Netflix’s The Witcher season 4 should include six major moments for the show’s prophesied Child of Destiny, Ciri. The Witcher is based on the fantasy book series of the same name by Polish author, Andrzej Sapkowski, whose Witcher franchise now includes video games, TV, film, and the original novels. Though the Netflix show has fallen upon hard times of late, The Witcher season 4 has a chance to return the show to its initial popularity.
The Witcher needs to continue focusing on adapting the book series as loyally as possible — something that has caused controversy over the show’s first three seasons — and be sure to make the most of Ciri’s story to distract from the show’s new Geralt actor. The Witcher season 3’s ending left Ciri in a precarious position, so there should be plenty to focus on in her story. All in all, there are six major moments in Ciri’s arc to expect in The Witcher season 4.
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6 Ciri Becomes One Of The Rats
Ciri takes the name Falka upon joining the Rats
One part of Ciri’s story that is clearly set up in The Witcher season 3 is her joining the group of bandits known as the Rats. She encounters them for the first time when they save her from trappers that found her near the Korath desert. If the show continues following the books in this regard, Ciri’s time with the Rats will change her profoundly, making her far more violent and much less compassionate. These changes have already been teased by the show’s inclusion of Falka, who seems to be connecting Ciri to her more primal, violent nature.
In the books, Ciri eventually recognizes the changes in her character caused by her time with the Rats, causing her to abandon them. However, Ciri develops some close relationships with the gang members, including a short-lived romance with Mistle. It’s difficult to say if Ciri and Mistle’s relationship will be adapted in The Witcher, but her time as a member of the Rats is set to play a critical role in her development in The Witcher season 4.
5 Ciri Finds Her Legendary Mare And Names It Kelpie
Kelpie will become dear to Ciri and save her life more than once
Another part of Ciri’s story in The Witcher season 4 that fans can expect to see is her acquisition of an exceptional black mare, which she names Kelpie. Ciri and Kelpie develop a special bond in The Witcher books, and the horse’s swiftness and agility save her life on numerous occasions. Ciri acquires Kelpie in the books when she abandons the Rats to ride toward Cintra with a man named Hotspurn — Kelpie’s original owner.
However, when Hotspurn is killed in an ambush, Ciri takes his horse and races to the town of Jealousy to attempt to rescue the Rats from Leo Bonhart. Considering The Witcher season 3 ended with Ciri’s introduction to the Rats, it’s highly likely that she will end up finding Kelpie before the end of season 4. Further, Ciri will soon be on a long, arduous journey, and she will need a horse to help her get around, so The Witcher would have a difficult time waiting much longer to introduce Kelpie.
4 Ciri Is Captured By Leo Bonhart
Leo Bonhart is the deadliest bounty hunter on the continent
Perhaps the darkest part of Ciri’s journey is her captivity under Leo Bonhart. The Witcher season 4 is poised to introduce Bonhart, who is easily one of the book series’ most intimidating villains. Bonhart is an uncanny swordsman, known for his ability to kill witchers despite their mutagenic advantages. Bonhart makes his first appearance in the books when he routinely slaughters the entire gang of Rats without taking so much as a scratch.
With Ciri concluding The Witcher season 3 in league with the Rats, Bonhart’s introduction and capture of Ciri seems imminent. Bonhart is cruel and utterly sadistic, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Ciri’s captivity under him is nothing short of torturous. In The Witcher season 4, Ciri will face her toughest challenge yet, which is simply to survive her time as Bonhart’s prisoner.
3 Ciri Fights In The Arena At Claremont
Ciri’s arena fights are part of Bonhart’s torture
With Ciri’s capture by Bonhart looking like a surety in The Witcher season 4, it’s also safe to expect Ciri to fight in the arena at Claremont during this season. Bonhart’s cousin owns this arena, and after Ciri impresses him with her fighting ability, he forces her to fight and kill for his sport. This is one of the most traumatizing experiences of Ciri’s life, and should it happen as expected in The Witcher season 4, it could be one of the show’s most harrowing moments.
Ciri is tortured by Bonhart in numerous ways, including beatings and verbal abuse, but the time she spends in the arena seems to be the most scarring part of her experience with him. Ciri learns to kill with the Rats, even learning to enjoy it, but it was her fear of that fact which caused her to abandon them. Bonhart then capturing her and forcing her to return to killing is especially cruel because it reverses her decision to forsake cold-blooded violence and return to the values she learned from Geralt and Yennefer.
2 Ciri Is Nearly Killed Escaping Bonhart
Ciri receives her characteristic facial scar by fleeing her captors
Ciri’s captivity in The Witcher season 4 will certainly be hard for fans to stomach, but luckily, there is a strong chance Ciri will escape her captors before the season ends. In the books, Bonhart eventually takes Ciri to a meeting with the Nilfgaardian coroner, Stefan Skellen, and while the men are meeting, Ciri manages to free herself and ride away on Kelpie. Unfortunately, Ciri does not escape unscathed, as Skellen throws an orion at her as she’s fleeing, leaving her with a large gash on her cheek.
The scar Ciri ends up with on her cheek becomes a characteristic part of her appearance, especially in The Witcher video games. Since her scar is an important part of her character across different mediums in The Witcher franchise, it’s extremely likely to be included in the show as well. In fact, this is such a dramatic moment that it wouldn’t be shocking if The Witcher season 4 ended with Ciri’s escape and injury.
1 Ciri Carves Up Vilgefortz’s Henchmen On A Frozen Lake
Ciri makes her stand on the lake outside the Tower of the Swallow
Perhaps Ciri’s most incredible scene in the entire Witcher series, her fight with Vilgefortz’s henchmen on the frozen lake outside the Tower of the Swallow, has a solid chance of occurring in The Witcher season 4. In this epic confrontation, Ciri uses a pair of ice skates she got from a friend in the swamp to glide across the mist-covered frozen surface of the lake, carving her way through the men before they can so much as glimpse her.
In the books, this scene involves the death of Rience, but since he is killed in The Witcher season 3, it will have to be someone else pursuing Ciri in the show. Even with Rience dead, however, this scene is sure to be included at some point, as it’s one of the most iconic moments in the series. The only reason this scene might not occur in The Witcher season 4 is that the show may not get that far during this season, but there is still a solid chance that Ciri’s fight on the lake ends up happening at the end of the season.
The Witcher
- Cast
- Tom Canton , Maciej Musial , Björn Hlynur Haraldsson , Anna Shaffer , MyAnna Buring , Lars Mikkelsen , Royce Pierreson , Eamon Farren , Wilson Radjou-Pujalte , Joey Batey , Jodhi May , Therica Wilson-Read , Anya Chalotra , Mimi Ndiweni , Henry Cavill , Freya Allan , Adam Levy , Amit Shah , Liam Hemsworth , Laurence Fishburne
- Release Date
- December 20, 2019
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
