Big changes are afoot in The Witcher Season 4, but maybe not for the reason many of us might think. Obviously, the most obvious shift is the identity of the show’s leading man, with The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth donning an especially dreadful Party City wig to replace the previous (and generally perfect) Geralt, Henry Cavill. But, if the first trailer is anything to go by, the identity of the man playing the White Wolf may not be as important as we think. Because it no longer looks as though Geralt’s the most important character in this story.
That honor now seems to belong to Princess Cirilla of Cintra. Granted, Ciri has always been pivotal to the story The Witcher is telling; over the course of the series thus far, she’s been positioned as everything from a political symbol to a prophesied savior. Nations have argued over who has the right to possess her, and armies have assembled to kidnap, retrieve, or otherwise claim her and her birthright. But Season 3 finally allowed Ciri to make her own choices, wrestling with questions of leadership, fate, loyalty, and whether anyone can—or should—stay neutral in the face of injustice.
The Witcher’s third season ended with Ciri once again on the run, donning the new identity of Falka, and joining a group of misfit teens known as the Rats. Having been forced to learn how to stand on her own — not to mention survive being portaled to the brutal Korath Desert — the Princess of Cintra certainly feels as though she’s well on her way to becoming her own hero. And that seems to be exactly where Season 4 is headed.
Sure, the trailer tells us that Geralt is putting together a ragtag team of friends to help him track down his missing Child of Surprise. But it’s likely he’s headed in the wrong direction, chasing the false Ciri who has been raised up by Emhyr. And with other factions also searching for her, the real princess seems as though she’s going to have to find a way to save herself.
