After ten years and three games, those of us on the PC gaming scene are pretty familiar with Geralt of Rivia: He's the Witcher, the White Wolf, the Man in the Tub. He's not quite so well known to the world at large, though, and so Netflix has released a brief video, featuring series star Henry Cavill, explaining exactly who he is, what he does, and how he does it.
Geralt looks like a fairly regular guy, but he is in fact a mutant, created through an alchemical transformation that enables to drink potions that grant enhanced strength, reflexes, vision, and other superhuman abilities—and that would kill unmutated humans who consume them. Witchers can also throw around very rudimentary magic: The video shows Geralt pasting some unlucky sucker with Aard, which is essentially a high-impact Force push.
The video also gives a nod to the dry sense of humor that Geralt occasionally lets slip, and to the sense of destiny that permeates his adventures. "Geralt aggravates destiny. He doesn't believe in it," Cavill says. "But it turns out there may be a little more to it."
Oh yes, and there's a bathtub shot.
Netflix also recently released a longer video featuring showrunner Lauren Hissrich discussing the world of the Witcher, in which she revealed (among other things) that the original plan was to make Ciri, rather than Geralt, the focus of the show. The Witcher is set to debut on December 20.
