The Witcher's Ciri Will Be A Very Different Person In Season 4

As part of his truly bizarre attempts to remain in the now-defunct DCEU, Henry Cavill announced he would be leaving "The Witcher" after its third season. Previously, the Superman actor reportedly asked his agents to get him a meeting with the showrunners, in order to help him land the lead role in Netflix's adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's "The Witcher" novel series. Since he got his wish, Cavill has delivered three solid seasons as Geralt of Rivia, slaying monsters across the continent and forming a bond with Freya Allan's Ciri and Anya Chalotra's Yennefer.

Alas, Cavill's White Wolf will not return following the end of season 3. In season 4, Geralt will be played by Liam Hemsworth, who has, in his own words, some "big boots to fill." But perhaps not quite as big as he'd initially expected. When "The Witcher" returns for its fourth run of episodes, instead of Geralt being the central protagonist, Ciri will evidently be much more of a main character. Which means we'll be seeing slightly less of Geralt and a lot more of Ciri, as the child of Elder Blood continues her journey from naive princess in need of protection to fully empowered warrior.

Throughout season 3, which is based on Sapkowski's novel "The Time of Contempt," we've witnessed much of this journey. By the final episode, Ciri has teleported to the harsh desert environs of Korath, finding herself stranded and unable to reach Geralt and Yennefer. There she endures a transformative experience, discovering the real depth of her powers and even killing a man who takes her hostage in what would be her first kill of "The Witcher." That all points to a very different Ciri for the show's fourth season.

A Witcher in the making, Ciri is set to undergo even more significant changes in "The Witcher" season 4. In an interview with The Digital Fix, Freya Allan commented on the monumental transformations her character experienced in season 3, and what's to come:

"I certainly feel like she's going through so many massive shifts. We've seen her grow so much, and I feel lucky to get to show the entirety of that. I get to play that out. I think she has some massive changes which shift her as a person, and Ciri will be experiencing things she's never experienced."

By the end of season 3, stranded from her adopted family of Geralt and Yennefer, Ciri has seemingly become part of a whole new family in the form of the Rats — a group of teenage rogues who she introduces herself to as "Falka." That further hints at the changes coming in season 4, particularly for Ciri, with showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich telling TUDUM, "It's a completely different side of Ciri that we've never seen before."

That's all very exciting, and it will be interesting to see how Liam Hemsworth fits into this new dynamic when the show returns. It's just a shame the showrunners didn't quite give Henry Cavill's Geralt the farewell he deserved.