LGBTQ+ Actors Who Played Hyper-Masculine Game Heroes in the 2000s and 2010s

From caped crusaders to spacefaring legends, the 2000s and 2010s quietly featured a number of LGBTQ+ actors bringing classic, hyper-masculine heroes to life in video games. Below are standout cases where the performer’s voice anchored a lead or major heroic role, with developer and publisher details so you can place each performance in its industry context.

Kevin Conroy

Best known as the definitive voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy led Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009), published by Eidos Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Conroy’s performance set the tone for the franchise’s gritty take on the character and continued in later entries through the 2010s. The Arkham series paired his Batman with production veterans like writer Paul Dini and Joker actor Mark Hamill, strengthening continuity across media. Conroy publicly discussed being a gay man years later, but his iconic work defined the era’s blockbuster superhero games.

Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris headlined Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010) as the Amazing Spider-Man, developed by Beenox and published by Activision. The game featured four Spider-Men from different universes, each voiced by a legacy actor, with Harris returning to the role alongside Josh Keaton, Christopher Daniel Barnes, and Dan Gilvezan. Beenox’s multiverse structure made each campaign distinct while unifying them in a single adventure. It marked a milestone moment as Activision named Beenox lead developer for future Spider-Man titles.

Zachary Quinto

Zachary Quinto voiced a guiding Emergency Medical Hologram for Star Trek Online’s launch-era tutorial in 2010, developed by Cryptic Studios and published at the time by Atari. He later reprised his on-screen role as Spock for the Star Trek (2013) video game, developed by Digital Extremes and published by Namco Bandai Games under license from Paramount. Both titles positioned Quinto’s work within co-op and action frameworks that emphasized iconic Trek heroism. The 2013 console/PC release put players directly in the boots of Kirk and Spock in a bro-op shooter campaign.

BD Wong

BD Wong voiced Captain Li Shang in Kingdom Hearts II (2005/2006), developed and published by Square Enix. Shang appears in the Land of Dragons world, where players team with him in combat-heavy missions that reflect the character’s commander persona. The title blended Disney film settings with Square Enix’s action-RPG systems, cementing crossover storytelling for the series. Kingdom Hearts II’s global rollout made Wong’s performance widely heard outside the original ‘Mulan’ film context.

Alan Cumming

Alan Cumming returned as Nightcrawler in X-Men: The Official Game (2006), a multi-studio tie-in published by Activision with development handled by Z-Axis (PS2/Xbox/360), Beenox (PC), Hypnos (GameCube), WayForward (GBA), and Amaze (DS). Nightcrawler’s playable sequences emphasized agile melee and traversal, underscoring the character’s physical prowess. The game bridged story gaps between the X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand films. Its cross-platform development slate made Cumming’s performance part of a coordinated multimedia release.

Ian McKellen

Ian McKellen voiced Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), developed primarily by EA Redwood Shores and published by EA Games. The hack-and-slash adaptation put players into large-scale battles from the film, with McKellen’s delivery anchoring cooperative missions as a front-line leader. Multiple studios handled platform-specific versions, including Hypnos Entertainment for GameCube and Griptonite for GBA. The project exemplified EA’s early-2000s approach to blockbuster film tie-ins with full cast participation.

George Takei

George Takei reprised Captain Hikaru Sulu for Star Trek: Shattered Universe (2004), developed by Starsphere Interactive and published by TDK Mediactive. Set in the Mirror Universe, the space-combat sim still leans on a classic, command-presence hero voice to carry mission briefings and in-flight chatter. The title’s development history saw it completed by Starsphere after changes in licensing plans, but Takei’s performance connects it to core Trek canon. Its release on PlayStation 2 and Xbox kept it accessible to the generation of players between film eras.

Jonathan Groff

Jonathan Groff voiced Kristoff in Kingdom Hearts III (2019), developed and published by Square Enix, integrating Disney’s Frozen world into a modern action-RPG framework. Kristoff appears during the Arendelle storyline as an ally amid set-piece traversal and combat sequences. Square Enix’s production coordinated returning film talent across languages, with Groff credited in the English cast. The game’s cross-media casting reinforced authenticity for Disney characters embedded in the series’ combat-driven design.

Share your favorite examples or overlooked picks from the 2000s and 2010s in the comments!