Season 2 of The Witcher will introduce new witchers, and here are the ones confirmed. Based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher was released on Netflix in December 2019. The series was one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and it might be Netflix’s biggest first TV season ever. The streaming giant knew what it had in The Witcher, and renewed it for a second season before the first one was released.
The Witcher follows the stories of three characters, set in different points in time, and which converge at the end of season 1. Those characters are Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), an enhanced monster hunter; Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress; and Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra and who has powers she’s still getting to know. The world of The Witcher is very extensive, with a lot of mythical creatures and many more sorcerers, mages, and witchers than season 1 introduced and teased.
Season 2 will welcome a lot of new characters, both new and from the books, among those more witchers – because Geralt might be the best, but he’s not the only one. As it has been teased that season 2 will see Geralt training Ciri, that will make way for the introduction of more witchers, something that showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has said she’s excited about. So far, four other witchers have been confirmed to appear in season 2, including their mentor – and here’s who they are.
Lambert (Paul Bullion)
Lambert is one of the younger witchers from Kaer Morhen, an old keep where witchers were trained. Lambert is one of the last ones to be trained there and made his first appearance in the book Blood Elves, where he trained Ciri in fencing, and later showed up in Time of Contempt, The Tower of the Swallow, and The Lady of the Lake. Like most characters from The Witcher, he’s best known for his role in the video games, which have expanded his story a bit more. Lambert can be found in The Witcher, The Price of Neutrality (premium module), The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (where he appeared in a dream), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and is mentioned in the comic book The Witcher: Of Flesh and Flame.
Lambert is known for his impatience and attitude, and he’s pretty ill-mannered, being particularly rude towards Triss Merigold, though in the video game The Witcher he helped her when she was wounded by a wizard. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expanded on his backstory and gave some context for why he’s so rude: like many other witchers, he didn’t choose to be one. When he was a child, his father was abusive towards him and his mother, and one day he stumbled onto a Nekker’s nest. A witcher saved his life and invoked the law of surprise, demanding the first thing the father would see yet not expect when returning home. Lambert will be played by Paul Bullion, best known for playing Billy Kitchen in Peaky Blinders.
Eskel (Thue Ersted Rasmussen)
Eskel was one of Vesemir’s apprentices at Kaer Morhen, and though he’s not as famous as Geralt, he did become very well-known thanks to his professionalism, reliability, and for his kind and relaxed disposition. He grew up with Geralt and are like brothers, so much that many think they look alike, except for Geralt’s white hair and the large scar across Eskel’s face. He made his debut in The Last Wish and met Ciri in Blood of Elves, where the young princess initially thought he was a monster due to his scars. Eskel appears in all video games of The Witcher, including The Price of Neutrality.
Eskel helps train Ciri and becomes very worried after she begins having trances as a result of an accidental sip of White Gull. He gained respect and recognition thanks to his experience and skill, and from saving a little girl from a basilisk by splitting it down the stomach and getting her out – a story that made it to the book A Few Remarks on Basilisks and Cockatrices in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Eskel will be played by Danish actor Thue Ersted Rasmussen, who is best known for his roles in various Scandinavian TV shows, and will play a character named Otto in F9.
Coën (Yasen Atour)
Coën is another young witcher from Kaer Morhen, who spends his first winter there when Ciri is in the keep. Because of that, they bond quickly and he helps her train in sword combat. Coën is an unusual witcher as he has scars from early childhood diseases, meaning he was either trained later than most (as witchers are immunized) or he somehow contracted various diseases. Coën was introduced in Blood of Elves, and was only mentioned in The Witcher video game, so his story hasn’t been explored as deeply as Eskel and Lambert’s, but he didn’t have an easy life. He will be played by Yasen Atour, who has previously appeared in Ben-Hur and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, and will appear in the upcoming series Young Wallander.
Vesemir (Kim Bodnia)
Vesemir’s appearance is teased in season 1 of The Witcher when Geralt is reliving the moment his mother abandoned him and hears a voice saying “Geralt, I’ve been waiting for you”, causing him to call out the name of his mentor. Vesemir is the oldest and most experienced witcher at Kaer Morhen, and mentor and father figure to many witchers, among those Geralt and Eskel. Vesemir also has a role in training Ciri, as he teaches her about different monsters and herbs. His first appearance was in The Last Wish, and has showed up in almost every book and short story collection, as well as in the video games The Witcher, The Price of Neutrality, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Young Vesemir was voiced by Theo James (known for the Divergent films) in The Witcher season 1, but will be played by Danish actor Kim Bodnia in season 2. Bodnia is best known for his role in the Scandinavian series The Bridge, and plays Konstantin Vasiliev in Killing Eve. It’s unknown if more witchers will appear in season 2, but given the importance of these four characters in Geralt and Ciri’s stories, they might be the only ones introduced in the upcoming season.