Netflix's The Witcher season 2 is already confirmed, and fans have begun debating which monsters will make an appearance in the show's second spin around the Continent. A lot of that will depend on how The Witcher plots out its second season now that it has exhausted a lot of the short story material provided by author Andrzej Sapkowski prior to the events of the Witcher Saga, the series of novels that follows Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri as they learn what destiny has in store for the trio.
Less of a short story focus could mean fewer monsters in general, since the episodic nature of the show, combined with the complicated timeline exploration, allowed The Witcher season 1 to pick and choose which sorts of creatures it wanted to populate its world with at leisure. With a tighter tale intersecting between the three major characters of The Witcher, it could be difficult to find time for Geralt's hunts, though flashbacks could always be used to pad out some of the narrative and provide fans with the swordplay and monster hunting that made The Witcher such a success on Netflix.
It wouldn't be The Witcher without Geralt the monster-slayer, though, and there are some strong choices - either from the books or from the games that preceded the Netflix series - that would be huge draws for the second season. Here's our pick for monsters to look for in The Witcher season 2.
Doppler
The Witcher season 1 already featured an appearance from a Doppler, the one that took Mousesack's form and attempted to kidnap Ciri for Nilfgaard. Fans will also note that said Doppler managed to get away once it attempted to betray its benefactors, meaning it's still very much out in the wild, with a seething hatred of both Nilfgaard and Ciri to complement its desire to kill humans. There's a very strong chance this thread gets picked up again in The Witcher season 2 and fans should keep an eye out for any signs of a silver-hating human when the series returns.
Mermaid
Yes, mermaids exist in The Witcher. In fact, one of the short stories that wasn't explored this season details Geralt's involvement in an adventure very similar to The Little Mermaid. If Netflix's The Witcher continues breaking up its larger narrative with shorts, there's a strong chance the tale of the mermaid Sh'eenaz makes it into season 2.
Griffin
Griffins are staples of fantasy lore and make for extremely difficult foes for witchers. If The Witcher's season 2 pads out its narrative with some monster fights that aren't based on the books, a griffin could make for a nice inclusion, offering some aerial combat visuals that the first season didn't get to explore much of.
Leshen
The most iconic inclusion in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was the Leshen, a terrifying monster with a deer skull for a face and a reputation as a witcher-killer (alongside everything else it comes across). With Netflix's The Witcher leading to a new all-time peak concurrent player count for The Witcher 3 on Steam a full five years after that title first released, it seems like a safe bet that the second season will be eyeing a few more tie-ins to the games. There would be no better moment to unite fans of both the show and the games than Geralt of Rivia staring down a Leshen.