Ciri should be very different in The Witcher season 4 based on where season 3 ended, meaning the Netflix show needs to avoid HBO’s Daenerys mistake.
Ciri’s role in The Witcher season 4 has the potential to be as controversial as Game of Thrones season 8’s Daenerys if not handled correctly. Although The Witcher’s titular character is obviously the protagonist, much of the story centers around Cirila of Cintra. This applies to the Andrzej Sapkowski books, the games, and the Netflix adaptation, the last of which is currently covering Ciri’s time with the Rats. The Witcher season 4’s story is expected to adapt the rest of Time of Contempt and move into Baptism of Fire, although changes from the source material are expected.
The Netflix series has diverged from the books quite a lot already, meaning it has become more difficult to predict where it is going next based on the original novels. However, The Witcher season 3’s finale made it clear that the show will now cover the portion of the story in which Ciri was away from Geralt and Yennefer and ended up changing a lot. Not only it is a tricky storyline to be adapted, but it could also raise comparisons between Freya Allan’s character and Daenerys Targaryen.
Based on how The Witcher season 3 ended, as well as on where Ciri’s story goes next in the books, season 4 will see the princess of Cintra have a darker turn. After renouncing her powers following her pyromantic visions in the Korath desert, Ciri woke up far from home. She has now met a group known as the Rats, which is formed by people around her age who have no problem with killing or stealing. It will take a while before Ciri reunites with Yennefer and Geralt, and her solo journey is a complicated one.
Not only is Ciri literally the child of destiny from Geral’s perspective, but she also carries the Hen Ichaer – or elder blood – in her veins.
Assuming The Witcher season 4 pays off season 3’s ending and sees Ciri embark on a journey with the Rats away from Geralt and Yennefer, the princess of Cintra will most likely make some controversial decisions. Although having a hero follow a darker path during difficult times is a great trope, it sometimes leads to a tiresome fantasy cliché in which the female hero becomes a villain all of a sudden. This recently happened with Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones season 8 in what was arguably the show’s most divisive creative decision.
Daenerys becoming a morally gray character willing to make sacrifices is one thing, but the way Game of Thrones’ final season played out was too surprising and led to a lot of criticism. Emilia Clarke’s character went from the hero of her story to a major Westeros villain who would burn King’s Landing out of revenge. This was a drastic, out-of-character moment for Daenerys, and it highlighted how difficult it is to nail morally gray characters or villain arcs in general. The Witcher will now face a similar challenge with Ciri.
The Witcher Cannot Afford To Get Ciri’s Dark Story Wrong Like Game Of Thrones Did With Daenerys
Viewers have been following Ciri since The Witcher episode 1, and while she has gone through a lot and met a lot of friends and foes, the character has always been framed as a hero. During this portion of the story, Ciri is still the classic fantasy hero who falls into the “chosen one” trope. Not only is Ciri literally the child of destiny from Geral’s perspective, but she also carries the Hen Ichaer – or elder blood – in her veins. While stories that subvert the chosen trope are great, they need to be executed perfectly.
Geralt has been taking care of and training Ciri since season 2, and Yennefer also became a parental figure to her. The Witcher season 3 was about Ciri learning the skills and the lessons she will need in the future, especially if she is to follow her goal of making the world a better place. However, season 3 was also about testing Ciri’s spirit, for which the desert episode is very important. Ciri renouncing her powers and fate is an important part of her journey, which does not mean she needs to become a ruthless villain.
The Witcher season 3’s finale saw Ciri killing someone for the first time after avoiding doing so on other occasions. Geralt specifically told her how valuable life is, and how killing someone should always be the last, most extreme option. The world of The Witcher means Ciri would have to kill eventually, and based on what happens in the books, it will not be the last time. This is why The Witcher season 4 needs to treat Ciri’s dark story carefully, otherwise it will feel like her time with Geralt and Yennefer was for nothing.
The Netflix show is already dealing with a lot of criticism regarding the changes it has made to the source material, from the way it dives too much into the power struggle over the Continent to how different characters like Yennefer and Ciri are from their book counterpart. The princess of Cintra’s dark turn happens in the source material and fits her character, meaning the Netflix series will be expected to do something similar without compromising Ciri’s development in the long term. Between the changes made to Yennefer’s character and the Geralt recast, The Witcher cannot fail Ciri too.
How & Why The Witcher’s Ciri Story Can Avoid Game Of Thrones’ Daenerys Problems
The fact that Ciri’s dark turn in this portion of the story comes from the books is an advantage The Witcher will have compared to Game of Thrones’ Daenerys. While there are clues indicating that Dany may not be the ultimate hero of A Song of Ice and Fire, the saga has not been concluded yet, meaning the HBO adaptation had to fill in the gaps between A Dance with Dragons and the end of the series. Additionally, Ciri’s rebel arc is not the end of her journey but rather just a part of it.
The Witcher is expected to go beyond season 4, at least in terms of how many stories have yet to be adapted. Therefore, even if Ciri’s arc in the upcoming season does not do the character favors, subsequent seasons would be able to bring her closer to Geralt and Yennefer. However, considering that the pacing of a live-action series is different from that of a book saga, Ciri’s story might have to play out faster in Netflix’s The Witcher compared to the Andrzej Sapkowski novels. Regardless, The Witcher season 4 should remain as close to the books as possible.
Ciri’s Story Should Ultimately Mirror Jon Snow More Than Daenerys
Comparisons between Ciri and Daenerys will likely happen during The Witcher season 4, especially if viewers feel that the show is failing the former like Game of Thrones season 8 failed the latter. However, ironically, Ciri should ultimately end like Jon Snow and not Daenerys. As controversial as Jon Snow’s ending in Game of Thrones season 8 was, it is relatively close to what happens to Ciri at the end of her story in the books. The “I don’t want it” line has been joked about and even become a meme, but it describes Ciri’s future quite perfectly.
After spending years hearing how important she was and having to run away from multiple factions that wanted her name or her blood, Ciri decides to leave everything behind and travels to a different universe. This other universe happens to be Earth, as in the “real world” Earth. Ciri never becomes queen of Cintra, and her ending is supposed to feel peaceful and fitting for a character that has been through so much rather than the beginning of a rule. Ciri’s journey is convoluted, yet it is executed perfectly in the books, raising the bar high for Netflix’s The Witcher.
