Entertainment
The Bard in The Witcher

Fans Want To Know If This Character In 'The Witcher' Will Be Back For Season 2

by Ani Bundel
Netflix

The Witcher spends most of the series focused around three main characters: Geralt of Rivia, the "Witcher" of the title, Yennefer of Vengerberg, the sorceress who becomes the love of his life, and Princess Ciri, the Lion Cub of Cintra, who becomes his ward. All three actors (Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan) have been confirmed to return in Season 2. But there's one more character who's become an unexpected fan favorite who may or may not be back. Fans are curious, will Jaskier be in The Witcher Season 2? For the sake of music, I hope so.

Jaskier, also known as "The Bard," is one of the first characters who Geralt crosses paths with during his travels in a decades before Ciri is born. He's a character from the short stories and the video game, known as "Dandelion." (Jaskier is the Polish word for dandelion, a nod to the material's origins.)

Played by Joey Batey (The White Queen), he decides to declare himself a friend to Geralt (who is not thrilled about this development), believing the Witcher's exploits will help him write a hit song or two. Over the season, they face off with Elves, Djinns, and a Law of Surprise during a party thrown by Queen Calanthe.

But most importantly, Jaskier gets his hit song written, a little ditty called "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher," which becomes the big No. 1 hit on the continent's version of whatever the medieval Billboard charts are. It's a heck of an earworm, too.

But when the series finally gets to the present day and Geralt turns up at Cintra ahead of the Nilfgaard forces, Jaskier is nowhere to be seen. Yennefer already noted how much he'd started to age the last time viewers saw him, which was about five years earlier in the timeline.

With the North ravaged by the invading Nilfgaard forces, it's natural to wonder what's become of the Bard. When times are peaceful and all residents have to worry about is an occasional monster attack, someone like Jaskier can thrive. But in times of war, when cruel despots are conquering left and right, a wrong earworm at an unfortunate moment can lose a Bard his tongue, if not his whole head.

Moreover, Batey is not currently confirmed to come back for Season 2 — at least not yet. With the short story monster-of-the-week adventures probably moving into the background as Ciri's magical education takes center stage, does this mean Geralt's days of hanging with Jaskier are over? If so, The Witcher will most likely not have a follow-up single for "Toss A Coin," and that would be a real shame.