Netflix's Shadow & Bone adaptation has Ben Barnes playing General Kirigan rather than calling him the Darkling, so why has his identity been changed? Netflix has released character posters and images from Shadow & Bone, ahead of the fantasy series' release on April 23, 2021. Fans of Leigh Bardugo's trilogy of the same name can get acquainted with characters like Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) and Malyen Oretsev (Archie Renaux), but they may notice that a key character, named the Darkling, is missing.

In Bardugo's Shadow & Bone books, the Darkling is the powerful leader of the Grisha -  people who practice the Small Science, this world's form of magic. He is the only Grisha who can summon and manipulate darkness. His ancestor, the Black Heretic, created a swath of darkness known as the Shadow Fold across the country of Ravka, and it has plagued its people for generations. The Darkling wants to reverse this tragedy with the help of Alina's sun summoning powers, and he mentors her as she enters the world of the Grisha.

Related: Everything We Know So Far About Netflix's Shadow & Bone

Fans of Bardugo's work know that, like many other characters in these novels, there is more to the Darkling than meets the eye. Showrunner Eric Heisserer's choice to name the Darkling General Kirigan helps stave off some of these reveals and makes sense with the wide scope of the show. Heisserer is adapting not only Bardugo's Shadow & Bone trilogy, but its companion series, the Six of Crows duology as well. This new approach changes many things from the books, including the shift from Darkling to General Kirigan.

ben Barnes in Shadow and Bone

The largest reason why the Darkling would go by General Kirigan in Shadow & Bone is to conceal his identity and powers as best as he can. The Black Heretic's legacy is one of darkness and destruction, a legacy which weighs on the Darkling in the books. In going by General Kirigan, he distances himself from the Black Heretic's actions and brings the focus to his role as leader of the Second Army, the army of the Grisha. The Grisha are trying to figure out how to stop the spread of the Shadow Fold, a course of action spearheaded by General Kirigan himself. This will both help the people of Ravka and allow Kirigan to right the wrongs of the Black Heretic.

The choice to adapt two of Bardugo's series also means that Shadow & Bone will feature more points of view, all of whom may see General Kirigan differently. The Shadow & Bone trilogy is written completely from Alina's perspective, but the addition of the Six of Crows characters and the potential for more points of view from other Shadow & Bone characters means that the Darkling will be seen in a number of different ways. The title of General Kirigan allows him to remain somewhat concealed while also representing Ravka and the Grisha.

This is not to say there is no precedent for General Kirigan in Bardugo's books. A minor character named Count Kirigin appears in the third Grishaverse duology, King of Scars. Despite the small difference in spelling, using the name Kirigan to disguise the Darkling is a nice nod to later books, as well as a promise to devoted readers that Shadow & Bone respects its source material while still changing it and making it its own.

Next: Every New Show Releasing On Netflix In 2021