Guide to ‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Cast & Characters

The Witcher, Netflix’s popular fantasy series, is back for its fourth season. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy book series, this series has no shortage of interesting and compelling characters with intersecting plotlines. In fact, the video game series from CD Projekt Red also based on the books is notorious for its massive number of side quests and characters.

With such deep source material, it can be really difficult to keep up with who everyone is and what they’re up to. Before you dive into The Witcher Season 4, check out this guide to all of the most important characters so far, plus a look at a few of the new characters and cast members that will be joining the show this season.

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Cast & Characters of ‘The Witcher’ Season 4

Here’s an overview of the main characters in The Witcher Season 4.

Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia

Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games, The Expendables 2, Independence Day Resurgence) is replacing Henry Cavill in the leading role as the titular, stoic witcher Geralt of Rivia for Season 4 after Cavill left the show, reportedly over creative differences and his busy schedule.

Known as the White Wolf, Geralt of Rivia is a monster hunter-for-hire called a “witcher.” Witchers are created at “witcher schools,” where they receive intensive training in combat skills, study the biology and history of monsters and are subjected to horrific mutational augmentation procedures that leave them with enhanced, superhuman strength, senses and lifespans. They can further enhance their powers through the use of special alchemical potions and are able to cast basic spells through magic signs.

Though witchers like Geralt are often called upon and paid to slay monsters that are plaguing towns or otherwise terrorizing the human residents of The Continent, they’re not considered to be fully human, and as a result are often feared, distrusted and subjected to prejudice by those same populations.

In the Netflix series, witchers are supposed to remain neutral, but Geralt is more morally complex, often following his own personal code that drives him to do the “right” thing. He quickly — and somewhat accidentally — becomes embroiled in the messy politics of a continental war between the Northern Kingdoms and the invading Nilfgaardian Empire when he is committed by fate to protect Ciri, a young princess with powerful arcane abilities, by the “Law of Surprise.”

Geralt also develops a complex romantic relationship with Yennefer of Vengerberg, one of the most powerful mages on The Continent, and the two end up becoming surrogate father and mother figures for Ciri, though Yennefer often makes decisions that bring trouble to the trio.

Geralt could easily have been written as a run-of-the-mill antihero protagonist, but the series (and the books it is based on) uses him to effectively explore deep themes, including the grey areas of morality, humanity and justice.

Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg

Yennefer is one of the most powerful mages alive and a romantic partner of Geralt’s. She’s a quarter-elf and was born with physical deformities, which led to her to become a social outcast in her childhood and eventually sold to Aretuza, the mage’s school where she would be trained in magic.

During her training, Yennefer enlisted the help of another mage to transform her physical appearance and eliminate her deformities, but at the cost of being rendered infertile for the rest of her life. She is haunted by her choice and its consequences throughout the series. Witchers are also infertile, and Geralt and Yennefer de-facto adopt Ciri as their own child later in the series, becoming her protectors and mentors.

Yennefer is a deeply ambitious and morally complex character, and some of her decisions during the series, such as making a deal with the Deathless Mother to regain her magic abilities after burning them out during the Battle of Sodden, lead to major problems for the trio.

The character is used to explore themes around identity, loss and the steep price of amassing power at any cost.

Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla “Ciri” Fiona Elen Riannon

Ciri is the princess of Cintra, a nation that was invaded and devastated by the Nilfgaardian Empire. Ciri possesses immense magical power, conferred by the “Elder Blood” that runs in her lineage. After the fall of Cintra, Ciri ended up on the run from the Nilfgaardians, who wanted to capture her and use her powers to exert total control over the world. Her powers are so great that she has the potential to reshape the entire world and either saving it or destroy it completely.

Ciri is bound to Geralt through the “Law of Surprise,” which he somewhat ironically invoked after saving Ciri’s father, posing as a cursed knight trapped in hedgehog form named Duny, from death at the hands of her grandmother, the Queen of Cintra. Moments later, it was revealed that Ciri’s mother, who had fallen in love with Duny, was pregnant, and that Geralt’s joke actually bound him by fate to one day protect the child.

Ciri and Geralt unite at the end of Season 1. He begins training and protecting her, later joined by Yennefer, through Seasons 2 and 3, though the trio is regularly pursued and split up by various forces. Ciri also begins to explore and learn to control her powers. At the end of Season 3, Ciri has fallen through a portal into a faraway desert, where she experienced visions of her ancestors and joined a band of outlaws under a new name, Falka.

Ciri is constantly pursued by the Nilfgaardians, and we finally learn why in Season 3: their emperor, Emhyr var Emeris, is her biological father.

Joey Batey as Jaskier

Jaskier is a bard — a sort of traveling storyteller and musical performer — who meets Geralt in Season 1 and begins following him and writing songs about his exploits. Also known as Dandelion in the books and game (because the Polish name Jaskier means buttercup), he is often used as a source of comedic relief, but he’s nonetheless one of the most important characters in the series.

Possessing great charisma that Geralt does not exhibit, Jaskier often steps into situations that Geralt gets wrapped up in to act as his voice of reason, interpreter and de-escalation mechanism. His character also develops much more emotional depth as the series progresses, most notably in his evolving relationship with King Radovid.

Eamon Farren as Cahir

The Black Knight of Nilfgaard and a fan favorite, Cahir, was a menacing presence throughout the early seasons of The Witcher, relentlessly pursuing Ciri at the behest of his Emperor. Clad in his dark, distinctive Nilfgaard armor, he was a primary antagonist through the first two seasons but has been the subject of a complex redemption arc as his evolving morality and his struggles with the consequences of his actions begins to conflict with his duties and orders. Initially a captor of Ciri’s, he eventually morphs into more of a protector and develops a tenuous alliance with she and Geralt.

At the end of Season 3, he apparently sacrifices himself by single handedly facing down a charging cavalry unit to allow Geralt and Ciri to escape. His fate is not currently known.

Graham McTavish as Sigismund Dijkstra

Sigismund “Sigi” Dijkstra is the head of Redanian Intelligence, the kingdom of Redania’s spy network. He’s a physically and mentally imposing master manipulator who pulls the strings behind many major events on The Continent. Though he is employed by the Redanians, he’s the ultimate pragmatist and his true allegiance is often to himself, his power and his own survival rather than his country.

Dijkstra becomes a much more important character in Season 3 when he, too, begins to focus Ciri’s Elder Blood powers and her Cintran royal lineage, viewing them as powerful tools for helping Redania consolidate power over the North.

Cassie Clare as Philippa Eilhart

Phillipa is a mage of Aretuza and Dijkstra’s shapeshifting partner in influence. Phillipa, like Yennefer, is one of the strongest mages in the world, and she works feverishly towards realizing her ultimate goal of establishing a political order on ruled entirely by mages, with Redania as the dominant power on the The Continent. She and Dijkstra’s shared goal of strengthening Redanian power leads to a tight and effective partnership between the two master manipulators.

Mahesh Jadu as Vilgefortz of Roggeveen

Vilgefortz is another powerful mage of the Brotherhood of Sorcerers and leader in Aretuza. Initially, he’s the main force rallying the mages to help defend the Northern Kingdoms from the Nilfgaardians, but by the end of Season 3 it’s revealed that he, too, is after one thing above all else: Ciri’s Elder Blood powers. To that end, he engineers a coup among the mages of Aretuza, which culminates in a shocking, Red Wedding-style battle at the end of Season 3.

Unlike other mages, Vilgefortz is also a skilled fighter, more than willing to take up conventional arms over magic in combat. He puts these skills to devastating use, easily defeating Geralt in single combat and leaving him seriously wounded at the end of Season 3.

Hugh Skinner as Radovid

The paranoid and unpredictable but powerful King of Redania, Radovid is initially portrayed as an irresponsible playboy prince, but he rises to the throne after his brother, King Vizimir, is assassinated, at which point Dijkstra and his mage ally Phillipa immediately work to exert control over him and use him as a political puppet. By the end of Season 3, Radovid has begun to come into his own and assert his own power and control, complicating things for his scheming advisors. He also begins to develop a romantic relationship with Jaskier, who he was initially sent to make contact with and use to influence Geralt’s actions.

Bart Edwards as Emperor Emhyr var Emeris

The looming big bad of the series, the “White Flame” himself, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis is the powerful ruler of the Nilfgaardian Empire, which sacked Cintra, declared war on the Northern Kingdoms and has been doggedly pursuing Ciri throughout the series.

Emhyr is revealed in Season 3 to be Ciri’s father, having been cursed with Duny’s hedgehog form and exiled from Nilfgaard, where he married Ciri’s mother. When he learned that his heir, Ciri, would have the Elder Blood powers and one day be able to rule the world, he faked his own death and returned to Nilfgaard to reclaim the throne. Years later, he launched his assault on Cintra to capture Ciri and harness her power. He goes to great lengths to hide his past.

At the end of Season 3, he is revealed as Ciri’s father and presented with a fake Ciri decoy, which he raises before his nobles to strengthen his power.

Royce Pierreson as Istredd

Istredd is a scholarly mage of Aretuza who is obsessed with getting to the bottom of the origins of magic on The Continent. A former lover of Yennefer’s, his pursuit of arcane knowledge drives him to investigate The Continent’s mysterious monoliths, which are intricately tied to Ciri’s power. He may know more about Ciri’s abilities than anyone else alive, which naturally has made him a bit of a target for numerous bad actors in the serie and positions his character as one of the few who could prevent Ciri’s Elder Blood from annihilating the world.

New Cast Members for ‘The Witcher’ Season 4

The Witcher Season 4 will also see some new characters, many of whom will be familiar to those who have read the books or played the games. Here’s a look at the new characters.

Laurence Fishburne as Regis

Regis a powerful vampire who has renounced his kind’s bloodthirsty, savage nature and become a calm, intellectual and cultured “higher vampire.” A close ally to Geralt, he joins the witcher’s band and becomes a valuable advisor. His character will explore the grey areas between monstrosity and humanity.

Danny Woodburn as Zoltan Chivay

Another source of comic relief and beloved character by those who played the video games, this tough, streetwise dwarf is a close friend and ally of Geralt’s and a highly skilled warrior. The series explored the elves at length through Francesca Findabair’s story arc, but Zoltan will open up a deeper dive into the dwarven culture on The Continent.

Sharlto Copley as Leo Bonhart

One of the book series’ most notorious villains, Leo Bonhart is a world-renowned bounty hunter who specializes in hunting down and killing witchers, making him a very dangerous adversary for both Geralt and Ciri. He’s a merciless, cruel individual who captures, tortures and torments Ciri in the books. We’ve seen some pretty diabolical people hired to hunt down Ciri in the series so far, but Bonhart is shaping up to be the most terrifying one yet.

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