The Witcher Makes Henry Cavill's Geralt Exit Worse

The current Rotten Tomatoes score of 35% for The Witcher: Bloodborne suggests that it won't be easy to replace Henry Cavill as Geralt in The Witcher.

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for The Witcher: Blood Origin.

^ The Witcher: Blood Origins shows Henry Cavill's Geralt exiting the challenge to the world of The Witcher. Blood Origin is the first live-action spin-off of The Witcher, serving as a prequel, but also tying into the events of The Witcher season 2 and the upcoming season 3. As a four-episode event series set 1,200 years before the events of The Witcher, Origin would have the daunting task of expanding the Witcher universe without characters like Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri.

Although Jaskier returns in the first episode of The Witcher: Origins, there is little else that directly connects the spin-off series to the hit Netflix show. Blood Origin is not based on any specific Witcher novel or short story, but instead tells an original story set in the Spheres before the continents met. As such, Blood Origin cannot rely on known elements from Netflix's The Witcher.

Netflix's The Witcher revolves around its titular character, Henry Cavill's silver-haired Rivia Geralt. While Cavill wasn't a huge Geralt fan before, the DCEU Superman actor brings something unique to the role that also fits with Geralt's personality traits in the Witcher books and games. Essentially, Henry Cavill's Geralt has Become the voice of the wizard. Blood Origin's overall negative reception on Rotten Tomatoes is 35%, suggesting that the wizarding TV universe isn't ready to move on from Cavill just yet. The wizard's lore may be deep, but expanding the wizard beyond Geralt may be impossible.

How Blood Origin Showcases The Danger Of Henry Cavill's Exit

Geralt will not be written out of The Witcher. Liam Hemsworth will replace Henry Cavill as the wizard Geralt in season four, which means that the show can continue to feature Geralt as the protagonist. However, as Blood Origin demonstrates, the transition won't be easy. "The Witcher" is arguably one of Netflix's most successful works in recent years. It has franchise potential. That being said, Netflix's The Witcher still hasn't solidified its sprawling franchise, especially after a controversial season 2. Henry Cavill's Geralt was a critically acclaimed part of the show and was crucial to The Witcher's success.

The Witcher: Bloodborne may have many deep connections to The Witcher and Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher novel lore. For general viewers, however, Blood Origin's post-credits scene and Jaskier are the only concrete elements that tie the spinoff to the original. Blood Origin tries to expand on The Witcher lore, much of it Being teased or mentioned in the books, resulting in a plot that is overly complicated and unfocused even for those familiar with The Witcher universe. As such, Blood Origin proves that The Witcher season 1 formula was the original show's greatest strength.

Blood Origin Shows That Witcher Needs Its Original Formula

Blood Origin, like The Witcher season 2, focuses more on world building and establishing a potential new story than the main characters. While season 2 of The Witcher is expected to be a bit less than season 1, given how it began adapting Sapkowski's The Witcher books, the show has taken a major turn and lost much of what made season 1 special. Finding that balance was even more difficult for Bloodborne, which had to introduce seven main characters in a story of just four episodes. As emphasized in The Witcher Season 2 and The Witcher: Origins, The Witcher must return to its roots.

More: Will There Be a Witcher: Bloodborne Season 2?