Geralt of Rivia will have a different look in The Witcher season 2 – and here’s why. Based on the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher made its debut on Netflix in December 2019 and might be the streaming giant’s biggest first TV season ever. The Witcher is quite popular not only thanks to the books but to its video game adaptations as well, so Netflix knew exactly what it had on its hands, and decided to renew the series for a second season before the first one came out.
Netflix’s The Witcher approached Sapkowski’s stories a bit differently, and instead of just focusing on the journey of the title character, it follows the stories of three characters in different places and points in time. These characters are Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), an enhanced monster hunter; Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), a powerful sorceress with a tragic backstory; and Ciri (Freya Allan), the crown princess of Cintra. By the end of season 1, their paths converged, and while Yennefer’s fate was left unknown, Geralt and Ciri finally found each other, as they are bound by the Law of Surprise. The Witcher season 2 is now back in production after having to shut down temporarily due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the first photos of Geralt are now out, and he has a very different look.
Geralt’s new look is all about the armor, as he is now better equipped for new battles, with a stronger front piece, with special emphasis on the abs. The shoulders and upper arms have four layers now instead of two, yet they make room for more mobility as they are shorter pieces. The Witcher season 1 saw Geralt battling different types of monsters, and he wasn’t exactly protected at all times as he wore a pretty simple armor, which is also more reminiscent of the ones he uses in the video games. This new one is a major upgrade as it will definitely help him fight bigger threats (both humans and monsters), and because there’s a bigger emphasis on Cavill’s bulkier appearance, it also points at Ciri not being the only one in training.
With these new images also came the official synopsis for The Witcher season 2, confirming that Geralt will take Ciri to Kaer Morhen, where he (and other witchers, as are Eskel and Lambert) trained when he was young, and he might be up for learning a couple of new tricks as well. However, there might be more clues on why Geralt’s appearance will be different in season 2 in Henry Cavill’s message on Instagram. Cavill shared Geralt’s new look on his account, with a quote from the books that talks about “the White Wolf”, which is Geralt’s nickname, given to him due to his pale skin and white hair. The quote alludes to the “White Wolf” being on the hunt and thus being a threat that his enemies should look out for (“Tell them the Wolf bit them. The White Wolf. And add that they should keep glancing over their shoulders. One day they’ll look back and see the Wolf”). Geralt, then, might not be the hunted one as he was from the very beginning of The Witcher season 1, but instead he will be the hunter, which is very fitting as he’s now Ciri’s protector, and Ciri is not fully safe yet.
The Witcher season 2 is getting ready for more battles and as such its characters must be ready for them – Ciri will be trained by Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert, while the title witcher will also go through some changes in order to be better prepared for the battles to come, and that includes a new armor. The new design is also a hint at how Netflix is approaching the source material, as it differs from previous designs (including the ones in the video games), thus pointing at the streaming giant doing its own thing with the stories. As production has just re-started, it will be a while until fans of The Witcher get a proper look at what’s to come in season 2, but Geralt’s new armor is a good start.