Each New And Returning Character In The Witcher Season 2
Season 2 of Netflix's "The Witcher" is nearly upon us, and fans of the high fantasy adventure series are eager to get back in on the action. The show, which stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, became a huge hit for the streaming site when the first season aired in December 2019, and fans have waited a long two years to see what new adventures are in store for Geralt, Ciri (Freya Allen), and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra).
"The Witcher" TV series is based on the beloved novels and short stories of Polish author Andrejz Sapkowski, which have sold over millions of copies worldwide. As any lover of fantasy fiction knows, epic stories often involve an equally epic list of characters, and the world of "The Witcher" is no different. Though the first season of "The Witcher" focused on the three main protagonists and their stories, it also introduced the audience to an extensive lineup of memorable characters. These include Geralt's faithful bard companion, Jaskier (Joey Batey), the powerful sorceress, Tissaia (MyAnna Buring), the Lioness of Cintra, Queen Calanthe (Jodhi May), the malevolent mage, Stregobor (Lars Mikeelsen), and the tenacious black knight, Cahir (Eamon Farren).
With the arrival of "The Witcher" Season 2, we can assume that we will see many of the same faces from Season 1, yet there is also a long list of new and compelling characters that will be introduced in the upcoming episodes. Here we have the definitive list of both new and returning characters that fans will see in the new season.
The usual suspects
Of course "The Witcher" Season 2 wouldn't be complete without the sword-slinging titular character. Geralt (Cavill) returns in all of his white-haired, brooding glory, having finally claimed his Child Surprise, Ciri (Allen). It's been a long and arduous road for the monster slayer. We saw him fighting all sorts of beasties in Season 1, as well as his various misadventures alongside loyal sidekick, Jaskier (Batey). And no one could forget his first meeting with Yennefer of Vengerberg (Cholatra), a harrowing affair which would result in the fates of the two characters being bound together forever — whether they wish to be or not.
Princess Ciri of Cintra will also be returning in Season 2, having been a fugitive for most of Season 1, and now under the care and tutelage of Geralt. He takes her to Kaer Morhen, the home of the witchers, where Ciri will begin her training to become a fellow monster hunter. However, there is still the mystery of Ciri's powerful magic abilities (which she has yet to learn how to control), and no doubt the enemy kingdom of Nilfgaard won't easily give up on their search for the Lion Cub of Cintra.
A fan favorite for many "The Witcher" watchers, the powerful sorceress Yennefer will also be returning to Season 2. Yennefer's story is arguably the most captivating, from her abusive childhood to the rigorous magical training she received at Aretuza. When last we saw the powerful sorceress, Yen was fighting alongside her magical sisters in the battle on Sodden Hill against the army of Nilfgaard, and it appears that she has become their prisoner in Season 2. We'll have to wait and see how she gets out of this predicament, and whether or not she and Geralt will be reunited, in the episodes to come.
The Kaer Morhen crew
Upon their arrival at Kaer Morhen, Geralt introduces Ciri to his fellow witchers. This will be the first time we see Vesemir, Geralt's mentor and teacher, played by Kim Bodnia. "The Witcher" fans got a sneak peek into Vesemir's backstory in the Netflix animated feature, "The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf," and now the show introduces his live action counterpart many years after the events of the film.
Also new to the show are Geralt's brothers-in-arms, Lambert, Eskel, Coen, and Hemrik. Although there were once many witchers throughout the Continent, the last remaining monster slayers have all made Kaer Morhen their home. Similar to Geralt, Lambert is surly and stoic with a sarcastic wit. Lambert, on the other hand, has a quiet gentleness, despite the appearance of a grotesque scar on his face. Little is known about Coen and Hemrik, although we are sure to learn more about them when the new season airs. The witchers of Kaer Morhen, along with Geralt and Vesemir, help to train Ciri in combat — skills which will be paramount to the dangers the young girl has yet to face. Paul Billion plays Lambert, Basil Eidenbenz is Eskel, Yasen Atour portrays Coen, and Joel Adrian is Hemrik.
The controllers of chaos
In the world of "The Witcher," magic is a naturally occurring phenomenon called chaos, and that chaos can only be controlled by those who are educated in the art of sorcery. In Season 1, the sorceress Tissaia (Buring) is tasked with teaching young women with magical abilities to control their gifts at the school of Aretuza. Yennefer, along with Fringilla Vigo (Mimi M. Khayisa) and the sorceress Sabrina (Therica Wilson Read), were taught side by side at Aretuza, yet later come to odds when Fringilla fought on the side of Nilfgaard against her former schoolmates. Tissaia, Fringilla, and Sabrina will all be returning in Season 2, following the aftermath of the detrimental battle at Sodden Hill.
Making their first appearance in Season 2 are Cassie Clare as Phillippa Eilhart and Mecia Simson as Francesca Findabair, both formidable sorceresses who have a major part to play in the overall story of "The Witcher." Phillippa is an ambitious social climber, and the founder of the Lodge of Sorceresses, an influential group of female magic users which will likely appear at some point in the second season. An ever-plotting schemer, Phillippa is a force to be reckoned with, and she has big plans in store — for Ciri in particular.
Although the show briefly alluded to the existence of elves on the Continent in Season 1 (via Geralt and Jaskier's capture by Filavandrel in Episode 2), Season 2 of "The Witcher" will finally introduce us to a new elf character, Francesca. Along with her status as a sorceress, Francesca is also the elf queen, and is seeking to bring a new age for her people after many years of attempted genocide.
The baddies
"The Witcher" series has its fair share of villains, from evil wizards to mythical monsters. In Season 2, fans will see the return of Stregobor (Mikkelson), the sorcerer who first encountered Geralt in Episode 1. He attempted to convince the monster slayer to murder the runaway princess, Renfri, due her to being born in the time of the Black Sun (or solar eclipse). According to prophecy, those born during this time are destined to be cold-blooded killers, but Stregobor's true reason for wanting Renfri dead was because she hoped to kill him first for performing abhorrent experiments on her.
The last time we saw him, Stregobor had turned down Tissaia's plea for help against the Nilfgaardians in Episode 7 ("Before a Fall"), thus establishing himself as a man who is interested only in self-preservation. Whatever he gets up to in Season 2, we know it can't be good.
Also returning to Season 2 is Cahir, the black knight in service of Nilfgaard who is charged with tracking down and capturing Ciri. His mission becomes an obsession, as he truly believes that he is helping the princess to fulfill her destiny by bringing her to Nilfgaard's emperor. That obsession makes Cahir a very dangerous foe, who is willing to do whatever it takes to find Ciri, even if it means killing anyone who gets in his way.
One of the new antagonists to join the fray in Season 2 is Rience (Chris Fulton), a powerful mage who is also hunting down Ciri. Rience is a vicious adversary, willing to kill and torture mercilessly in order to find his prize. In the books, he is a formidable foe against Geralt and Yennefer, and will likely make their lives very difficult in Season 2.
The faithful friends
Every fan of "The Witcher" knows that Geralt would be nothing without his most faithful companion, Roach. Yet perhaps the second most faithful, and a huge fan favorite, is Jaskier (Batey), the talented bard who tags along on Geralt's harrowing journeys so that he can later regale the witcher's adventures through song. The trailer for Season 2 reveals Jaskier's triumphant return — so to speak. Geralt finds him in a prison cell, where Jaskier has made some new friends: Two cute little mice. How Jaskier ended up in a jail cell is a mystery at the moment, but we're sure to find out the circumstances behind his imprisonment in Season 2, as well as whatever new shenanigans the troubadour has been up to.
Also returning in the new season are Yarpin Zigrin (Jeremy Crawford) — one of the dwarf warriors Geralt met in Season 1 while on the hunt for a dragon — and Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer), the sorceress who entreated Geralt's help to break the striga's curse on King Foltest's daughter. Triss also fought bravely alongside her sister sorceresses at the battle of Sodden Hill.
Season 2 will introduce a new character, Nenneke (Adjoa Andoh), who is an old friend of Geralt's. Nenneke is the head priestess at the Temple of Melitele, who in the past has helped Geralt heal his wounds and provided him with words of wisdom.
The spies in the shadows
"The Witcher" Season 2 will be bringing in a set of new characters who work primarily in the shadows. When Geralt needs to find out about the dangerous foes looking for Ciri, he pays a visit to Codhringer and Fenn, two partners in the business of selling information. In "The Witcher" novels, they play an important part in setting Geralt on the correct path. Even though they charge for their services, they end up being loyal friends to both Geralt and Ciri. Simon Callow plays the role of Codhringer, and Liz Carr portrays Fenn.
Also joining the cast of characters in Season 2 is Dijkstra, played by Graham McTavish. In the books, Dijkstra is a master spy for the country of Redania. He is a sometime ally of Geralt and Yennefer, although he has his own political machinations in mind for Ciri, which often puts him at odds with the witcher and sorceress. Dijkstra is also a friend to the Lodge of Sorceresses, and was once romantically entangled with their leader, Phillippa Eilhart.
Those who remain
So now that we've covered the most influential new and returning characters coming to Season 2 of "The Witcher," let's take a look at the remaining characters who may have a big impact on the episodes to come.
In Season 1, Geralt and Jaskier were taken captive by the elf Filavandrel (Tom Canton). Once king of the elves, he and his people were forced to go into hiding after losing a war with the humans. At the moment, we're not certain what role he will have to play in the new season, but he was seen in set photos, so we know he'll return. Actor Royce Pierreson also announced on Instagram that his character, the mage Istredd, will make a return appearance
According to showrunner Lauren Hissich in a Reddit AMA back in 2019, the sorcerer Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) still has a big role to play in the series. Fans may remember how, in the Season 1 finale, Vilgefortz fought in the battle on Sodden Hill against the Nilfgaardian army, only to murder one of his fellow sorcerers on the battlefield. When asked about his bewildering behavior, Hissich had this to say: "Ohhhh Vilgefortz. There's much more to be learned about this particular sorcerer, and I don't want to spoil that — but I will say that his temper is covering a great amount of frustration at things not going his way."
Two new and very intriguing characters featured in Season 2 are taken straight from Sapkowski's text — Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju), a man under a curse which has turned him into a beast, and Vereena (Agnes Bjorn), a vampire (also called a bruxa) who gives Geralt a challenging fight for his life. Also joining Season 2 are new characters Queen Meve (Rebecca Hanssen) of Lyria, and three original characters not featured in the books: Lydia (Aisha Fabienne Ross) Ba'Lian (Kevin Doyle), and Violet (Carmel Laniado).