10 things we’d like to see in Shadow and Bone season 2

6. General Kirigan’s dark side

Okay, yes. You could definitely argue that General Kirigan doesn’t have a dark side because he’s rotten all the way through. However, Shadow and Bone season 1 doesn’t initially portray Ben Barnes’ character this way, choosing instead to lead viewers into a false sense of security before revealing that he’s not the hero he’s made out to be. The show even gives the character a backstory that’s absent from the books, attempting to give its villain a little more nuance.

Of course, all pretense goes out the window during the last few episodes, when Kirigan manipulates Alina and physically controls her to meet his ends. This isn’t the worst thing the Darkling does in Leigh Bardugo’s books, though, and it’s unlikely to be the darkest he gets in the  Netflix adaptation. In fact, now that Alina has completely turned away from him, Kirigan will only get nastier in his pursuit of power.

Given Barnes’ stellar performance throughout season 1, an even crueler Kirigan is something to look forward to in Shadow and Bone‘s second season. Although some of his actions will undoubtedly be difficult to watch, there’s no denying he’ll bring fans a fantasy villain for the history books.