Adapted from the books by Andrzej Sapkowski and video games of the same name, The Witcher has taken fans into a dark, twisted yet thrilling world of fantasy. Henry Cavill as Geralt, Freya Allan as Ciri, and Anya Chalotra as Yennefer have given fans the characters with the utmost accuracy. Although the Netflix drama has faced critical comments from deviating from the original source, the show has been widely loved by fans.

Not only did the show minimize the characters from the original source, but it also changed some of their stories as well. For instance, it changed one of the famous villains, Reince’s death, leaving Geralt as the center of the plot.

How did The Witcher change Reince’s death?

The viewers see Rience in season 2 when Lydia van Bredevoort freed him from a Cintran prison. She arrived to recruit him to help an outside party (revealed to be Vilgefortz in season 3) in finding and capturing Ciri. Taking his mission very seriously, Reince went on his search throughout the third season as well, where we see Geralt killing the fiery mage with his sword. However, in the books, it was actually Ciri who killed him and it did not involve her father figure at all.

In the novel, The Tower of the Swallow, Reince and Ciri come face-to-face when Ciri escapes from the bounty hunter Leo Bonhart. While on the run, she found that Stefen Skellen’s agents were waiting in ambush. Therefore, she took a pair of ice skates and left. She lured Bonhart, Skellen, and Rience to a frozen lake where Reince got an order to use his magic to stop Cirilla. Despite his fear, Reince cast a spell that did not work all the way.

Instead, it cracked the ice below them and Reince held on to the edge. He tried to negotiate with the Princess in exchange for the information about Yennefer. Princess of Cintra did not fall for his trick and started skating on the edge of the ice. While doing so, she cut Rience’s fingers, leaving him drowning.

When fans saw this change in Volume 2 of Season 3, they did not appreciate it.

Why did fans not approve of Reince’s death in the series?

In the second volume of season 3, when Yennefer was taking Ciri to a safe place, Reince came looking for Cirilla and tried to get her. But Geralt reached there too having a duel with the fiery mage. According to the book lovers, what happened in the show happened so easily and left no room for Geralt’s skills to show off. Moreover, it was supposed to be Ciri who took control and not Geralt. Although it satisfied fans that the White Wolf sought revenge after what Reince did to Ciri, it was not as exciting as it was in the book.

In the book, despite Rience offering Yennefer’s location in exchange for his life, Cirilla does not cave. Instead, she learned she could not trust someone like Rience. Therefore, it showcased her growth and her inner strength as well. However, since season 3 ended with the Princess being the center of the plot, fans are hoping to see more from Freya Allan’s Princess Cirilla of Cintra.

While fans are wondering when season 4 of the Netflix Original is coming out, tell us, what you feel about Reince’s death. What are your thoughts about the changes? Drop them in the comments below.