Warning: SPOILERS for The Wheel of Time season 2.
For the most part, The Wheel of Time season 2 forged its protagonists in fire, as they discovered their unique powers through life-and-death struggle. The show adapted elements from the second and third books in Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series of the same name, namely The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, but also stood apart from the source material in key ways. While some behind-the-scenes shake-ups resulted in big story changes, other, more planned changes expanded secondary characters and condensed story moments for even more impact.
The Wheel of Time especially expanded on the personalities of its villains, highlighting the characters of Forsaken like Ishamael and Lanfear long before they would come to be understood the same way in the books. In Fares Fares’ interview with Screen Rant, the Ishamael actor expounded on the bond that was created between himself and Natasha O’Keeffe, who plays Lanfear, thanks to their expanded storylines. See what he had to say below:
Fares Fares: All the stuff, actually, with Natasha was probably my favorite to work on. It started when I first met Natasha; we started talking about characters, we just had great chemistry, and we tried to come up with a sign for our Forsaken group. It was like the two of us were Forsaken, and we were different than everybody else. We even were from a different time, we dressed differently, and we used to be old friends. It was just great chemistry. We played around with the scenes and the writers and Rafe were so open to it, so it was just great working on them.
Will Ishamael Return In The Wheel Of Time?
Ishamael appears to be very much dead at the end of The Wheel of Time season 2, but it’s not necessarily the last time he’ll be seen in the universe. In Robert Jordan’s books, the Dark One does not let his servants go to waste, and often reincarnates the Forsaken under new names. Ishamael is reborn as Moridin and becomes a major player at the end of the series; this could potentially offer Fares Fares a chance to return in a future season, although Moridin and Ishamael are not said to look the same in Jordan’s books.
The ambiguity is that the battle at the end of The Wheel of Time season 2 plays out very differently than its book counterpart. Ishamael’s death changes a big story moment to come, given that the character originally didn’t die in the battle at Falme that The Wheel of Time season 2 adapted. This suggests that Rafe Judkins could simply be done with the character, with later story moments attributed to Ishamael and Moridin set to involve different Forsaken.
Even if Fares Fares’ Ishamael doesn’t return in The Wheel of Time proper, chances are that he will be seen in The Wheel of Time prequel trilogy. Ishamael, Lanfear, and Lews Therin Telamon (who is later reincarnated as Rand al’Thor) are all shown in flashbacks to the Age of Legends in The Wheel of Time, and with the first prequel film actually titled The Age of Legends, it would make sense for all three actors to reprise their roles. The film is currently in development, meaning that viewers will likely not get a confirmation as to Ishamael’s role until after The Wheel of Time season 3 is released.
The Wheel of Time
Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordan’s expansive fantasy series is brought to life in The Wheel of Time, a fantasy tv series created for Amazon Prime Video. The series follows a woman named Moiraine, a member of the all-female Aes Sedai group who can utilize a great power. Following an attack on a local village, Moiraine heads there to find a villager that may be the reincarnation of an all-powerful dragon that will either save or destroy the world.
