Summary
Ciri's character will take a dark and violent turn in The Witcher season 4, exploring the darker aspects of her personality and power.
Ciri's potential as a savior is set aside when she decides to join the Rats, leading her down a destructive path. Despite rejecting her powers in season 4, Ciri, with her Elder Blood, still possesses the ability to tap into them and potentially become the Lady of Time and Space.
Ciri's character underwent a significant transformation towards the end of The Witcher season 3, and these changes, along with the source material, suggest that season 4 will bring further developments for her. However, the differences in the Netflix series won't be limited to Ciri alone. With Henry Cavill leaving the role, Liam Hemsworth will step into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia. This casting change will amplify the impact of Ciri's character shifts. Nevertheless, the series is moving towards a direction that aligns with the original story, providing some insight into what lies ahead.
Towards the end of The Witcher season 3, Vilgefortz nearly captures Ciri after his triumph over Geralt. However, using her powers, Ciri manages to escape and finds herself in the Korath Desert, famously referred to as the "Frying Pan." Lost in this barren land, Ciri is pushed to her mental and emotional limits. As she experiences visions of her deceased loved ones in a state of anger, as well as glimpses of the ancient princess Falka, Ciri succumbs to temptation and harnesses fire magic. These events foreshadow darker developments for Ciri's character in The Witcher season 4, building upon her final moments in season 3 and her established story.
5 Ciri Will Be Dark & Violent In The Witcher Season 4
Ciri's potential for darkness has always been evident in The Witcher, and season 3 marks the beginning of her descent. The Netflix series explores the prophecy surrounding the Princess of Cintra, which predicts that a descendant of Falka will bring about the end of the world, while one of Lara Dorren's lineage will save it. It remains unclear which role Ciri will fulfill in this adaptation, but the season 3 finale strongly suggests she is connected to Falka.
Ciri's introduction as Falka when she encounters the Rats in season 3 adds credibility to this theory, as the group's nature in the original material foreshadows the princess' violent future. In the Witcher books, the Rats are akin to a group of Robin Hood-like children who have no qualms about resorting to violence and murder. As a member, Ciri will delve deeper into the darker aspects of her personality and powers, leading her down a progressively darker path. This choice for Ciri's character development in The Witcher may spark controversy, as she has hitherto demonstrated overwhelmingly good and compassionate tendencies rather than evil ones.
4 Ciri’s ‘Savior Arc’ In The Witcher Will Be On Pause
As mentioned before, Ciri possesses the potential to either save or ruin the Continent. The interpretation of the prophecy has always been unclear, with the book series also failing to provide a definitive answer. However, in The Witcher season 3, Ciri started to believe that she could bring about positive change in the world. She held deep empathy for both the elves and humans of the Continent and longed for their peaceful coexistence. She often daydreamed about returning to her kingdom to correct her grandmother Queen Calanthe's past mistakes.
However, in The Witcher season 4, it is expected that Ciri will undergo a dark journey, temporarily halting her role as the savior. Being torn between conflicting moral choices, Ciri's decisions will ultimately shape her destiny. By adopting the alias Falka and joining the Rats, she will venture down a path of destruction. Nevertheless, this does not mean that redemption is out of reach for her. It simply implies that it will require a significant amount of time for her to manifest the potential that Yennefer and Geralt believe she possesses.
3 Ciri Will Have Her Powers In Season 4, But Won't Use Them
Ciri, in The Witcher season 3, made the decision to give up her abilities after succumbing to the lure of using fire magic to heal her unicorn companion. In a way, this is a positive indication, as her involvement with darkness as a member of the Rats would be less destructive without the use of magic. However, it's slightly frustrating to witness a character's growth come to a standstill, as we saw with Yennefer losing her powers in season 2.
Fortunately, Ciri hasn't completely lost her powers. Although she has rejected conventional chaos, her Elder Blood ensures that she still possesses certain abilities, whether she wants them or not. The Witcher books leave this concept somewhat ambiguous, but Ciri eventually becomes the Lady of Time and Space, far from being a powerless human. Therefore, even though she has chosen to forego her magical training and is likely to continue doing so in most of The Witcher season 4, Ciri can still access her powers when she decides to.
2 Geralt & Ciri Are Likely Separated For Most Of Season 4
Ciri's experience in The Witcher season 3 was made even more special by the fact that she finally got to spend time with Geralt and Yennefer. Despite being on the run, they were able to create precious moments of happiness together as a family, including training Ciri and sharing heartfelt meals filled with laughter. However, the season ended with Ciri and Geralt being separated, making it highly unlikely that they will be reunited anytime soon.
The Witcher books show that Ciri's journey takes her far away from Geralt after her escape to the Frying Pan. It is only when Geralt faces off against Vilgefortz and Emhyr that they meet again, after Ciri leaves the Rats, explores the Continent, and ventures into various other worlds. Although the timeline for this in the Netflix series is uncertain, it is safe to assume that most of season 4 will focus on the prolonged separation between Geralt and Ciri. This is further reinforced by the news that Ciri, the predicted princess, will now be the main character of The Witcher, rather than Geralt, portrayed by Hemsworth.
1 Ciri May Begin To World Jump In The Witcher Season 4
In the Witcher books, Ciri possesses a remarkable and distinct power known as world jumping, which sets the stage for the events in The Witcher season 3. Unveiled earlier, the Wild Hunt is known to inhabit a separate reality, and according to the source material, the next encounter between Vilgefortz and Ciri will be disrupted by the interference of the Hunt, transporting her to an alternate dimension referred to as Aen Elle. It is in Aen Elle that Ciri comes across the same unicorn, Ihuarraquax, whom she had previously saved in the desert during The Witcher season 3.
Ciri's ability to world jump is honed and developed with the help of Ihuarraquax, earning her the titles of the Lady of Worlds and the Lady of Time and Space. Skilled in this power, she embarks on a journey through multiple worlds in search of her own, eventually making her way back to the world where Yeneffer and Geralt await her. The exact portrayal of these events in Netflix's The Witcher remains uncertain, but with the introduction of Ihuarraquax in season 3, it appears probable that Ciri will begin her training in this ability in season 4.