An update regarding The Witcher season 3’s fight scenes already makes the show's next chapter more exciting. With Henry Cavill exiting The Witcher after season 3, the next season of Netflix’s adaptation of the Witcher books will have to leave a strong impression. Liam Hemsworth will replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season 4, and whether the recast will work probably depends on how well received The Witcher season 3 will be. Considering how divisive The Witcher season 2 was, season 3 has to nail the story and the visuals to recapture what made The Witcher season 1 so good.

Thanks to the Witcher books and the Witcher games, audiences had a certain expectation regarding Netflix’s The Witcher fight scenes – and season 1 delivered. More specifically, the Geralt-centered fights in The Witcher season 1, particularly the Blaviken and Court Room ones, were a highlight of the show. None of The Witcher season 2 fight scenes managed to be as remarkable as those two, but now Henry Cavill has confirmed (via Happy Sad Confused) that Wolfgang Stegemann, who was the stunt coordinator for the Blaviken fight and had previously worked with Cavill in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, is returning for The Witcher season 3 after not being involved with season 2. This suggests that The Witcher season 3 will represent a welcome return to form.

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The Witcher Season 2’s Fight Scenes Couldn’t Match Season 1’s

The Witcher season 2 Geralt Vesemir crossing swords

Perhaps what set The Witcher season 1 apart from other popular high fantasy universes like Game of Thrones was how it combined compelling characters with intense, inventive fight sequences in almost every episode. Given the episodic nature of The Last Witch, the book that served as the main source of inspiration for The Witcher season 1, it was expected that the show would feature at least one major fight scene in every episode. While not every Geralt fight sequence in season 1 was as good as the Blaviken and Striga ones, the first season left a strong impression and increased expectations for what The Witcher season 2 could deliver.

However, although The Witcher season 2 was supposed to have higher stakes than the previous season, the fight scenes did not live up to what season 1 had featured. A lot of The Witcher season 2 fight scenes involved CG creatures, which by itself reduces the choreography possibilities and ends up relying on how good the visual effects will be. For example, Geralt and the other Witchers fighting the Leshy at the beginning of The Witcher season 2 would never have the same impact as Geralt fighting several human opponents in a most practical one-shot sequence. Similarly, Ciri fighting the Witchers in season 2’s finale had just too much going on.

Why The Witcher Season 3’s Fight Scenes Can Be Better Than Season 2’s

Henry Cavill in The Witcher Season 1 Netflix

One of the most promising The Witcher season 3 teases is that Blaviken’s fight stunt coordinator Wolfgang Stegemann will not only return for the show but will also have an extended role. Stegemann was only involved in a couple of scenes in The Witcher season 2, but now Henry Cavill confirmed that they “got to do a whole season together”. Also according to Cavill, The Witcher season 3 has “a lot of action.” Obviously, a satisfying fight scene does not depend on the stunt coordinator only, as every good fight sequence also relies on the writing, the direction, and the performances. Still, having the stunt coordinator behind the Blaviken fight back for season 3 is promising.

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