This year has not been going great for Henry Cavill fans so far. From the actor’s stint as Superman ending after the near-miss comeback to finding out that he would not be returning as Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s The Witcher, his fans have found themselves utterly dumbstruck. Many were questioning how the show would change and what would be added to the plot. But all those questions seemed to be answered with the final episodes of season 3.

The season 3 finale focused on Ciri’s story and set her up for character development in future seasons. It is clear that the character, portrayed by Freya Allen, has the potential to be the lead in upcoming seasons. But anyone that has read the book knows that the introduction of The Rats, six new characters, brings a significant narrative that should be fun to watch unfold.

A look at Ciri’s new friends in The Witcher: The Rats

From what we have seen in The Time of Contempt, the six-gang member is extremely violent and brings nothing but woes to Ciri’s arc, but who are The Rats in the Netflix adaptation of The Witcher?

Known as the ringleader of The Rats, Giselher was accidentally drafted into an unknown local army before deserting and joining another gang before he founded The Rats. His charm and charisma take him a long way with the gang of thieves. After a rather difficult life, he meets Iskra, who becomes his partner. The character is portrayed by Ben Radcliffe in the Netflix adaptation.

Hers might just be the worst backstory in the series. From a wealthy family, Mistle has to escape her city during a rebellion, only to run right into kidnappers that tortured her and other women before dumping their bodies in a ditch. Her character is saved from the ditch by another member of the rats. Christine Elwin played Mistle in the series adaptation of The Witcher.

Another tragic one is the backstory of Kayleigh, the character portrayed by Fabian McCallum in The Witcher series. From already struggling as an adopted child, Kayleigh wakes up one night to find his room ablaze, along with the bodies of his parents. He also finds Reef, who is injured and left for dead. This sets events in motion that lead to him joining The Rats.

Reef is another member of The Rats who is portrayed by Juliette Alexandra. He served in the Imperial Army until he was abandoned by his team during a siege to suppress the rebellion, a wounded Reef is found by Kayleigh, a survivor from the siege, who takes care of the character and together they both join The Rats and become members along with the others.

As with all The Rats, Asse is also a member with a tragic past. The son of a local blacksmith who was forced to hide nearby while his parents and sister were murdered by soldiers that he followed in the hopes of avenging his family. His trauma is also the reason for the character’s strength and he is being played by Conor Crawford in the Netflix adaptation of the book.

The only elf of the group, Iskra, played by Aggy K. Adams, is one of the key members of The Rats. After being kicked out by the free elves, she is forced to find support elsewhere. Luckily for her, that’s when she met Giselher. The two are then said to join forces for support, which later turns them into lovers.

From the storylines, it is easy to see that The Witcher is about to get more interesting than it was. Do you think The Rats are going to be a good addition to the series? Let us know in the comments.