It appears that Netflix’s The Witcher wishes to introduce one of Geralt and Ciri’s oldest adversaries in the upcoming second season to set their role up for the future of the series.
As fans of the books will tell you, the Wild Hunt, or the Red Riders of Eredin, play a huge part in the saga of the White Wolf. While these demonic beings always seem to be in pursuit of Princess Cirilla because of her powers, they rarely make an appearance other than popping up every now and again to act as spooky ghost hunters that are after the main protagonist.
Of course, that all changed when CD Projekt Red adapted the novels into a trilogy of games, wherein the otherworldly specters had a much more prominent role, culminating in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – ever so aptly named – depicting them as the main villains in the story. Now, it seems showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich and the rest of the producers are taking a page out of the Polish game developer’s book by introducing them in season 2.
Redanian Intelligence, an outlet dedicated to covering news of the Witcher world, recently leaked several set photos, which you can see by heading over here, and they show five riders of the Hunt galloping on a beach. It’s still unclear in what capacity these Aen Elle elves will appear in throughout the next run, though a connection beyond Ciri and her Elder Blood seems highly implausible.
Still, considering the fact that The Witcher season 2 will adapt Blood of Elves, the first novel in the saga, and the Wild Hunt first appear in its sequel Time of Contempt, it’s safe to surmise that the writers might have some other plans in mind for the overarching narrative. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see.