Warning: the following article contains spoilers for the season two finale of Shadow and Bone and the Grishavere novels.
Between quests for mythical amplifiers and blades, Shadow and Bone‘s second season brought about a fair share of destruction, particularly toward its end. As the Darkling (played by Ben Barnes) went on the offensive, creating an ambush for his opponents and expanding the Fold, many had to fight for their lives to save Ravka. Unfortunately, in war, both sides end up losing people along the way.
Naturally, the death of the Darkling himself had the biggest impact on the story, as Shadow and Bone’s main antagonist during seasons one and two. However, he wasn’t the only one to meet his end. In episode seven, “Meet You in the Meadow,” as their location is attacked by the Darkling’s creatures, David Kostyk (Luke Pasqualino) chooses to protect Genya Safin (Daisy Head) when the two are cornered, sacrificing himself after forcing her to escape.
That is the last time viewers see David on screen in season two, which raises the question of what happened to him. Could he truly be dead, as Genya assumes?
Is David Kostyk really dead in Shadow and Bone?
After the fighting is done, Genya makes her way back to where David was last seen, desperately searching for him. Unfortunately, his body is never found, and Genya claims to not be able to hear his heartbeat with her Grisha powers. The splatter of blood she sees on the floor seems to be the final nail in the coffin, convincing her of David’s demise.
That said, everyone knows that one of the unspoken rules of TV and film is that if we don’t see a body, it means the presumed dead character might very well be alive and make a surprise comeback in the future. Of course, unless Shadow and Bone comes back with a third season, viewers will likely never know what truly happened to David, but the Grishaverse novels offer some insight into what his fate might be.
In the source material, David survives the events of Ruin and Rising — which season two adapted — and later appears in the King of Scars duology. However, the character meets his end in Rule of Wolves, after celebrating his wedding to Genya. This might give fans some hope of seeing the Durast (and a wedding) again in the show, considering he was planning to propose to his beloved during the events of season two.
On the other hand, the Netflix adaptation tends to mix elements from various books, messing around with character storylines. Thus, it wouldn’t be too surprising if this truly is the end of the road for Genya and David’s romance. Until new episodes are released, the question will remain unsolved.
Shadow and Bone is available for streaming on Netflix.