Why did Henry Cavill leave ‘The Witcher?’

Some actors are born to play certain roles. Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher is one of them.

The British actor took up the mantle of White Wolf in 2019 when he wowed audiences with his brutish behavior, gruff demeanor, and piercing yellow eyes (which sometimes turn black). The character that Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski created in his novel series fit Cavill like a glove, and the grand reception to him and the first season of the show made it one of Netflix’s biggest originals of that time. To date, it is still among the platform’s highest-viewed TV shows.

The second season matched the success of the first, and in all respects looked to achieve a similar level of success to Game of Thrones, at least on paper. Then, in a shocking turn of events, Netflix announced Cavill’s departure from the show, and with it, any and all excitement or enthusiasm for its future. But… why?

Why did Henry Cavill leave The Witcher and get replaced by Liam Hemsworth?

On Oct. 24, 2022, Cavill announced his return to the DCEU as Superman. Five days later he announced his departure from The Witcher. Naturally, the proximity of these two announcements felt hardly coincidental. The assumption was Cavill left the hit fantasy show to don the most famous cape of all time (again), and if there was ever a reason for him to say goodbye to the White Wolf, at least it was a good one.

However, as we all know, that did not happen. Cavill did not go on to continue his tenure as Superman; after Marvel director James Gunn took over as co-head of DC Studios, he confirmed the newly-coined DCU would consist of a fresh slate of DC superheroes, and that Cavill would not be one of them. In the span of five days, Cavill went from an in-demand megastar to an unemployed sad internet meme.

Shortly thereafter, fans erupted in outrage at both announcements, but their biggest gripe was with The Witcher. This was due to the fact that not only was Cavill leaving the show, but he would be replaced by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. For many, no Cavill meant no Witcher. 

Whispers of Cavill leaving the Netflix show due to displeasure at its divergence from the source material quickly circulated online. It was rumored he did not see eye to eye with the show’s writers. None of these rumors, however, were or have been corroborated. Still, Cavill has publicly identified as a hardcore Witcher fan, so the theory didn’t feel far off. To date, no official reason for Cavill’s departure has been announced, however, it’s safe to assume it was for creative differences.

The first volume of The Witcher season three dropped on Netflix on June 29, followed by the second volume on July 27. However, the “heroic sendoff” Cavill was promised by showrunners was nothing more than a substandard episode that offered no clarity as to how Hemsworth would pick up the mantle as the White Wolf in season four. Indeed, the viewer ratings and turnout for Cavill’s last hoorah ended unceremoniously; the final two episodes of the season became the lowest-rated episodes of the entire series to date.

Some actors are just born to play certain roles. Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia was one of them. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and Liam Hemsworth will be too. Lighting striking twice is not unheard of, but like Tissaia’s use of Alzur’s Thunder, trying to conjure that much magic just might kill the show in the end.