Articles
The Witcher Recap: 5 Essential Details To Remember for Season 4 (Including Why Henry Cavill Left)
A lot has changed since The Witcher delivered its third season, as at the time, not only was Henry Cavill playing the lead role, but the future of the series was not known in regards to how long it would last. Since then, a new person stepped into the boots of Geralt of Rivia in Liam Hemsworth, and Netflix announced seasons 4 and 5 would be the show’s final seasons. Now the first of those final seasons has arrived with season 4, and we’re here to catch you up on everything you need to know and remember to enjoy season 4 to the fullest.
5. A New Witcher (And Why Henry Cavill Left)
There was a pretty major shakeup even before season 4 started shooting, as by the end of season 3, it was revealed that Henry Cavill would not be returning to the role of Geralt of Rivia. Cavill is a longtime fan of the Witcher books and games, so many fans were disappointed to see such an advocate for the series leave. Some circles just immediately hated on anything else as a result of Cavill leaving, but the show would find its new Geralt in Liam Hemsworth.
Cavill would then go on to play Superman for a brief time while also joining up with two other franchises he loves in Highlander and Warhammer 40k. While there were discussions among fans about Cavill departing due to the series venturing away from the books, that was never said by Cavill himself, and during a recent interview with EW, showrunner Lauren Hissrich addressed what led to his departure and how the show approached it.
“He had plans for other roles that he really wanted to commit himself to,” Hissrich said. “And for us, you don’t want to hold someone and force them to be doing something that they don’t want to do. I think that’s why it felt like a really symbiotic decision.”
4. The Fallout from the Thanedd Coup in Season 3
One of the biggest events from season 3 was the Thanedd Coup, a brutal battle that took place on Thanedd Isle and turned the seat of power on the continent upside down. This was where Vilgefortz made his move, and the ensuing betrayal would cause the fall of not only the Conclave of Mages but the split into factions that supported Vilgefortz’s chaos and the shattered remains of the mages who opposed his reign.
Countless lives were lost on all sides, including Tissaia, and the once shining school of Arutuza would fall. Yennefer started to seek out some of her fellow sorceresses after the fall, and she was fully intent on finding a now vanished Ciri before Vilgefortz could.
3. Ciri Unleashes Her Power and Finds a New Family
Speaking of Vilgefortz, he also ties into where Ciri’s story left off. During the Thanedd Coup, Ciri destroyed the tower of Tor Lara by tapping into the power of her Elder Blood, surprising even Vilgefortz. Vilgefortz was scarred from the outburst of power and blown back, while Ciri was teleported to the Korath Desert.
Not long after this, Ciri was captured, but she ended up meeting Kayleigh, who was a member of a ragtag group known as The Rats. After proving that she could wield a sword with the best of them (but not telling anyone who she was or that she was trained by a Witcher), The Rats take her in, though she takes on the name Falka to conceal her identity.
2. Geralt’s Fall and Hunt For Ciri
During the Thanedd Coup, Geralt had his own battle to fight against the person at the center of the chaos, Vilgefortz, but in a shock to Geralt and everyone watching, Vilgefortz destroyed the Butcher of Blaviken. Despite Geralt’s skill, he was no match for Vilgefortz, who brutally wounded Geralt and left him for dead.
Geralt would find a helping hand in Brokilon Forest, as the Dryads helped heal his injuries and start the long walk to recovery. Despite his injuries still slowing him down, Geralt chose to go after Ciri as soon as possible, but he wouldn’t travel alone, as he was joined by Jaskier and a Brokilon archer named Milva.
1. A Tale of Two Ciris and a King
Geralt’s quest is to find Ciri before Vilgefortz does, and the lone piece of intel he had was that Emperor Emhyr var Emreis has Ciri. Yennefer believes the same, but as we learn at the end of season 3, the person that Vilgefortz delivers to Emhyr is actually not the real Ciri.
Now the real Ciri is with The Rats, evading Vilgefortz and pretty much anyone who would want to find her, while the fake Ciri is in the castle next to the person who would surely be irate if he were to learn he had been tricked.
The Witcher season 4 hits Netflix on October 30th.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
The post The Witcher Recap: 5 Essential Details To Remember for Season 4 (Including Why Henry Cavill Left) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
