The Witcher season 3 promises to test the neutral stance of Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia, but what does that mean for the Netflix show?
Throughout the thrilling narrative of The Witcher’s first two seasons, one thing has remained constant – Geralt’s perennial neutrality towards warfare and political conflicts, deliberately distancing himself from their influence. However, lead actor Henry Cavill shed light on some of the transformations his character, Geralt of Rivia, undergoes going into The Witcher season 3.
The Witcher star Cavill acknowledges that Geralt has typically been “very nonchalant about these threats of war and famine and the end times.” In The Witcher season 3, an epic battle for liberation ensues among the elves, while conflicts between powerful mages escalate to dangerous levels. Nevertheless, Cavill believes that Geralt has faced much worse before, so he’s like, “Look. I’ve been there, done that. It’s not the end times. It’s just going to be another fight.”
However, The Witcher season 3 presents the biggest test yet to his unwavering neutrality as Geralt fights to keep Ciri, his child of surprise, safe. “Now, there is a real threat,” Cavill said to Netflix’s Tudum about the imminent danger facing Ciri (Freya Allan). The Witcher season 2’s gripping finale uncovered that Ciri’s true father is The White Flame, and the entire continent is hellbent on finding her to control her tremendous power or prevent their enemies from getting it. “It’s genuine; it’s no longer theoretical — it’s practical. And it’s very, very dangerous. They are walking into the lion’s den everywhere they go,” Cavill teases.
While he’s mostly been a lone wolf, Cavill feels that Geralt has taken to fatherhood “like a fish to water.” Thus, Ciri being targeted has altered his perspective on things, with everyone expecting him to relinquish his neutrality on war and political affairs. Throughout the series, fans witnessed Geralt and Ciri standing up for one another, battling side by side, and remaining steadfastly united. “It’s quite lovely to see that underneath this cynical, acerbic, walls-up kind of nature is actually a very loving core,” Cavill emphasizes.
Despite everyone’s expectations of Ciri and the looming danger changing Geralt’s entire perspective, Cavill maintains that the White Wolf will steadfastly uphold his neutral moral stance. “It’s still very much intact,” Cavill said. “Geralt has seen how politics work out. A lot of it’s incredibly selfish. No matter which side anyone’s on, they’re doing the thing for them. He’s like, ‘Why would I pick a side when the same thing’s going to happen?'”
The Witcher season 3 is undoubtedly going to evoke mixed emotions among ardent admirers of Cavill’s remarkable portrayal of the titular monster hunter, as it’s his final stint as Geralt of Rivia, with Liam Hemsworth taking on the role from season 4. According to showrunner Lauren Hissrich, the season is the heroic sendoff Cavill deserves. She says, “Geralt’s big turn is about giving up neutrality and doing anything that he has to do to get to Ciri. And to me, it’s the most heroic sendoff that we could have, even though it wasn’t written to be that.”
