Summary

  • The Dark One in The Wheel of Time remains a mysterious and hidden antagonist, capable of appearing in dreams and manipulating events from behind the scenes.
  • Despite being trapped in a prison, the Dark One has a vast network of allies and minions who carry out his plans, making him a formidable opponent.
  • The Dark One's ultimate goal is to destroy the Wheel and reshape the world in his image, and his presence will continue to grow as the series progresses, posing a threat to the major characters.

The Dark One in The Wheel of Time is the mysterious villain at the center of Amazon Prime Video's series, and audiences have wondered exactly who he is since the beginning. The main antagonist remains an ambiguous figure into the second season of the series, but his past and future are complex, and he has an army ready for an epic confrontation. This makes him a dangerous opponent for The Wheel of Time's major players and ensures that he will be a prominent figure throughout the series. Based on Robert Jordan's 14-novel saga, The Wheel of Time is a classic fantasy tale of good versus evil.

The series follows a group led by Moraine Damodred, who is searching for the Dragon Reborn, a prophesized figure that will be able to face off against the Dark One and prevent the Breaking of the World. However, when Moraine finds her Dragon Reborn and faces the Dark One, she realizes too late this is not the Dark One but one of his lieutenants. Into the second season, The Dark One remains a hidden antagonist, a threat that has lingered off-screen instead of one that The Wheel of Time's characters have encountered directly. Still, his presence looms over the series and that will only grow as the series goes on.

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Everything We Know About The Dark One So Far

The Dark One Mostly Remains A Mystery

A closeup of Logain with a thread of the One Power in front of his face in The Wheel of Time

In season 1 of The Wheel of Time, very little is revealed about the Dark One. For the most part, the Dark One’s minions do his bidding for him, but it’s clear that he has a vast network of allies to carry out his plans. The eyeless Fade leading the Trollocs to Emond's Field is just one of the weapons the Dark One has at his disposal and seeing as he is still trapped in a prison made for him thousands of years ago, it's clear that they are valuable assets in executing his plans. The Dark One may not be able to directly reach the physical world himself, but he is able to appear in the dreams of many.

In The Wheel of Time season 1, episode 2, the Dark One appears to Rand, Perrin, Mat, and Egwene in their dreams. Depicted as a charred figure with flames in his mouth and eyes, the Dark One attacks Rand after he pulls a dead bat out of his mouth. When he awakes, the ground in front of Rand and the group's camp is littered with bats. This makes it clear that, despite being trapped in a prison made by the Aes Sedai, magic-wielders in The Wheel of Time, the Dark One is still able to touch the lives of those he is trying to reach.

By the end of The Wheel of Time's first season, this was more clear than ever. When Rand and Moiraine entered the Eye of the World, they thought they saw The Dark One, as he made his first actual appearance in the series. However, this was not The Dark One. It was Ishamael, a member of the Forsaken who serves the Dark One. It turned out that for the entire first season, Ishamael impersonated The Dark One. This meant that the show was still withholding the Dark One from The Wheel of Time until later in the series. In the second season, it was revealed that the Black Ajah have sworn their allegiance to The Dark One, so he is still coming.

HOW TO WATCH: Stream Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime Video

Who Is The Dark One In Wheel Of Time Books?

The Books Reveal The Dark One's True Name

A Trolloc Army runs through the woods in The Wheel of Time .

In The Wheel of Time book series, the Dark One’s true name is Shai’tan, but people rarely speak it in fear that they evoke his presence. This leads to him being referred to by many other names throughout the series including Father of Lies, Sightblinder, Soulsbane, and Lighteater. He is also referred to as Ba’alzamon in the books, although this is a misconception as that name belongs to another of his allies. Still, like the Creator, the Dark One is an eons-old being whose goal is to destroy the Wheel and remake the world in his image.

At the beginning of The Wheel of Time series, the Dark One is imprisoned, but his shackles are loosening and he is fighting his way out in the hopes of inciting another Breaking of the World to remake the World of the Wheel in his own image. He had previously fought against the last Dragon Reborn, Lews Therin Telamon, and it is implied that he has fought many Dragons throughout history. Now that he is imprisoned, though, he must fight the current Dragon through his proxies - the Forsaken, the Trollocs and Fades, and Darkfriends.

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Dark One’s Story & Future In Wheel Of Time Explained

The Wheel Of Time Series Changes A Lot From The Books

The cast of The Wheel of Time.

Throughout much of The Wheel of Time, the series' characters fight against allies of Shai’tan. Still, that doesn’t prevent the Dark One from haunting their dreams and attempting to bring them over to his side. By promising glory and riches beyond their wildest dreams, the Dark One and his Darkfriends hope to bring the Dragon Reborn to the side of evil and turn the world on its head. Although The Wheel of Time has changed much from the books, it seems much of the Dark One's story will remain intact.

This means the Dark One won't appear much in The Wheel of Time at all, and the first season showed that The Wheel of Time would throw out misdirections to keep him a mystery. In the first novel, The Eye of the World, the Dark One does not appear in person, but he does face off with Rand at the climax of the novel. In seeking out the Eye of the World, Moiraine, Rand, and the rest of their group head to the Blight, a place controlled by Shai’tan. The Eye of the World itself contains one of the seven seals of the Dark One’s prison, and it is there that Rand is confronted by two of the Forsaken, Aginor, and Balthamel.

It is during his confrontation with the Forsaken, the most favored allies of the Dark One, that Rand meets the Dark One face-to-face in a battle for the first time. Of course, since the world of The Wheel of Time encompasses a total of 14 novels, there will be plenty more confrontations in the future as the Dark One shores up more power to fight against the Dragon Reborn and his allies. While The Wheel of Time's primary villain may not have much of a physical presence yet in the series, his villainy will be felt (and seen) through the various ways in which he tries to kill and entice those who seek to aid the Dragon Reborn.

  • Wheel of Time Season 2 Poster
    The Wheel of Time
    Release Date:
    2021-11-19
    Cast:
    Barney Harris, Zoe Robins, Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford, Daniel Henney, Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Kate Fleetwood, Priyanka Bose, Hammed Animashaun
    Genres:
    Adventure, Drama, Action, Fantasy
    Seasons:
    2
    Story By:
    Rafe Judkins
    Writers:
    Rafe Judkins, Robert Jordan, Michael Clarkson, Paul Clarkson, Celine Song
    Streaming Service(s):
    Prime Video
    Franchise(s):
    The Wheel of Time
    Showrunner:
    Rafe Judkins
    Directors:
    Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Thomas Napper
    Season List:
    The Wheel of Time - Season 1, The Wheel of Time - Season 2