The Witcher fans have had plenty to worry about since Henry Cavill’s exit, but the truth is, the show’s ending will be messy no matter who Geralt is.

Although The Witcher has already seen some major changes and controversies over the past year, it seems that the drama won’t be stopping with Henry Cavill’s exit, as the show’s next challenge will be adapting the book series’ complicated ending to television. The Witcher is a high fantasy show created by Netflix and based on a series of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. Though The Witcher’s creators have already received backlash for changes they have made to the television adaptation, they might have no choice but to mix things up when it comes to the story’s ending.

In 2023, The Witcher released its third season on Netflix, and notably, its last season with Henry Cavill as the lead character, Geralt. Though Cavill exited The Witcher graciously and of his own volition, the news was highly disappointing, and already Cavill’s replacement Liam Hemsworth is getting flack. Cavill’s dedication to staying true to the source material made him a perfect Geralt, and now his absence leaves The Witcher’s integrity in question. However, even if Cavill remained past The Witcher season 3 ending, there’s no guarantee that he could fix the problem of the show’s final conclusion.

The Witcher Ending Would Feel Anticlimactic For The Netflix Show

The biggest issue with adapting The Witcher’s ending is that it isn’t exactly television friendly. Sapkowski’s series ends with two epic final battles, The Lady of the Lake and the battle against Vilgefortz, however, those intense scenes aren’t really the true ending. In actuality, the battles occur, and then the book continues, offering extra time and story to wrap up characters’ plots and tie up loose ends. While this strategy is useful in a book, it isn’t the best route to take for television. Audiences want action, especially when it comes to The Witcher, and the book’s original ending won’t offer that.

Ultimately, The Witcher’s original ending is too anticlimactic for the television adaptation. After so much iconic action and intensity, it seems likely that television audiences would be disappointed by an ending that is anything less than amazing and high energy. This is especially true since the series has let fans down so often in terms of casting and book accuracy. Ultimately, this leaves The Witcher in a tough place, having to choose between a strong ending or giving characters the conclusions they deserve.

The Witcher Show Could Use The Extended Book Ending (But That Wouldn’t Fix Things)

Though the book’s original ending is anticlimactic, it isn’t impossible for The Witcher. Using the book’s extended ending would fix The Witcher’s ongoing problem of not doing justice to its characters. Plus, it would be book accurate, which is another issue that the creators are constantly falling into. Overall, the book ending would be satisfying from a plot and character perspective. Unfortunately though, this doesn’t fix everything. In the end, The Witcher will have to make a decision about whether it wants to end with a bang or prioritize book accuracy and its characters. Either way, The Witcher ending will likely be criticized no matter which direction it goes in.