The Witcher: Blood Origin could perfectly set up The Witcher season 2. Season 1 introduced the audience to Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), a monster hunter and slayer, Princess “Ciri” Cirilla of Cintra (Freya Allen), the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and the tension rife throughout the Continent’s sociopolitical landscape. With Blood Origin announced to take place 1,200 years before the events of its parent series, the prequel can explore and introduce characters and backstory that will further the plot of The Witcher.
The Witcher season 1 laid the groundwork for the characters, their backstories, and the turmoil within the Continent, a lot of which dates back to centuries-old conflicts and divisions between the various kingdoms and factions, including the Brotherhood of Sorcerers, an organization that trains mages like Yennefer before assigning them to different kingdoms. Blood Origin will follow Éile (Jodie Turner-Smith), a warrior and Queen’s guardian who leaves her former life behind to follow a different dream. The series will also tell the story of the first prototype Witcher and the lead-up to the “conjunction of the spheres,” which is an event that led to the merging of worlds separating elves, humans, and monsters.
Considering that Blood Origin will be taking a deep dive into the past, the series could explore more of the elven world and the origin of the conflict between the elves and humans. It’s a topic that was introduced but barely examined within the framework of The Witcher. The conjunction of spheres merging the worlds is what ultimately led to the tension between the two, with the humans’ conquering of the land leading many of the elves to retreat. There’s room for further exploration of this conflict in season 2 of The Witcher, but the prequel can further explain their history so that the parent show can hit the ground running.
What’s more, The Witcher season 2 is expected to introduce Vesemir, Geralt’s mentor and the oldest and most experienced witcher to date. Blood Origin’s prototype witcher storyline could give fans a taste of how Vesemir even came to be in the first place. There’s a lot to mine from this storyline, especially since Vesemir is expected to play a crucial role in The Witcher. Who was his predecessor and how did the prototype witcher pave the way for Vesemir?
That is a question the prequel can answer, which can then set up Geralt and Ciri’s arrival at Kaer Morhen, the witchers’ ancestral home, in season 2. Finally, Blood Origin can introduce immortal/long-living creatures like the bruxae, who are vampire-like monsters. The bruxae are expected to show up in season 2 of The Witcher with the arrival of Vereena, a bruxa. Perhaps the prequel series can provide their origin story, which could then connect directly with The Witcher season 2.
While there’s a lot of potential for Blood Origin to seamlessly segue into The Witcher season 2, it’s currently unclear when it will premiere on Netflix. The Witcher, which faced months of delays last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is expected to debut at some point in 2021. If season 2 drops before Blood Origin (and it likely will), the potential for the prequel to act as a bridge between The Witcher’s first and second seasons will be lost. Regardless, Blood Origin will likely be replete with details that will expand upon The Witcher’s storytelling and characters, bringing the history of the witchers, elves, and monsters that make up the Continent into much sharper focus.