Is Zahn McClarnon The Head Of Ghost Nation In Westworld Season 2

The hidden secret trailer reveals Zahn McClarnon. But will he play the leader of Westworld’s mysterious Ghost Nation?

We are a little over 2 months away from the premiere of Westworld Season 2. After the trailer dropped during the Super Bowl a few weeks ago, the fans of the HBO hit series started looking for clues. One Redditor found a hidden code in the Super Bowl trailer that lead to another version of the trailer on the DiscoverWestworld.com website. Not only did the trailer reveal a new character, but it also showed us the first glimpse of Zahn McClarnon. The brief scene shows an off-screen screen character touching  his face with a bloody hand. Since McClarnon has played Native American roles in previous shows, it’s possible he might be a member of the mysterious Ghost Nation in Westworld.

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Zahn McClarnon And His Native American Background

In Westworld Season 1, Ghost Nation was shown a handful of times. We saw them surround Stubbs (Liam Hemsworth) and they rescued Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and William (Jimmi Simpson) from the Confederados. In the recent trailer, there are several scenes which hint that Ghost Nation may play a larger role in the rebellion. This is where Zahn McClarnon comes into play.

The award-winning actor has been working in Hollywood for over 20 years. Zahn McClarnon is of half Hunkpapa Lakota and Irish descent. He is no stranger to portraying Native Americans on screen. McClarnon has appeared in Into the West, Bone and Longmire. However, it’s his portrayal of Hanzee Dent in FX’s Fargo was his breakout performance. In an interview with Vulture back in 2015 he discussed how his experiences as a Native American dealing with racism helped shape his role:

"I also drew from my own experience growing up in the ’70s as a Native American, being on the reservation and also living on the border of a reservation, and experiences I had with racism, on both sides. Being a mixed Native American, because my father was an Irishman, I saw both sides of it."

The first season of Westworld was about watching the hosts come alive and seek revenge against the abusive humans. We see this theme of rising up appear outside the story of Westworld in such movements as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter.  With McClarnon’s experience with racism in his past, we could see him draw upon those struggles in Westworld.

Will Zahn McClarnon Be The Leader Of Ghost Nation?

If Ghost Nation is going to make more of an appearance, it’s possible the tribe could have a leader. However, Zahn McClarnon has played a leader one of his previous roles. On AMC’s The Son, McClarnon played Toshaway, a Comanche war chief.

We know that showrunners Jonathon Nolan and Lisa Joy plan on focusing on the chaos in the park. The hidden trailer proved that Westworld will be bloodier in season two. The Son takes place during a violent times in American history. It’s set in 1849 when Americans were starting the oil industry in Texas and invading the Comanche lands. The Comanche were the Lords of The Plains and defended their territory against the emerging tycoons. McClarnon’s character, Toshaway, led the party that attacked a cabin owned by the McCullough family. Toshaway then takes Eli and raised him as own son.

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Zahn McClarnon’s heritage and experience is the perfect actor to lead and bring to life Ghost Nation. It’ll be interesting to see if Ghost Nations fights in the rebellion or protects the humans.

We still have a few months until Westworld Season 2 drops. Until then, we will continue to speculate on anything and everything Westworld.

Westworld Season 2 will premiere on HBO Sunday, April 22, 2018 9PM/EST.

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