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Who Is Nikolai, Wylan, Tamar and Tolya in the Shadow and Bone Netflix TV Series?


Shadow and Bone Season 2 is officially in production, and things look beyond exciting as we prepare to return to the Ravka and Ketterdam! On January 13, 2022, the cast we know and love was joined by four new characters with an announcement on the show's Instagram page. This was followed by a video, in which the actors introduce themselves and announce the characters they'll be portraying. So, who are Wylan, Nikolai, Tolya, and Tamar in Shadow and Bone, and what's their role in the story?

Who Is Wylan in Shadow and Bone?

Jack Wolfe, who also appeared briefly in The Witcher, as the son of a merchant family who took Ciri in. Wolfe will portray Wylan Van Eck, who was inexplicably renamed as Wylan Hendricks for the Shadow and Bone Netflix TV Series.

If most other elements of his character are left unchanged, Wolfe will once again play a merchant's son - though his role will be a bit more important this time. In the Six of Crows duology, Wylan becomes the sixth member of the Crow crew as they undertake the most dangerous and profitable mission of their lives.

His specialty is drawing maps and creating bombs, but he's not the best at either, and his youth and innocence set him apart from other criminals surrounding Kaz Brekker. In fact, Inej and the others can't quite understand why Kaz keeps Wylan around until it turns out that the boy who joined the crew as a demolitions expert is the son of a very powerful merchant. Wylan has fled his home and privileged background under mysterious circumstances, and Kaz hopes to use him as leverage against his father if it comes to that.

We won't spoil anything more, but we'll mention that Wylan will be one of the main characters' love interest - and if you look at the series' social media carefully, you'll see that they aren't even pretending otherwise!

Who Is Nikolai in Shadow and Bone?

Patrick Gibson, also known for his role as Steve Winchell in The OA will work with Netflix again, this time as Nikolai in Shadow and Bone.

In the second book of The Grisha trilogy, Siege and Storm, Nikolai first appears as a pirate - or, in his own words, privateer - known as Sturmhond. At first, he appears to work for the Darkling, but he soon ends up taking Alina's side. As the story progresses, we find out that Nikolai is much more than a pirate. His bloodline makes him a major player in the events that are going to unfold - not to mention that he's really charming!

Related: Why Is the Darkling Immortal in Shadow and Bone?

Who Are Tolya and Tamar in Shadow and Bone?

Lewis Tan (Mortal Combat) and Anna Leon Brophy (NightwatchMan) have joined the Shadow and Bone cast as two siblings; Tolya Yul-Bataar and Tamar Kir-Bataar. While they both have Grisha powers, they have stayed away from Ravka to avoid being forcibly enlisted in the Second Army. When their paths cross with Alina's, they eventually become members of the Soldat Sol, holy warriors who defend the Sun Summoner.

In the books, Tolya and Tamar are Shu, but this is not the case with Alina. In the series, Alina is part Shu herself, which might add a new, interesting layer to the siblings' loyalty to her.

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