will gladly die for Super Earth, because it’s the right thing to do.”
In other news, Helldivers 2’s upcoming premium Warbond features a reloadable, exploding hammer, but what has fans buzzing is Arrowhead’s hint at the return of a faction from the original game.
