*Full spoilers for the series ahead*
The fate of the multiverse is up in the air as we enter the third and final season of BBC/HBO’s epic fantasy TV series His Dark Materials. This highly anticipated final season, consisting of eight episodes, will premiere on HBO Max on Monday, December 5th.Based on the bestselling book trilogy of the same name by Phillip Pullman, His Dark Materials ultimately follows the journey of a young orphan girl named Lyra Belacqua. While searching for her missing friend Roger, Lyra finds herself at odds with the crooked organization that runs her world, the Magisterium. Along the way, she also learns the truth about her hidden family history and the existence of other worlds beyond her own.Season 2 finished back in December 2020, so it’s fair to say it’s been quite a while since we last checked in with all these characters and their world, or worlds for that matter! Before the final season begins, jog your memory with our detailed cast and character guide below, which includes everything you need to know about new characters coming to the series too.Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua
dafne-keen-featuredImage via HBO
Lyra has had it tough, to say the least. At the center of an ancient prophecy written by witches, as well as on the run from Magisterium agents and her ruthless mother, her life has turned drastically upside down. Over the last two seasons, she has traveled across the dangerous multiverse, learned how to read the treasured alethiometer device while narrowly avoiding capture, and lost friends along the way. Again, it’s been a rough time.Fortunately, in Season 2, Lyra met Will. Together, the two discovered how entangled their lives were, despite being from other worlds, and teamed up to protect each other from pursuing forces, becoming close friends in the process. Following a climactic battle for the Subtle Knife, an item capable of opening gateways between worlds, we last saw them both being put in even more drastic situations to overcome. For Lyra, this was being abducted by her mother, Marisa Coulter.
Dafne Keen is best known for her role as Laura/X-23 in the X-Men film, Logan. She has also appeared in the TV series, The Refugees, and played the titular character in the 2020 film Ana.
Kit Connor as the voice of PantalaimonKit Connor side-by-side Pantalaimon from His Dark Materials
Images via Netflix; HBOPan is Lyra’s daemon, AKA her soul-bound animal companion. He is kind-hearted and friendly, doing all he can to help her, despite not always agreeing on some of her risky plans. Since Lyra isn’t an adult yet, Pan has the ability to shapeshift until his final form is decided upon, which proves to be incredibly useful in many situations.Kit Connor currently has a lead role in the Netflix series Heartstopper, playing Nick Nelson. He has also recently appeared in films such as Young Joe and Rocketman.Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulterhis-dark-materials-ruth-wilson-featured
Image via HBOMarisa is a high-ranking official within the Magisterium, who initially promises to give Lyra a new life outside the orphanage. However, Marisa is hiding the truth that she is Lyra’s mother. When it gets revealed, her true nature is shown, and it’s far from kind. Marisa is a ruthless and manipulative woman who is prepared to do whatever it takes to move up the ranks of the Magisterium and capture Lyra.
In Season 2, Marisa embarks on her first trip across new worlds, intent to find Lyra at all costs. Assisted by her close ally, Carlo Boreal, whom she later fatally poisons (only proving how untrustworthy she is), the two get very close to cornering Lyra and Will a few times. Marisa finally succeeds at the season’s end when she captures Lyra following the battle for the Subtle Knife.Ruth Wilson has had main roles in TV shows such as Alice Morgan in Luther and Alison Bailey in The Affair. She has recently starred in films such as Oslo and See How They Run.James McAvoy as Lord Asriel BelacquaJames McAvoy as Lord Asriel in His Dark MaterialsImage via HBOAsriel is a scholar and explorer that has no respect for the Magisterium. It was his life’s work to open a new unsanctioned gateway between worlds, which he achieves at the expense of sacrificing Lyra’s best friend, Roger Parslow. Like Marisa, Asriel lied to Lyra about his true identity, pretending to be her uncle, before it is revealed that he’s actually her father.
Since opening the new gateway, Asriel has remained in hiding. He only briefly appeared in Season 2 for a single scene, though a very memorable one. We learn that Asriel is preparing for war against the Magisterium and the ‘Authority’ (whose identity remains a secret for now unless you’ve read the books!), with the angels pledging their allegiance to him.
James McAvoy is perhaps best known for his role as Charles Xavier in multiple X-Men films. He also recently portrayed Kevin Wendell Crumb in Spli t and Glass, as well as adult Bill Denbrough in It: Chapter Two.
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