Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Witcher Season 4.

The Witcher Season 4 marks a major change for the Netflix series. After three seasons of Henry Cavill playing Geralt of Rivia, Liam Hemsworth has taken over, offering a new interpretation of the character. Every fan has their own opinions on this change, with some hating it and others feeling that Hemsworth does a decent job despite the less-than-ideal situation. Yet, while that recasting was highly publicized leading up to the show’s return, Geralt is not the only important character to be portrayed by a new actor in The Witcher Season 4. After being absent for all of Season 3, Vesemir reappears, now played by Peter Mullan, taking over for Kim Bodnia.

No two actors, however talented, will play a role the same way, and that is evident with the show’s new Vesemir. When Geralt’s mentor and arguable father figure reenters the story in Season 4, the change is clear, as Mullan seems to emphasize the character’s age in a way Bodnia didn’t. However, Mullan is the one who wraps up Vesemir’s story with an epic ending that still manages to be a missed opportunity. Though it’s not inherently a bad thing to see a new side of an old character, Vesemir’s recast is ultimately distracting, especially as it lacks the emotional weight of the character’s previous appearance.

Why Did ‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Recast Vesemir?

Recasting is never ideal, but The Witcher was forced to find a new Vesemir due to complications outside of the show’s control. Vesemir’s recast isn’t the result of behind-the-scenes drama but a simple scheduling conflict, as Bodnia’s return became impossible due to his involvement in F1. The Brad Pitt-led film was delayed due to the Hollywood strikes, and since Bodnia remained attached to the film as Kaspar Smolinski, he couldn’t return to Vesemir. As The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich told Entertainment Weekly, “I spoke to Kim about it and he was devastated. He loved playing Vesemir. Also, F1‘s a big movie, so I understand that they could not necessarily work around our schedule.”

An impressive actor in his own right, Mullan isn’t new to the fantasy genre, appearing as the Death Eater Yaxley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and, more recently, King Durin III in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, making him a decent choice to replace Bodnia. Though Mullan is the second actor to appear as Vesemir, the character has been played by others in animation; Theo James and David Errigo Jr. voice the character in the animated film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. Yet, even with all the changes to Vesemir over the years, Season 4’s recast doesn’t quite fit.

‘The Witcher’s New Vesemir Recast Is a Major Change

Vesemir may not be a central character like Geralt, but his personality is distinct. As the oldest witcher, he is determined and guarded, taking a long time to warm up to Ciri (Freya Allan). Bodnia plays the part exceptionally in Season 2, portraying Vesemir as an intimidating, somewhat grouchy man driven by his desire to protect the witchers he has trained. Even as the character takes misguided steps, like attempting to make a new mutagen out of Ciri’s blood, it’s all in pursuit of the greater good. Throughout Bodnia’s time as Vesemir, he captured the intricacies of the character’s lovable, if distant, nature.

However, Mullan’s Vesemir highlights different aspects of Vesemir. His age feels more obvious, which is important, but Season 4 also focuses on his role as a mentor beyond his position as the protector of the witchers, as he takes Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) under his wing and recognizes her as a leader in her own right. It’s a marked change for Vesemir to be extending his mentorship beyond the witchers he is responsible for, and a sudden transition for his character that feels a little abrupt, given his absence from the show last season.

‘The Witcher’ Season 4 Gives Vesemir an Important Role

Image via Netfix

The Witcher Season 4 gives Vesemir an important moment, but throughout the emotional conclusion to his arc, the character’s recast is distracting. So much has already changed for Vesemir since the fallout of Season 2, with the witchers’ numbers dwindling and him unable to help Geralt. However, Season 4 only uses Vesemir in Yennefer’s storyline as he helps to protect the remaining mages by facing the man who nearly killed Geralt. Vesemir’s battle with Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) allows The Witcher to show off his abilities, especially after Season 3 showed Vilgefortz defeating Geralt in a bloody clash of skills. Vesemir holds his own, even wounding Vilgefortz before he dies; adding to the character’s tragic fate is the fact that Vesemir knows the danger he is walking into, but still does it, as he tells Vilgefortz, “For my son, Geralt.”

The Witcher Season 4 misses an even more significant opportunity for Vesemir by never bringing him and Geralt back together onscreen. The show’s ongoing storylines contribute to a strange outcome in which Hemsworth’s Geralt and Mullan’s Vesemir don’t get to interact, which lessens the emotional impact of Vesemir’s death. The Witcher could have better highlighted the connection between the recast actors by allowing them to share a single scene — which, in turn, would have given Mullen’s portrayal of Vesemir more weight. Despite Vesemir’s sacrifice, The Witcher doesn’t really even give Geralt a chance to grieve at the news, which harms Hemsworth’s portrayal of the character as well. Through no fault of Mullan’s, The Witcher‘s Season 4 Vesemir storyline falls flat, highlighting the difficulty of pulling off such a major recast at this point in the Netflix fantasy series.

The Witcher is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.

Release Date

December 20, 2019

Network

Netflix

Directors

Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman

Writers

Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia