You know what I loved as a kid? Star Wars. It was perfect for my 10-year-old brain: Luke Skywalker was good, Darth Vader was bad (until that whole redemption thing, but let’s not get into that), and the Force basically worked like a cosmic moral compass. Simple, clean, and satisfying. But here’s the thing – as I got older, that whole black-and-white heroic age morality started feeling about as satisfying as a sugar-free cookie. Like, really? The bad guys are bad just… because?
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy throwing on A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith for some nostalgic comfort viewing. But these days, my taste in fantasy has evolved to need something a bit more… complex. Something that doesn’t treat me like I still believe in Santa Claus and happy endings.
Enter The Witcher.
Remember those old fantasy stories where the good guys were perfect, and the bad guys always had an easy-to-spot scar? Instead of a hero who gives fancy speeches and saves the day without breaking a sweat, The Witcher gives us Geralt – a monster hunter who treats his job like any other tough gig. He’s haggling over prices and doing monster-killing work like it’s just another day at the office. No epic heroics, just a guy trying to make a living in a world that’s messy and complicated. It’s like watching a fantasy story that actually feels real, where even heroes have to worry about paying their bills.
Look, The Witcher franchise – through its books, games, and Netflix show – has done something pretty incredible: it’s made fantasy grow up. And not in that eye-rolling “let’s just add more blood and boobs” way that some series mistake for maturity (looking at you, Game of Thrones). No, it’s done something way more interesting: it’s given us a world that feels as messy and complicated as real life, just with cooler swords and more interesting problems than your average Monday morning status meeting.
What is the Heroic Age in Traditional Fantasy?
Let me paint you a picture of the typical heroic age fantasy story: There’s a farm boy (it’s always a farm boy, isn’t it?) who discovers he’s actually the chosen one. He gets a magic sword, meets a wise mentor who’ll definitely die by chapter three, and embarks on an epic quest to save the world from some Dark Lord who’s evil because… well, just because. If you’re rolling your eyes right now, congratulations – you’ve probably outgrown the heroic age of fantasy, too.
Look, I get it. These stories served their purpose. Tolkien gave us The Lord of the Rings, and suddenly everyone decided that’s what fantasy should be – noble heroes, epic quests, and moral clarity so bright it could give you a sunburn. Sure, there’s something comforting about knowing Aragorn will make the right choice because he’s Aragorn, and Sauron will do the wrong thing because, well, have you seen that eye?
Remember reading these stories in high school? Your English teacher probably went on and on about how they represented the “eternal struggle between good and evil” or some other phrase that would make great essay fodder. And they weren’t wrong – traditional heroic age fantasy is all about those big, capital-letter concepts: Honor, Duty, Courage, Destiny.
But what happens when those clear-cut morals hit actual human nature? What happens when your chosen one would rather get paid than save the world? When your princess is more interested in political power than finding true love? When your monster might actually have a point?
The heroic age of fantasy would have us believe that good people always make good choices, bad people twirl their mustaches while cackling, and there’s always a convenient prophecy to light the way. It’s like a medieval version of those Instagram filters – making everything prettier, cleaner, and far less interesting than reality.
And you know what? For a while, we ate it up. Heck, I still have a soft spot for those stories, the same way I sometimes crave those sugary breakfast cereals I lived on as a kid. But just like I eventually learned that real breakfast needs more substance, many of us started craving fantasy with a bit more nutritional value for our brains.
How The Witcher Challenges the Heroic Age
The Witcher isn’t interested in the whole “good guys versus bad guys” thing that most fantasy stories love. Instead, it shows you a world where nothing is simple – where doing the right thing isn’t always clear, and heroes aren’t always heroic.
Take the iconic Blaviken choice, for example. Should Geralt let Renfri, a woman screwed over by a prophecy and society, get her revenge? Or should he stop her and prevent a bloodbath? Spoiler alert: there’s no “good” choice here. Sometimes doing the “right” thing just means choosing which mistake you can live with.
And let’s talk about our “heroes” for a second.
Remember all those classic fantasy heroes who refuse payment because “it’s the right thing to do”? Yeah, try paying your bar tab with moral superiority. Geralt’s approach to heroism is less “destiny is calling” and more “this is literally my job description.” He’s basically a supernatural pest control worker who’s really tired of explaining his rates to people who think monster slaying should be pro bono work. And honestly? That’s way more relatable than some chosen one who never has to worry about making rent.
Yennefer of Vengerberg might be powerful, but she’s not exactly running around healing orphans with her magic. Instead, she’s busy playing political chess, trying to get what she wants, and occasionally turning people into eels. Then there’s Ciri, who’s less “chosen one learning to believe in herself” and more “traumatized teenager with apocalyptic powers trying not to end the world.”
Fantasy stories usually love to show authority figures as totally amazing: the perfect king, the super-smart queen, the wise magic council – all these groups that are supposed to be looking out for everyone. The Witcher looks at that and basically says, “Yeah, right. Let me show you what these people are really like.”
Take kings and queens, for example. Instead of smart rulers making great choices, we get people like Radovid – who’s brilliant but so paranoid he makes your crazy conspiracy theory uncle seem totally reasonable. And the magic users? Normally they’re either kind mentors or total villains. In The Witcher, they’re more like business executives who happen to throw fireballs – professional on the surface, but really just looking out for themselves.
What makes The Witcher different is how it handles those big hero moments. In most fantasy stories, the hero would give some epic speech, charge into battle, and save everyone with pure courage. Geralt? He’ll probably just sigh, mutter “fuck,” and try to pick the option that won’t totally destroy everything.
And weirdly, that makes him more of a real hero than all those perfect characters.
The cool thing is, The Witcher isn’t just trying to be “dark” by throwing in random blood and swearing. This isn’t some cheap attempt to look mature. Instead, it shows a world where tough choices feel completely real because – shock – that’s how life actually works.
The series is basically poking fun at our simple ideas about right and wrong. It’s like saying, “Oh, you think you know what’s good and bad? Hold my beer.” One minute you’re sure about something, the next you’re realizing nothing is black and white. It takes all those simple hero stories where someone magically knows the perfect thing to do and throws them out the window.
And that’s way more interesting than watching another hero figure out their destiny through the power of friendship and convenient plot twists. The Witcher shows that real heroism isn’t about being perfect – it’s about making difficult choices in a messy world.
Why The Witcher Resonates with Modern Audiences
Remember how I started this whole ramble by talking about Star Wars and its clear-cut morality? Well, The Witcher is what happens when that story grows up and gets a real job – suddenly, those easy choices start looking way more complicated.
Look, I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking: we’re tired. Tired of being sold the same old story about how good always triumphs over evil, how there’s always a right choice if you just believe hard enough, and how apparently every world-ending crisis can be solved by one plucky hero with great hair and a destiny. We’ve grown up. We’ve seen enough of the real world to know that’s not how things work, and maybe that’s exactly why The Witcher hits differently.
You know what else modern audiences love about The Witcher? It acknowledges that sometimes life just sucks, and that’s okay. Have a bad day? Geralt’s probably had way worse. Are your coworkers driving you crazy? Try dealing with a vampire who doesn’t understand personal space. Is your love life a mess? Well, Geralt’s romantic history might actually make you feel better about yourself.
This is why we’re seeing more stories following The Witcher’s lead. Look at the evolution of fantasy over the last decade. We’ve gone from “chosen one saves the world with the power of friendship” to “morally ambiguous protagonist tries their best not to make things worse while dealing with their trauma.”
And honestly? That’s growth. That’s fantasy growing up alongside its audience.
The Witcher gets it. It knows we’re smart enough to handle messy, complicated stories. We don’t need everything to wrap up with a perfect lesson and a group hug. Sometimes the real lesson is that there is no perfect lesson – and the best you can do is just keep moving forward, maybe with a strong drink to help you along.
What we really want are stories about real people struggling through impossible situations. Not perfect heroes who always know exactly what to do, but characters who are just trying their best and sometimes mess up. The most heroic thing? Just keep going, trying to make slightly better choices even when everything seems like it’s falling apart.
In the end, maybe that’s why we can’t get enough of this series. We see our own world reflected back at us, just with better sword fights and more interesting ways of telling people to fuck off. And in 2024, that’s exactly the kind of fantasy we need.
Images by Netflix, HBO, and Disney
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