The Witcher Season 4’s Perfect New Villain Casting Will Fix A Major Show Problem

The Witcher season 4 has cast the perfect actor to play one of the franchise’s most despicable villains, and this should solve an ongoing problem. The Netflix series is facing an uphill battle going into this fourth installment, with the departure of star Henry Cavill and the poorly reviewed previous seasons all working against it. However, The Witcher‘s story is heading into some of the most intriguing arcs from Andrzej Sapkowski’s books, which means the show could still turn things around. Assuming the casting is done right, Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer’s story could get far more interesting.

Though The Witcher season 1 was a fair success, things really began to fall apart in season 2. The villain Voleth Meir hadn’t been a part of the popular books or video game series, and the conflict she brought to the story (which included Yennefer temporarily turning on Geralt) has been widely panned. Season 3 was a marked improvement, but since this is the last in which Cavill will appear before being replaced by Liam Hemsworth in The Witcher season 4, the improved story didn’t do much to redeem the series. However, news about this upcoming installment is promising.

Why Sharlto Copley Is Perfect For Leo Bonhart

Sharlto Copley Has Officially Been Cast For The Witcher Season 4

A new cast member has joined The Witcher season 4, and he has the power to turn things around. Sharlto Copley will be taking on the role of Leo Bonhart, one of the most brutal and bloodthirsty villains of the Witcher books and games. A dangerous bounty hunter with cold, dead eyes that are frequently compared to that of a fish, Bonhart delights in torture and murder. After Ciri joins the Rats (as teased by The Witcher season 3). Bonhart is among those looking for her, and he becomes her greatest terror and enemy.

Leo Bonhart isn’t a villain that just anyone could pull off. Everything about this man is meant to scream “predator“, and the disturbing way in which he relishes domination and violence should be at the forefront of his on-screen character. Thankfully, Copley has already proven he is up to the job. The actor recently played two terrifying but unique villainous roles. In Monkey Man, Copley plays fight promotor Tiger, and in Boy Kills World, Copley plays the frighteningly elegant Glen van der Koy. Though both villains are different from Bonhart, Copley’s ability to inspire fight or flight is what The Witcher needs.

Why Leo Bonhart Is The Villain The Witcher Season 4 Badly Needed

Previous The Witcher Villains Just Haven’t Been Up To Snuff

Netflix’s The Witcher has struggled in the way of villains. In season 1, Cahir is among the more significant villains, and since he quickly became sympathetic, he didn’t hold much weight with audiences. Season 2 saw the emergence of the Deathless Mother, who wasn’t part of The Witcher canon and was criticized for a boring villain arc that didn’t justify her addition to the series. Then, there is Vilgefortz in season 3, who had been parading as a good guy for most of the series, thus dampening the effect. Then, The Witcher‘s overarching villain, Emhyr var Emreis, has hardly had enough screen time to be impactful.

Since The Witcher is all about monsters (both literal and figurative), future seasons must present a genuinely horrible villain that audiences love to hate. He needs to inspire fear in those who are watching safely from the comfort of their own homes, adding a more urgent element to The Witcher that hasn’t been present since season 1. With Copley’s help, Bonhart can fill this role in season 4, thus solving a problem that has plagued The Witcher since season 2 threw the show’s critical acclaim out the window.

What Happens To Leo Bonhart In The Witcher

In the Witcher books, Ciri’s time with Bonhart is among the darkest of her story, and since it came immediately after she departed from the Rat gang she met at the end of The Witcher season 3, it makes sense that Copley would be cast for season 4. After killing the Rats one by one in the Witcher books, Bonhart successfully gets his hands on Ciri and forces her to fight and kill for him for sport in the Claremont arena. If she doesn’t kill, Ciri is tortured and abused even more. It’s a devastating time for the lion cup of Cintra, but she eventually manages to escape.

Bonhart remains a looming force over Ciri’s shoulder from that point on, and the facial scar she receives during her escape is a stark reminder of all he has put her through. Thankfully, she is eventually able to get her revenge. In a final battle, Bonhart kills Cahir, who becomes Geralt’s companion, leading Ciri to take up the sword and face the villain herself. Remarkably, she comes out victorious, creating a full-circle moment in which the killing experience he forced on her serves as his own end. Of course, it may be a while before we see this play out in Netflix’s The Witcher.