The Witcher Characters: Books Vs. Games Vs. Netflix Show

After CDPR provided such a definitive adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's world, Netflix was inevitably going to have trouble selling fans their takes on such beloved characters, especially in terms of their appearances.

Those that had been introduced to The Witcher via the games (so most people) had had the versions of the characters created by CDPR in their heads for so long that any differentiation from those designs would inevitably feel off or, in some cases, completely wrong. To the select few that gained their Witcher knowledge directly from the source material, the depictions seen in CDPR's games may have even been displeasing.

Yet, how far off really were the two adaptations? As with any visualisation of a text, there have obviously been some creative liberties taken in both CDPR and Netflix's cases, though some representations of characters clearly strayed further from the trail than others.

The following entries give a side-by-side comparison of characters' appearances from the games and the Netflix series, along with descriptions taken directly from the books, for the purpose of answering the previous question.

And for science, of course.

C'mon, it's Geralt - everyone knows what he looks like in the games and show.

Netflix's Geralt is Henry Cavill in a Legolas wig, CDPR's isn't Henry Cavill, so is less bulky, and has hair and facial hair that depends on the choices of the player.

Andrzej Sapkowski's original Geralt is a little different, featuring all the characteristics from the two most famous adaptations but minus the Hollywood glamour that both of them posses. The Witcher is simply described as "not old but his hair was entirely white", wearing "a worn leather jerkin" and having "a sword strapped to his back as if it were a bow or a quiver". The lack of glamour comes from the descriptions of his voice ("unpleasant", "metallic") and his "ugly" smile.

Clearly Sapkowski wanted to emphasise the idea most view witchers as freaks.