Henry Cavill Swings His Last Sword in 'The Witcher' Season 3

Netflix’s hit-supernatural series, The Witcher, returned this week for an absolute whirlwind of a farewell to Henry Cavill's Geralt. For the uninitiated, Geralt is a skilled hunter who finds and kills mythical monsters thanks to his supernatural abilities. He's currently trapped in the middle of a war in which he refuses to take a side—but that may not stay the same for long.

Season Three of the hit fantasy series serves as a fitting and heroic end for Henry Cavill, who has played Geralt since the series premiere in 2019. Late last year the actor announced that he was leaving the series to pursue other projects. In Season Four, Cavill's Geralt of Rivia will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth, as the high-fantasy series attempts to continue on without the former Man of Steel.

Until then, we still have the second half Season Three to look forward to. The first half just dropped on Thursday, June 29, which will be followed by a second batch of episodes on July 27. Though fans are excited to see what happens next, it’s bittersweet to know it’s Cavill's last run. "This summer," Netflix teased, "everything changes." I'll say! Below, you'll find everything we know about Season Three of The Witcher—from Cavill's decision to leave, to the intriguing plot, potential love interests, and this chapter's connection to a spinoff series.

Why Henry Cavill Is Leaving The Witcher Season Four

In October, Cavill passed the mantle to Liam Hemsworth, thanking The Witcher's team on Instagram for the experience of playing one of his favorite literary heroes. “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season Four,” Cavill wrote. “As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence for the time spent embodying Geralt and enthusiasm to see Liam's take on this most fascinating and nuanced of men. Liam, good sir, this character has such a wonderful depth to him, enjoy diving in and seeing what you can find.”

Cavill’s official reason for leaving the show is unknown. Some fans suspect creative differences, but neither Cavil or the series’ producers have supported that claim. Instead of speculating, Minnie Driver, a star from the show’s prequel The Witcher: Blood Origin, thinks viewers should celebrate the recasting. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said, “We come from this tradition of Doctor Who where the Doctor regenerates,” she said. “I think we need to look at it far more like it’s amazing. It’s an amazing person, it’s an amazing character.”

Henry Cavill Will Receive a “Heroic Sendoff” in Season Three of The Witcher

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich promised that Cavill would at least receive “the most heroic sendoff” once he leaves the epic fantasy drama. “Henry has given so much to the show and so we want to honor that appropriately,” Hissrich said. “Geralt’s big turn is about giving up neutrality and doing anything that he has to do to get to Ciri. And to me, that’s the most heroic sendoff that we could have, even though it wasn’t written to be that. Geralt has a new mission in mind when we come back to him in Season Four. He’s a slightly different Geralt than we expected.”

Season Three of The Witcher Follows Geralt's Plight to Protect Ciri

That's right, Season Three of The Witcher largely focuses on Geralt and Ciri. The official synopsis reads: “As monarchs, mages, and beasts of the Continent compete to capture her, Geraly takes Ciri of Cintra into hiding, determined to protect his newly-reunited family against those who threaten to destroy it.”

And, as Hissrich promised, it’s shaping up to be an epic journey for Geralt. Elsewhere, in an interview with Digital Spy, the series showrunner also revealed that their writers room had been updated with new storytellers.“The writers’ room this season is incredible,” she said. “I mean, we've always had incredible writers on the show. But I feel that this season specifically had… We had some new people come in, and it was really interesting how it changed the dynamic of the room, to have this sort of new blood: people who have watched the first season, who then had screened the second season, and came in with fresh, new ideas, who sort of challenged me on things that I hadn't really thought about before.”

Jaskier Could Fall in Love in Season Three of The Witcher

Joey Batey, who plays Jaskier in The Witcher, revealed that the writers cooked up a steamy plot for him in Season Three. In an interview with GamesRadar+ he said, “For me when I first read the scripts, they were the best scripts that I think we’ve done so far. There are some things from the books that I think fans are going to really, really enjoy. And some lovely key moments that are very epic. Jaskier also gets a little bit of a love interest—maybe more than one.”

Also, Ciri Might Explore Her Sexuality in Season Three of The Witcher

Ciri, played by Freya Allen, could also find love in Season Three. While speaking to Digital Spy, Hissrich hinted at a sexual awakening for the beloved character. “With Ciri, that’s something that I would say is hinted at in the books, but you never really get into what is her sexuality, and we start to delve into that more as well. All of that is coming down the horizon, and it’s fun.”

She continued: “One of the things that I think that we try very hard to do with The Witcher is show that fantasy is for everyone, and represents everyone.” In that same interview, Allen added, “It’s definitely something that she’s going to discover in potentially Season Three, potentially Season Four. We’ll see.”

The Witcher: Blood Origin Has a (not so) Secret Connection to Season Three

If you’ve seen The Witcher: Blood Origin, which dropped this past December, you might have felt a bit of déjà vu during the post-credits scene. Well, apparently that was on purpose. Season One features the same shot of Circi staring off into the distance, but, in that version, you don’t know what, or who, she’s looking at. The new post-credits scene reveals it to be Avallac’h, who has unlocked the ability to time travel.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Hissrich explained the pivotal moment. “We talked about that end-piece a lot, because we learn, of course, that Avallac’h has been tracking Ciri through her whole life, through these worlds, through the spheres.

“We thought it would be a really nice nod to fans if we took this moment that everyone knows from Season One, where she turns and looks in a doorway, and we put Avallac’h there instead,” she continued. “And I think it’s just this great sort of Easter egg. It’s like: if you know, you know. And you know that it will come back later. And if you don’t, it’s just a great, little mystery.”

Season Three, Part Two of The Witcher Premieres July 2023

Season Three of The Witcher premiered its first five episodes on June 29. The series will then let fans mull a month before it releases Episodes Six through Eight on July 27. Until then, catch up on the wild world of The Witcher on Netflix.

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