Shadow and Bone Season 2 will introduce the last member of the Crows, Wylan Hendriks. This was confirmed by Netflix’s announcement of who will bring the beloved character to life on the small screen — Jack Wolfe. The show, an adaptation of Leigh Bardugos’ Grishaverse, has so far mostly focused on the events of the first book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy, meaning this next season will likely follow Siege and Storm, the second of those books. However, the season will surely add elements from the Six of Crows duology, as the first season does.
That’s where Wyaln comes in. Wylan Hendriks, like the rest of the Crows, isn’t introduced in the books until the Six of Crows duology. Much like the rest of his team, he is on his own because of unfortunate situations, which in his case have to do with his father. Wylan, a talented artist and musician, eventually uses his skills as the Crows’ demolitions expert — creating bombs for Kaz. He becomes a key player in the Crows’ ability to pull off their iconic heists, including their biggest one at the Ice Court.
Some parts of Wylan’s story may have already happened off-screen, making room for flashbacks to fill in the gaps. In Season 1, Kaz mentions having an explosives expert, leading fans to believe Wylan already exists in the Grishaverse. Shadow and Bone’s canon intentionally keeps that answer ambiguous, and now there’s a reason to believe that was intentional. Wylan Hendriks will give fans the answers they deserve in the new season.
Maybe he’ll finally reveal he was the one to supply Kaz with that bomb he used against the Darkling. Decider spoke with showrunner Eric Heisserer about this specific moment after the first season, and he confirmed that fans were supposed to catch those winks to Wylan because there was a scene written and never filmed where Kaz asked Wylan for help. Heisserer said: “And so that was a fun little piece of fiction that hopefully will go into the show’s DNA in the future if we ever get a chance to go back.”
Wylan will definitely shake up the Crows dynamics, which is a bonus for any fan of the Crows’ found family. Kaz, Inej, and Jesper are already such a defined unit. It’s fun to think of that adjusting to someone new. In the recent casting announcement, Netlfix also confirmed that Danielle Galligan, who plays Nina Zenik, and Calahan Skogman, who plays Matthias Helvar, will be series regulars. All signs point to the Crows having more screen time with each other and in general.
Even though the events of the Six of Crows duology don’t take place until years after the Shadow and Bone trilogy’s conclusion, Shadow and Bone has plenty of ways to involve arcs from those books. Or, the television series can create new stories that make the payoff of the events in the Six of Crows books even greater. The options are limitless, and it’s exciting to think of all the extra time fans will get to spend with the Crows now that they’re so integral to the story so early on in the series.
Maybe there is a(nother) heist in the Crows near future, or maybe there isn’t. Maybe there’s romance in the air for a certain sharpshooter, or maybe there’s isn’t — at least not yet. Shadow and Bone could take this character anywhere, and with casting this perfect, the wait for Season 2 will be unbearable. Somehow, in just a few photos and one very adorable video from the cast, Wolfe looks like the perfect person to play Wylan. Wolfe’s addition to the cast is the beginning of a new and thrilling chapter for the Crows, so bring on Season 2!
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