Liam Hemsworth is now Geralt in The Witcher, but Netflix has replaced Henry Cavill in yet another way that fans are really not happy about. While Season 4 takes another huge ratings hit (currently the new season has a 19% audience score), fans have now discovered that the Netflix icon that was previously available featuring Cavill’s version of Geralt has been eradicated while Hemsworth’s take on the character has been added in a new collection of profile image.
While one user online blasted Netflix as “cowards” for the stealthy replacement – which is a little odd considering Cavill is still clearly there to see in Seasons 1-3 of the show – it has certainly not helped relations between subscribers still angry at the way The Witcher has turned out. That being said, the relationship is one that has been incredibly strained for a long time and not all about Hemsworth’s introduction in the new season.
On a Reddit thread discussing the subject, fans vented at Netflix’s decision to delete the Cavill profile icon. While some suggested Netflix should have just replaced the Cavill image with Hemsworth and “seen how long it took people to notice.” As it is, the deletion of the image entirely means that subscribers have been getting a dead image 404 message when logging in. One user pointed out that the original image of Yennefer has also been removed, suggesting that Netflix has simply purged all old images of the show and replaced them with new ones. Another users simple fumed:
“Netflix just ragebating atp.”
‘The Witcher’ Has Not Been Pleasing Fans For a Long Time
This latest bit of uproar is probably not surprising considering the general feeling around The Witcher right now. However, no one should believe that this is something that has not been coming for a long while.
The first season of The Witcher was a huge hit when it was released in 2019. Season 1 scored 88% with audiences – and even that has taken a hit in the last several days thanks to angry fans review-bombing the first season in the last few days – but Season 2 only scored 54%, which was a stark contrast to the critics’ rating of 95% and that of its predecessor. While many fans just couldn’t accept the direction the series was taking compared to the source material, it seems that was an issue also grating on Cavill.
Season 3 of the show completely collapsed in its ratings thanks to Netflix making the announcement that Cavill was leaving the series before its debut. The season ended with a 20% rating from audiences, with many factors going into the score from Cavill’s exit, to an increased focus on Ciri as a series lead, and the continued distancing from the source material.
Now, Season 4 has proven exactly why the show is coming to an end with Season 5. The show has failed to claim the top spot on Netflix on its debut (sitting second on the global chart and third on the U.S. chart), suggesting that the costly production’s time as a chart-topper could be over long before the show actually comes to its conclusion.
- Release Date
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December 20, 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
- Directors
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Stephen Surjik, Charlotte Brändström, Edward Bazalgette, Loni Peristere, Louise Hooper, Bola Ogun, Alex Garcia Lopez, Gandja Monteiro, Sarah O’Gorman
- Writers
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Haily Hall, Clare Higgins, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jenny Klein, Tania Lotia
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Anya Chalotra
Yennefer of Vengerberg
