Henry Cavill’s time on The Witcher has come to an end, but Geralt of Rivia’s has not. Liam Hemsworth will take over the role when the Netflix fantasy series returns for season four. How will the show transition from its original star to its newest? There was reason to think we might get more than just an answer to that question during Cavill’s final few episodes. It seemed possible Hemsworth would actually debut as Geralt.
Did we see him? Did the show at least reveal how they’ll explain Geralt’s new appearance? Or are we still completely in the dark about how The Witcher will introduce a new White Wolf? Here’s what we learned from the end of season three about Liam Hemsworth’s upcoming arrival as Geralt.
Did Liam Hemsworth Appear as Geralt in The Witcher‘s Third Season?
Liam Hemsworth did not appear as Geralt of Rivia during The Witcher‘s third season. Henry Cavill played the titular monster hunter until the season’s final scene, with nary a nod to the fact he will soon look like a different person. Hemsworth won’t make his series debut until season four.
How Will The Witcher Explain Geralt’s New Appearance in Season Four?
Prior to the conclusion of The Witcher‘s third season, executive producers Steve Gaub and Tomek Baginski promised viewers the show will deliver a “flawless” and “lore accurate” transition from Cavill to Hemsworth. The show does not plan on simply ignoring the change.
How will they address it? Baginski told Yahoo UK the switch will be “very, very close to the meta ideas which are deeply embedded in the books, especially in book five.” While the two refused to offer specifics and spoil anything, their comments led to plenty of speculation among fans. (That included speculation Hemsworth would appear near the end of the third season.)
Of the many theories proposed, author Andrzej Sapkowski’s fifth book, The Lady of the Lake, offers three intriguing options that qualify as meta to explain the transition.
What Are Possible Lore-Accurate, Meta Explanations for Geralt’s New Face in Season Four?
We have three excellent explanations for why Geralt will look totally different in season four that would all qualify as both meta and lore-accurate based on the fifth novel. The first is that The Witcher is technically a multiverse story and Ciri can travel between them. Multiverse stories give writers incredible leeway to canonically explain anything and everything.
The second is that Ciri is powerful enough she can change reality and history simply by telling stories. By recounting her experiences—maybe to her new friends, the Rats—she could potentially alter Geralt’s actual face with no one on the Continent noticing, not even him. (Though she might need to get her recently renounced powers back to do so.)
The third is that The Lady in the Water is told by an unreliable narrator. In the book, that turns out to be Geralt himself. If the show adopts a similar approach he or the narrator of their choice could simply have described the witcher’s appearance incorrectly before, or might start to.
If the show plans to use any of those three reasons we won’t find out until season four when Geralt’s appearance actually changes. But the end of season three disproved some other fan theories while also raising more possibilities for how it will explain the shift.
What The Witcher Season Three Revealed About the Switch From Henry Cavill to Liam Hemsworth
Geralt’s defeat at the hands of Vilgefortz comes straight from the books. That encounter on the show left him and his face badly injured and Geralt at death’s door. But while some thought that showdown might be used to explain why Geralt will eventually look different (possibly via a resurrection), it did not lead to him getting a new face.
Neither did any of the many potions, medicine, spells, or other magic used on him. Geralt kept his original face right up until he vowed to get Ciri back from Emperor Emhyr during Henry Cavill’s final moments on the show. However, everything that followed his violent encounter with Vilgefortz hinted at other ways the show help explain Geralt’s new face when the series returns.
Why Could Geralt’s Injuries Result in Him Having a New Face?
Neither the sorceresses of Aretuza or Brokilon Forest could completely heal Geralt’s injuries. His wounds were too severe to save him from (what appeared to be) certain death. He could barely walk until he created his own potion, an inferior version of a strong concoction made by his mentor, the witcher Vesemir.
That substandard potion kept him alive for now. (And possibly long enough to allow his body to heal on its own.) But it could eventually explain why Geralt ends up with a new face. Potions and elixirs are an exact science. When you start playing around with the formula and ingredients it can lead to unintended consequences.
Also plausible is that the combination of his own potion, all the magic performed on him, and his injuries will transform his body entirely. That could mean a new face or even a scarred one that will need to be replaced or covered up. We’ve already seen that happen on the show. The now-deceased Lydia badly disfigured her face with a serum that contained Ciri’s powerful blood. She then needed magic to create the appearance of a normal face. Could something similar await Geralt?
No matter the specifics, his battle with Vilgefortz could ultimately explain Hemsworth’s arrival. Or it might not be nearly as complicated.
Will Jaskier Explain Away Geralt’s New Face With a Joke?
Joey Batey’s Jaskier is the closest thing The Witcher has to a self-aware character. He constantly points out the absurdity of situations and makes light of otherwise serious events. He did just that when Milva said he’ll turn Geralt’s death into a song. (He’ll get at least three songs out of it, thank you very much.) Was that foreshadowing of how the show will also explain away a new Geralt?
Whether a Jaskier joke about his friend looking different would qualify as book accurate is up for debate. But it would certainly qualify as meta. It will probably qualify as funny, too.
One thing is for certain, though: we’ll have to wait for season four to find out for sure. The Witcher‘s third season belonged entirely to Henry Cavill’s Geralt. The future alone belongs to Liam Hemsworth’s.