The universe of The Witcher has a bit of everything: monster hunters, sorceresses, mages, druids, and a variety of creatures and monsters, and while Geralt of Rivia is the main character, he’s not exactly the most powerful. Created by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is a series of novels and short stories that have branched out to other media, most notably video games, thanks to its popularity and loyal fanbase around the world. The books were adapted into a movie and a TV series in Poland in 2001 and 2002, and an English language adaptation finally arrived in December 2019 thanks to Netflix. The streaming giant was well aware of the popularity of the books and video games and renewed the series for a second season before the first one came out.
What made Netflix’s The Witcher stand out was its (sometimes confusing) narrative, as the writers decided to focus on three different characters whose stories took place in different places and points in time, with their paths converging towards the end of the season. These characters are Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), an enhanced monster hunter and the title witcher; Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress with a complicated past; and Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra who has powers of her own. Geralt is known as a very powerful witcher and is sought by many to help them get rid of a variety of creatures, but he isn’t the most powerful character in this universe.
Geralt is the powerful witcher he is thanks to his training and the numerous mutations he went through, which granted him superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, immunity to diseases and many poisons and potions, and accelerated healing. However, there are other characters in the world of The Witcher who have displayed a variety of abilities that make them stronger and more powerful than Geralt, though when it comes to choosing who is the most powerful of all, there’s some debate among fans.
Many argue that Vilgefortz (played by Mahesh Jadu in the Netflix series) is the most powerful character in The Witcher, as he’s a mage known to be “incredibly talented” and at one point defeated Geralt. Vilgefortz appeared in The Witcher season 1, and fans are hoping the series will tell his story as it is in the books, where he becomes one of the most memorable villains. Others believe Yennefer is the most powerful character in The Witcher, especially in her Netflix version, which saw her channeling chaos and using it against the Nilfgaardian army at the end of season 1. However, the most powerful character might actually be Ciri, whose powers were only starting to blossom in season 1. As the daughter of Pavetta and Duny (who, at least in the books, was actually Emhyr var Emreis), she has Elder Blood and was revealed to be a Source during her training with Triss Merigold. A Source is a person with a natural affinity for magical abilities that once they bloom are quite difficult to control. If a Source doesn’t receive help and training, they can develop mental illness like catatonia, which is why Triss asked Yennefer for help to train the young Princess thanks to her control of chaos.
What stops Ciri from being generally considered the most powerful character in The Witcher is that she hasn’t learned to reach and seize her full potential, but she can easily take the #1 spot on the list of most powerful characters with her abilities. The Witcher season 2 is set to cover Ciri’s training at Kaer Morhen, and if the series follows the same path as the books, this will be the season where Ciri and viewers learn more about her nature as a Source.