Coins at the ready, everyone – it’s only a few more weeks until Netflix will be unleashing the second season of The Witcher on us all, sure to be packed with more monster-hunting, mage-machinations, and outrageous sexposition monologues as Henry Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia confronts his destiny. The first season of the lavish swords-and-sorcery adaptation – drawing from Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series, which also inspired the massively popular video game franchise – was a sometimes-confusing but thrillingly expansive slice of no-holds-barred fantasy TV, with a wild tone that made it more than just an attempt to engineer a Game Of Thrones 2.0. And if you weren’t already feverishly anticipating the next run of episodes, here’s a brand new, exclusive image of Geralt – as seen in the upcomingSpider-Man: No Way Homeissue of Empire – sure to boost your hype levels.
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Cavill proved a strong choice for the role in the last series – embodying Geralt’s stoic physicality, ultra-dry wit, and sword-swinging prowess with ease. Plus, it helps that the man is a massive nerd who truly loves the characters (and the games) in Sapkowski’s world, who also seems happy to strip off in a bath every few episodes. In this new image, he’s ready for a throwdown having taken one of those power-up potions that turns his eyes a gooey-black, standing with his sword amid the falling snow – fitting, since Season 2 will arrive in time for Christmas.
At the end of Season 1 – SPOILER WARNING – our hero finally crossed paths with young Ciri, and the two will likely be scoping each other out in the next batch of episodes. As for how purple-eyed sorceress Yennefer will fit into things this time remains to be seen – but we’ll find out when the new season hits Netflix on 17 December.
![Empire – December 2021 cover](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/6172/969a/1095/6e5f/1b95/8d4f/empire-december-2021-cover.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Read Empire’s interview with Cavill in the new issue, on sale Thursday 28 October, and available to pre-order online now here.