After a long wait, Netflix fantasy series The Witcher is getting ready for a winter return with a new season 2 trailer. Henry Cavill returns as Geralt of Rivia, a mutant monster-hunter who finds himself protecting and mentoring the young Princess Cirilla, a girl harboring a great power that even she doesn't yet understand.
Based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher was adapted for TV by Lauren Hissrich and premiered on Netflix in December 2019. Like many TV shows, The Witcher season 2's production was waylaid by the coronavirus pandemic, but it is now set for release on December 17, 2021. The announcement was accompanied by a new poster and trailer for The Witcher season 2, which offer a look at the next chapter of the story as Geralt tries to keep Ciri safe and offer her support as she seeks out the truth about herself.
The latest trailer is packed with details that are sure to excite fans of the books, and which also take inspiration from the series of Witcher video games made by CD Projekt RED. Here are the biggest Easter eggs, story reveals and secrets from the Witcher season 2 trailer.
Much More Than Destiny
As part of the process of becoming a witcher, witchers become infertile. Geralt is unique, therefore, in accidentally finding a loophole and acquiring a daughter through other means. As established in The Witcher season 1, Ciri became Geralt's through an ancient set of rules called the Law of Surprise, in which someone who has done a favor can ask for repayment in the form of something that the other person didn't know they had. After saving Ciri's father, Duny, from being killed by the family of Ciri's mother, Pavetta, Geralt was asked what he wanted as a reward and casually invoked the Law of Surprise. Since Duny hadn't been aware that Pavetta was pregnant, their unborn child became Geralt's by right, and he and Ciri were drawn inexorably together. Ciri's question to Geralt - "So, I'm your destiny?" - is lifted from a key scene in the book, when she and Geralt first meet, and Geralt's reply - "Much More" - was the title of The Witcher's season 1 finale.
Welcome To Kaer Morhen
Though Geralt spent The Witcher season 1 wandering freely across the Continent and never settling anywhere, he does have a home: Kaer Morhen, the fortress of the witchers who (like Geralt) belong to the School of the Wolf. This is where children are brought and subjected to the trials that will determine whether or not they have what it takes to become a witcher. The majority of those who are tested die during the trials, but those who survive become fully-fledged witchers and come to view Kaer Morhen as their true home. The Witcher season 2 trailer indicates that a lot of the season will be spent with Ciri and Geralt in Kaer Morhen, as Ciri tries to hide from the forces that are hunting her.
The Other Witchers
Upon his arrival at Kaer Morhen, Geralt is enthusiastically greeted by other witchers from the School of the Wolf. The witcher that he tightly embraces is Lambert (Paul Bullion), and the scar-faced witcher who takes a close interest in Ciri is Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz). Another witcher of note who is present to greet Geralt is Coen (Yasen Atour). The Witcher season 2 promises to show another side to Geralt, who has thus far only been seen when he is out in the world and perpetually on his guard, but now may let that guard down a little when surrounded by the closest thing he has to a family.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Swords
While at Kaer Morhen, Ciri is shown exploring a room with books and weaponry. Among the weapons she sees are two swords that are lifted from the video game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Traditionally, witchers always carry two swords: steel for killing humans and non-magical creatures, and silver for killing monsters. The sword on the bottom is Geralt's steel sword, as seen in promotional materials for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, while the sword on top is the silver Viper sword (recognizable by the snake on the pommel). While The Witcher is based directly on the books rather than the games, it appears that season 2 will feature a number of Easter eggs like this that directly reference the popular action-adventure game series.
Burn The Whole World
The Witcher season 1 offered a glimpse of the power inside Ciri. While fleeing Cintra and being pursued by the Black Knight of Nilfgaard, she unleashed her abilities and cracked the ground between them, giving herself time to escape. Later, when a group of men were trying to capture her in exchange for a bounty, Ciri lost control and recited a prophecy as she let her powers loose once again. When she regained consciousness, the men who had been trying to attack her were all dead - thrown in different directions and impaled on tree branches. In the trailer for The Witcher season 2, Ciri confesses to Geralt that when she finds herself becoming truly afraid she feels that she could "burn the whole world." And despite Geralt's best efforts to protect her, Ciri may well need to use her powers again.
Black-Eyed Geralt
Like all witchers, Geralt is able to enhance his body through the use of herbs and potions, in order to be more evenly matched again supernatural threats. The trailer for The Witcher season 2 shows a pale and black-eyed Geralt, similar to how he appeared in his very first fight of the Netflix series. While under the influence of this potion, Geralt has enhanced strength, speed and healing abilities, and in this particular shot it looks as though he's defending Kaer Morhen itself from a monster attack.
The Shivering Medallions
Geralt's wolf medallion isn't just for show. Witcher medallions are attuned to magic, and will vibrate in the presence of unnatural things like curses and monsters. One shot of The Witcher season 2's trailer shows various witcher medallions hanging up by a fire, presumably in Kaer Morhen, and all beginning to vibrate simultaneously. Together with the shots of Geralt fighting in the grounds of Kaer Morhen, it seems likely that Nilfgaard will track Ciri down to the witcher fortress and use its considerable forces of magic to try and capture her.
A Glimpse Of Vesemir
A key character from the Witcher books and games who did not appear in the first season of the show is Vesemir, the oldest living witcher and Geralt's mentor. In The Witcher season 2, Vesemir will be played by Kim Bodnia and is seen at several points in the trailer, though his face is obscured. In one scene, he watches Geralt jumping across a series of training posts in Kaer Morhen. In another, he and Geralt are seen fighting back-to-back inside the fortress. Geralt also references his old mentor in the trailer's dialogue, telling someone (presumably Ciri) that "Vesemir said that the world outside these walls is a dangerous place."
Jaskier's Feathered Hat
Jaskier is Geralt's old friend and the author of the incredibly catchy song "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher." The bard is seen in only one, brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot in the trailer for The Witcher season 2, but that shot is enough to confirm that he'll finally get to wear one of his most iconic fashion pieces from the books and games: a hat with an egret feather in it. A version of Jaskier's feathered hat was considered for The Witcher season 1 but never actually used. This shot also reveals that Jaskier will finally be aged up a little - a change that is overdue, since in The Witcher season 1 many years passed without Jaskier visibly getting any older.
Yennefer In Nilfgaard's Clutches
After unleashing the full power of her magic in the final battle of The Witcher season 1, Yennefer was nowhere to be found and it was unclear whether or not she'd even survived. Tissaia de Vries is shown frantically searching for Yenner in the aftermath of the battle, but it's not until the end of The Witcher season 2 trailer that her fate is finally revealed. Yennefer has been captured by Fringilla, the sorceress who serves Nilfgaard and leads the magical branch of their armed forces. Though Nilfgaard has suffered a defeat, it's unlikely to slow the relentless march of the empire down for long, and with Yennefer in their clutches they could attempt to use her powers for their own purposes.