Why Vesemir Was Recast in The Witcher Season 4 (& How THAT Twist Breaks Canon)

Geralt of Rivia isn’t the only character recast in The Witcher Season 4, although the other isn’t quite as game-changing for the series. Henry Cavill’s exit from the series sent shockwaves through the fandom when it was announced in October 2022, and it’s never fully recovered. For many viewers, Cavill is and always will be Geralt, though Liam Hemsworth actually does a fine job of stepping into the role in the show’s fourth season. Still, it’s a different experience, and not only with the White Wolf.

Another witcher is also recast for The Witcher Season 4: Geralt’s mentor and father figure, Vesemir. The character was played by Kim Bodnia in Seasons 2 and 3 of the Netflix show, but is replaced by Peter Mullan for the fourth outing. Mullan is around the same age (five years older than Bodnia) and not too dissimilar in appearance, and brings with him plenty of experience in major fantasy franchises, having played Yaxley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, King Durin III in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and Red Jacob MacKenzie in Outlander: Blood of My Blood. Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Witcher Season 4 from this point.

There was no acrimonious exit here, but simple scheduling conflicts that meant Bodnia couldn’t return, as he was shooting the movie F1. Technically, Mullan is the fifth actor to play Vesemir: James Baxter played him in Season 2 flashbacks, while both Theo James and David Errigo Jr. voiced the character in Nightmare of the Wolf. The replacement here is a fairly seamless one in The Witcher‘s cast, and that’s a good thing, because Season 4 has Vesemir’s biggest moment of the series: his death.

Why Vesemir Had To Die In The Witcher Season 4 & How It Changes His Death

Vesemir is killed by Vilgefortz in The Witcher Season 4, Episode 6, during the Battle of Montecalvo, wherein the dark mage’s forces go up against Yennefer’s newfound Lodge of Sorceresses, aided by three witchers, including Vesemir. As skilled as the grizzled old witcher is, he’s no match for Vilgefortz. There’s no shame in that, given Geralt wasn’t either, but he fares worse than his protégé, with Vilgefortz able to strike Vesemir down, though the witcher did land a significant blow on the mage at least.

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This is a change to the games, where Vesemir’s death happens in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. There, he dies protecting Kaer Morhen and Ciri from the Wild Hunt, being slain by one of their generals, Imlerith. Although the Wild Hunt should return in The Witcher Season 5, there probably wouldn’t be scope to include this battle at Kaer Morhen, especially given Vesemir and Geralt previously decided to leave it behind to help keep Ciri safe from forces like them. The change, then, is a means of giving Vesemir a heroic death that keeps the spirit of it the same, even if the circumstances and characters are different. Neither death occurs in the books, where Vesemir actually lives, though largely fades from view in the story anyway.

Vesemir’s death is also significant not only for further establishing just how powerful Vilgefortz is, but making the fight against him even more personal for Geralt. His reaction, or relative lack thereof, to learning of the death was a bit jarring and disappointing in the moment, but I’d like to think there’s a bigger payoff to come. It seems likely that the pair will have a rematch, and Geralt being driven by the desire to protect his child and now avenge the man who was effectively his further will make that all the more compelling to witness in The Witcher Season 5.

The Witcher Season 4 is now available to stream on Netflix.

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