A solid theory postulates that a missing Wheel of Time character will steal the role of a major hero from the second book. Elyas Machera, a Wolfbrother connected to Perrin’s story, has yet to appear in Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s books but will be on hand when the show returns. Gary Beadle has been cast as the character and is slated to debut as Elyas in season 2.
Elyas is remembered as the character who introduces the Wolfbrother concept. Through him, readers learned the truth about Perrin’s connection to wolves. Curiously, Wheel of Time season 1 didn’t show or even tease Elyas’ introduction, but it’s become apparent that he will be involved in the next chapter of the characters’ stories. Based on the direction of the series, the events of The Great Hunt, the second book in Jordan’s critically acclaimed series, will be the focus of the story for at least part of season 2. As for Elyas’ part in it, there’s a good chance he’ll be filling the shoes of an important Great Hunt character.
Elyas Machera Joining Wheel of Time Season 2 Makes Major Book Changes Inevitable
It’s important to note that after season 1, Elyas doesn’t have an obvious place in Amazon’s take on the Wheel of Time saga. After all, the show already moved on from the portion of the story where Elyas was brought into the fold. In The Eye of the World, Egwene and Perrin came across Elyas after the two became separated from Moraine’s group during the fight at Shadar Logoth and before their encounter with the Tuatha’an. In other words, had the show gone by the books, Elyas would have appeared in Wheel of Time season 1, episode 3.
With Beadle joining Wheel of Time’s cast in season 2, more changes to the source material are now bound to happen. Not only has the show passed the point where Elyas was meant to cross paths with Perrin, but he wasn’t in The Great Hunt (or most of the other books, for that matter.) In fact, Elyas didn’t return until the 14th and final installment in the book series, A Memory of Light. With that in mind, any role season 2 gives the character will be an invention of the series.
Elyas Could Fit Into Wheel of Time Season 2 (By Stealing Hurin’s Role)
Whatever purpose Elyas winds up serving in season 2, it’s all but guaranteed to revolve around Perrin. His importance to the books is defined by his Wolfbrother powers and the part he plays in Perrin’s journey of self-discovery. Perrin still doesn’t fully understand what he’s going through, hence why Elyas’ debut is still needed. Because of the answers Elyas can provide, it stands to reason he’ll be incorporated into the arc Wheel of Time season 2 chooses for Perrin, which is set up to be the search for Padan Fain. In the book, Perrin was among the characters who took off after Fain when he fled Fal Dara with the Horn of Valere and the ruby-hilted dagger.
Interestingly, Wheel of Time already has a good reason to bring Elyas along for Perrin’s adventure, though making this work would come at the cost of another character. In The Great Hunt, Hurin was one of the main characters in its Horn of Valere story. Hurin was a sniffer, a person with the power to smell violence, and in turn, the person who perpetrated it. Hurin’s main job in The Great Hunt was to help the search party track Fain. His sniffer ability was integral to their efforts, but if Elyas is around, his inclusion shouldn’t be necessary.
As a Wolfbrother, Elyas has the tools to perform the same task that Hurin was needed for in The Great Hunt. Wolves are adept at hunting and tracking, which means Elyas can use that link to guide the search party in the right direction as they look for Fain. How useful Elyas can be is proven by Perrin’s own role in The Great Hunt’s story. After Hurin was separated from the group, Ingtar and the others began relying more on Perrin, who used his Wolfbrother powers to complete what Hurin started. Due to the uses that come with this ability, it’s entirely possible that the Shienarans will hire Elyas Machera – and not Hurin – to help them retrieve the Horn of Valere in Wheel of Time season 2.
Wheel of Time Still Hasn’t Officially Cast Hurin For Season 2
Adding fuel to the theory that Hurin is getting cut in favor of Elyas Machera is the fact that no actor has been officially cast in the role yet. Actors have already announced for several of the major additions for season 2, including Elayne Trakand, Ingtar, Masema, Aviendha, and more. But in spite of him having a large part to play in The Great Hunt’s story, no actor is attached to the role of Hurin. That on its own proves nothing, of course, as there’s also no confirmation on who’s playing Verin, Selene, or Gawyn either. However, it goes hand-in-hand with the idea that he could easily be swapped with Elyas.
Hurin Is A Huge Book 2 Character, But The Show Doesn’t Need Him
Further reducing his relevance to season 2’s story is what the show is doing with Rand. In the book, Hurin was one of two characters – the other being Loial – to join Rand when the latter was split off from Ingtar’s group. The trio shared a long adventure in The Great Hunt, but getting this to happen in the show may not be feasible since The Wheel of Time has already isolated Rand by having him go off his own instead of returning to Fal Dara along with everyone else. With Elyas featuring in season 2 and Rand unlikely to join the search, The Wheel of Time could remove Hurin from the story entirely.
Replacing Hurin with Elyas would deprive the show of a major character from The Great Hunt, but the move makes sense for the series regardless. There’s no question of Hurin’s importance to the book, though admittedly, that was the extent of its relevance. The ending of the book hinted at a bright future for Hurin when a resurrected Artur Hawkwing commented on the possibility of Hurin becoming one of the Heroes of the Horn one day, but this tease never amounted to anything. Hurin never returned after The Great Hunt, with his death relegated to a vision experienced by Rand in A Memory of Light.
As someone who was only a key character in one book, Hurin is someone The Wheel of Time doesn’t really need. The same could technically be said for Elyas, but at least by using him, the series can succeed in fleshing out a major corner of its world. In contrast to what the show can do, The Eye of the World only used Elyas for a few chapters before writing him out of the story. The TV series, on the other hand, would be in a position to give him significant screentime - if it’s true that he’s taking Hurin’s role. Taking this route would allow the show to reveal a great deal about the Wolfbrothers and the culture of the wolves.