To quote the poet Sam Witwicky (aka ladiesman217) from “Transformers”: no sacrifice, no victory. It seems his words ring true in life as well, friends. The DC Universe (DCU), formerly known as the DC Extended Universe, finally has Henry Cavill properly returning to the franchise as the one, true Superman. “Man of Steel 2” is well on its way but unfortunately it has come at the cost of Cavill leaving his role as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s phenomenal “The Witcher” series. The show is a shining example of how video-game adaptations don’t have to be goofy, campy or dumb…looking at you, “Resident Evil”. They can be cinematic, and epic and have morally complex characters inhabiting their rich settings.
Cavill played a massive role in bringing Andrzej Sapkowski’s stories to life, with the actor also being a major fan of CD Projekt Red’s “The Witcher” game series. The giant, hunky nerd poured himself body, mind and soul into the role. Now sadly, we’ll have to see him go by the end of the third season. Come the fourth season, Geralt will be played by Liam Hemsworth, best known for his role in the “Hunger Games” films as Gale Hawthorne. With the fourth season picking right after Cavill’s departure, you have to wonder: How will the series address the change? Will it even? Let’s find out!
New Face, Same Story
When Johnny Depp was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen for the role of Gellert Grindelwald, we were hoping that “Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore” would somehow address the character’s change in appearance. They never did, everyone simply pretended like nothing was out of the ordinary and the story continued on, even while all the other characters still looked the same. For “Secrets of Dumbledore”, it makes sense seeing that the whole incident surrounding Depp’s abuse allegations left Warner Bros. in a tough spot. It was an ugly situation and everyone wanted to simply move on past it.
It’s official: The Witcher is returning for Season 4, and Henry Cavill will be handing his swords to Liam Hemsworth as the new Geralt of Rivia after Season 3. Welcome to the Witcher family, @LiamHemsworth!
Read more: https://t.co/ABQMdqkzXX pic.twitter.com/xyIaRBbiRT
— The Witcher (@witchernetflix) October 29, 2022
For “The Witcher” though, this is a whole other story. Cavill isn’t abruptly leaving the show and production, we’re set to see him reprise his role in the third season of “The Witcher” in 2023 before he hands the torch over to Hemsworth. It would be odd, if not uncomfortable, for fans to try and enjoy another whole season with Cavill playing the titular Witcher, only to have him be gone and replaced without a proper explanation of some sort. There would be a lack of closure within the community which could lead to backlash from the fandom. So is it possible that Netflix would just carry forward after the third season with Hemsworth slipping into the role and everyone pretending as if nothing had happened? It is, but we’re doubtful that the series won’t have an in-universe explanation for this.
Change Through Enchantment
One route the creators and writers could go in explaining Geralt’s change in appearance could be with magic and enchantment. We have seen characters drastically change their appearances, namely in the third episode of the first season, “Betrayer Moon”. One way that the Brotherhood of Sorcerers in the series maintains power is by assigning a sorceress to the courts of the human kingdoms, where they advise rulers and keep the Continent in order. In an effort to make these sorceresses more attractive to the rulers, they are enchanted to look like their idealised selves. We see Yennefer of Vengerberg, played by Anya Chalotra, go through a rather painful version of this process, in which she is transformed from a deformed, hunchback into a beautiful mage in Aretuza.
So, is there a way in the “The Witcher” universe in which Geralt’s face can be altered? Yes. Why would it though? He’s plenty handsome already. Well, there are a number of reasons why Geralt’s appearance, or at least his face, would need a change. On a practical level, Geralt is probably one of the most wanted men in the world of the Continent, especially after he took Ciri with him. Nilfgaard, The Brotherhood of Sorcerers and now the Wild Hunt are hunting them. Perhaps in an effort to avoid being detected at the end of the third season, he magically altered his facial features to look like Liam Hemsworth’s. He could fake his own death and change his face to lose his pursuers.
A more gruesome possibility is that by the end of the third season, something horrible had happened to Geralt’s face. Scarred, crushed, burnt, you name it. Yennefer could use her magical powers to restore Geralt and in the process forever alter his face.
Multiversal Body Swap
Alright, so this is one of the more outlandish theories out there but hear us out. What if Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia dies at the end of the third season but instead of staying dead, he’s reborn in another body? We know, we know this sounds pretty absurd but this world is full of monsters, sorcerers, elves and it exists within an infinite multiverse! Imagine Geralt is dying and Yennefer and Ciri try to save him, either through an ancient spell or with a wish from a Djinn. They attempt to put Geralt’s soul back into his body and it works! Here’s the problem though, Geralt is alive but he’s inhabiting the body of another white-haired Witcher, who also bears the same name. That’s right, a Geralt from another universe!
Before any of you start yelling at us in the comment section about how ridiculous this theory is, think about it. There are an infinite number of universes, planes and parallel realities existing in “The Witcher”, there’s a good chance there could be an alternate version of Geralt living somewhere out there. Furthermore, Djinns in the Witcher universe are powerful beings from another dimension, that are capable of making any wish come true. They are also vindictive creatures who are more than happy to grant their master’s wishes in the worst possible ways.
If Ciri and Yen decide to use a Djinn, it could technically fulfil their wish by placing Geralt’s soul into the body of another dead Geralt from another universe, one played by Liam Hemsworth. It would be a neat way to resolve the issue and give Cavill a proper send-off.
Well, regardless of how the series decides to handle the transition from Cavill to Hemsworth in the fourth season, we can’t wait to see how Geralt’s story will unfold in the future. If you like the Netflix series, be sure to check out some exciting facts about the upcoming prequel series “The Witcher: Blood Origin”.
