Charles McNider plays a vital role in two versions of the Justice Society. But is there a reason in-universe as to why he sounds different?
The Artificial Intelligence known affectionately as ‘Chuck’ went out the coldest (pun intended) way possible. Icicle destroys the goggles in an attempt to prevent the JSA from stopping Project New America. Charles McNider’s successor, Beth Chapel, is still struggling to get her best pal back online.
When Chuck does reactivate for a moment in the Season 2 premiere, he sounds somewhat different. So, what gives?
Our friends at Stargirl Fandom confirm Alex Collins portrays Charles McNider in the sophomore season. Meanwhile, Henry Thomas performed Chuck in Season 1.
A Little Bit Of Behind-The-Scenes
When a voice role gets recast, there usually is no in-universe explanation. The audience doesn’t have time to process the change.
Though, sometimes there is an explanation given. One example is when Leonardo, the blue bandannaed turtle in the 2012 iteration of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, had Seth Green jump into the role after the departure of Jason Biggs.
In-universe, Donatello explains to Casey Jones that Shredder damaged Leo’s vocal cords in their fight.
Before Green’s casting, there was a stand-in voice actor who sounds similar to Biggs that finished off the Season.
Could The Casting Change Mean A ‘Younger’ Chuck?
We were on Twitter, and we were talking with an admin from Stargirl Fandom. During this time, we formed a partial theory. Conclusively, Henry Thomas was likely an older McNider. Meanwhile, Alex Collins was the younger iteration.
When Chuck activates, he sounds sad. Maybe when Beth reboots the software, she triggered a backup. Perhaps his mournful tone is due to his grieving for Rebecca.
Finally, maybe Rebecca is his daughter, and Eclipso targeted her to send a message to the JSA.
