*Full spoilers for the series ahead*
The fate of the multiverse is up in the air as we enter the third and final season of BBC/HBO’s epic fantasy TV series His Dark Materials. This highly anticipated final season, consisting of eight episodes, will premiere on HBO Max on Monday, December 5th.
Based on the bestselling book trilogy of the same name by Phillip Pullman, His Dark Materials ultimately follows the journey of a young orphan girl named Lyra Belacqua. While searching for her missing friend Roger, Lyra finds herself at odds with the crooked organization that runs her world, the Magisterium. Along the way, she also learns the truth about her hidden family history and the existence of other worlds beyond her own.
Season 2 finished back in December 2020, so it’s fair to say it’s been quite a while since we last checked in with all these characters and their world, or worlds for that matter! Before the final season begins, jog your memory with our detailed cast and character guide below, which includes everything you need to know about new characters coming to the series too.
Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua
Lyra has had it tough, to say the least. At the center of an ancient prophecy written by witches, as well as on the run from Magisterium agents and her ruthless mother, her life has turned drastically upside down. Over the last two seasons, she has traveled across the dangerous multiverse, learned how to read the treasured alethiometer device while narrowly avoiding capture, and lost friends along the way. Again, it’s been a rough time.
Fortunately, in Season 2, Lyra met Will. Together, the two discovered how entangled their lives were, despite being from other worlds, and teamed up to protect each other from pursuing forces, becoming close friends in the process. Following a climactic battle for the Subtle Knife, an item capable of opening gateways between worlds, we last saw them both being put in even more drastic situations to overcome. For Lyra, this was being abducted by her mother, Marisa Coulter.
Dafne Keen is best known for her role as Laura/X-23 in the X-Men film, Logan. She has also appeared in the TV series, The Refugees, and played the titular character in the 2020 film Ana.
Kit Connor as the voice of Pantalaimon
Pan is Lyra’s daemon, AKA her soul-bound animal companion. He is kind-hearted and friendly, doing all he can to help her, despite not always agreeing on some of her risky plans. Since Lyra isn’t an adult yet, Pan has the ability to shapeshift until his final form is decided upon, which proves to be incredibly useful in many situations.
Kit Connor currently has a lead role in the Netflix series Heartstopper, playing Nick Nelson. He has also recently appeared in films such as Young Joe and Rocketman.
Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter
Marisa is a high-ranking official within the Magisterium, who initially promises to give Lyra a new life outside the orphanage. However, Marisa is hiding the truth that she is Lyra’s mother. When it gets revealed, her true nature is shown, and it’s far from kind. Marisa is a ruthless and manipulative woman who is prepared to do whatever it takes to move up the ranks of the Magisterium and capture Lyra.
In Season 2, Marisa embarks on her first trip across new worlds, intent to find Lyra at all costs. Assisted by her close ally, Carlo Boreal, whom she later fatally poisons (only proving how untrustworthy she is), the two get very close to cornering Lyra and Will a few times. Marisa finally succeeds at the season’s end when she captures Lyra following the battle for the Subtle Knife.
Ruth Wilson has had main roles in TV shows such as Alice Morgan in Luther and Alison Bailey in The Affair. She has recently starred in films such as Oslo and See How They Run.
James McAvoy as Lord Asriel Belacqua
Asriel is a scholar and explorer that has no respect for the Magisterium. It was his life’s work to open a new unsanctioned gateway between worlds, which he achieves at the expense of sacrificing Lyra’s best friend, Roger Parslow. Like Marisa, Asriel lied to Lyra about his true identity, pretending to be her uncle, before it is revealed that he’s actually her father.
Since opening the new gateway, Asriel has remained in hiding. He only briefly appeared in Season 2 for a single scene, though a very memorable one. We learn that Asriel is preparing for war against the Magisterium and the ‘Authority’ (whose identity remains a secret for now unless you’ve read the books!), with the angels pledging their allegiance to him.
James McAvoy is perhaps best known for his role as Charles Xavier in multiple X-Men films. He also recently portrayed Kevin Wendell Crumb in Split and Glass, as well as adult Bill Denbrough in It: Chapter Two.
Amir Wilson as Will Parry
Will comes from a world very much like our own, which is entirely daemon free. He had a difficult upbringing, with his father having gone missing for years, and his mentally ill mother needing to be taken care of. Throwing in fights at school and being followed by strange men demanding information about his father, like Lyra, Will has had it really tough too.
In Season 2, Will learns that these strange men were Magisterium agents, which are also in pursuit of Lyra. The two quickly form a bond as they help each other avoid capture by jumping between worlds and searching for the Subtle Knife, which Will becomes the bearer of. The season ended with Will finally getting to meet his long-lost father, Colonel John Parry. Tragically, John takes a bullet for Will, saving his son’s life, but sacrificing his own, dying in Will’s arms. If this wasn’t enough, Will then discovers that Lyra had been taken by Marisa.
Amir Wilson played the lead role of Tirui in Netflix’s 2020 fantasy miniseries The Letter for the King. He also portrayed Dickon in the film, The Secret Garden.
Will Keen as Hugh MacPhail
Hugh is a power-hungry Magisterium official who we first meet as a priest. Though he can be a bit of a schemer on his own, he is heavily influenced by Marisa, leading to some of his most drastic actions in the series.
In Season 2, Hugh (again influenced by Marisa’s ideas) decides to bomb the witches’ territories after they kill the Cardinal and refuse to cooperate with the Magisterium to find Lyra. This operation gets Hugh the respect of other agents, resulting in him being promoted to the Cardinal role. He later sends agents across the worlds in search of Marisa, who against their orders has left them to go after Lyra.
Will Keen has recently appeared in TV shows such as The Crown, Deep State, and Ridley Road. He also starred in the film, Operation Mincemeat. Fun fact, he is also the father of Dafne Keen, AKA Lyra!
Ariyon Bakare as Lord Carlo Boreal
Carlo is a high-ranking Magisterium official, who has been able to secretly travel between worlds for quite some time for his job. Through a well-hidden gateway that the Magisterium monitored, he was instructed to visit Will’s world and learn all he can about his missing father John.
In Season 2, Carlo steals the alethiometer from Lyra and Will, which piques Marisa’s interest as she now knows where her daughter is hiding. The two start working together to try and capture the elusive world-hopping duo, but eventually, Marisa decides to betray Carlo. He dies in Cittàgazze, the world between worlds after Marisa poisons him.
Ariyon Bakare has recently had recurring roles on TV shows such as Good Omens and Carnival Row. He is currently starring in the second season of The Mosquito Coast.
Ruta Gedmintas as Serafina Pekkala
Serafina is the Queen of the Lake Enara witches. Being aware of the ancient prophecy about Lyra, Serafina and her coven are very protective of her (and Will too). They have no interest in supporting the Magisterium’s actions and have no issues using brutal force to make their stance clear if needed.
In Season 2, Serafina and the coven do all they can to slow down the Magisterium’s search for Lyra, unfortunately resulting in causalities on both sides. Serefina also tasks Lee Scoresby (more on him later!) to find a shaman named Stanislaus Grumman who can bring a great change in the fight against the Magisterium.
Ruta Gedmintas had a lead role on the FX horror series The Strain, portraying Kirsten "Dutch" Velders. She has also appeared in TV shows such as Do No Harm and The Guilty.
Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi
First introduced in Season 2, Ruta is a witch queen from another coven that joins forces with Serafina against the Magisterium. She was also a former lover of Asriel, so she is very intrigued by his efforts to enlist the angels to his side in an upcoming war.
Jade Anouka has recently starred in films such as Zebra Girl and Fisherman’s Friends: One and All. She also had a recurring role in Season Two of Beforeigners.
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby
Lee is a Texan aeronaut that flies a large hot-air balloon. He first bumps into Lyra during her journey north to find her missing friend Roger. Lee happily assists Lyra in her travels, and during this time, he also befriends the witch Serafina Pekkala.
In Season 2, Lee helps the witches by searching for a shaman named Stanislaus Grumman who can help Lyra and Will. It is later revealed to be the identity John Parry took on after getting stranded in Lyra’s world. Lee and John work together to locate the kids, but they are ambushed by the Magisterium. Lee bravely takes a final stand against their forces, giving John time to reach Lyra and Will, and is sadly killed during the firefight.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is perhaps best known as the playwright and composer of the hit musical Hamilton, of which he portrays the titular character. He also composed and wrote music for animated films such as Moana, Encanto, and Vivo, where he again played the titular character.
Joe Tandberg as Iorek Byrnison (voice and motion capture)
Iorek is an ‘armored bear’, which in Lyra’s world shares the appearance of a polar bear, though with human-level intelligence. Iorek is an old friend of Lee Scoresby, who helps him and Lyra track down Roger. Together, the three rescue many kidnapped children from a highly secure containment facility. Lee and Lyra also help Iorek rightfully reclaim his role as King of the armored bears after he was wrongfully exiled from their community. He appears very briefly in Season 2, discussing the witches’ prophecy about Lyra with the daemon of Serafina Pekkala.
Joe Tandberg has recently lent his voice to video games such as Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Total War: Warhammer III.
Simone Kirby as Dr. Mary Malone
Introduced in Season 2, Mary is a physicist in Will’s world who is researching the dark matter. Thanks to the alethiometer, Lyra is able to recognize dark matter as ‘Dust’, the mysterious substance that the Magisterium and Asriel are deeply fascinated by. Lyra offers to teach Mary how to interpret dark matter, which she happily agrees to. The season ended with Mary, amazed by her new understanding of dark matter, taking a significant step forward in her research by deciding to jump worlds, first traveling to Cittàgazze.
Simone Kirby has starred in many TV shows recently such as Rebellion, The One, and Hidden Assets. She also appeared in the film, Dating Amber.
Andrew Scott as Colonel John Parry
John is a marine and explorer who unexpectedly got stranded in Lyra’s world. Unable to get home to be with his wife and son Will, he adapted to life in this strange new place where he would remain for years until meeting Lee Scoresby.
With Asriel having opened a new gateway between worlds, John and Lee work together to stay ahead of the Magisterium and to locate Lyra and Will. In a tragic turn of events, after finally reuniting with Will and discussing his important role as the knife bearer, he is fatally shot by Magisterium forces.
Andrew Scott is perhaps best known for his role as John Moriarty in the TV series Sherlock. He also had a recurring role on the TV series, The Pursuit of Love, and has recently starred in films such as 1917 and Catherine Called Birdy.
Lewin Lloyd as Roger Parslow
Roger is a kitchen boy at the orphanage and Lyra’s best friend. Roger’s disappearance during the series’ first episode prompts Lyra to leave the orphanage and go to live with Marisa (before knowing her true identity), hoping that she could help her find him. In the Season 1 finale, despite Lyra’s best efforts to rescue him, Roger is sacrificed by Asriel to produce the energy he needed to open a gateway between worlds.
In an eerie post-credit scene following the Season 2 finale, we can Lyra and Roger calling out to each other in an unknown shadowy location. Again, if you’ve read the books, you’ll know where the series is heading with this teaser. If not, prepare for plenty of twists and turns to come!
Lewin Lloyd has recently starred in films such as The Aeronauts, Judy, and the 2022 live-action remake of Pinocchio. He also had a recurring role on the TV series Taboo.
Season 3 Newcomers
Heading into the final season of His Dark Materials, there are a few new characters being introduced that are worth learning a bit about first! They are:
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Commander Ogunwe
Commander Ogunwe is an important figurehead in Asriel’s army against the Authority, helping to rally forces and strategize their efforts in the coming war. In the books, he’s actually a king so it’s unclear if this status will be changed in the TV series.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has recently starred in TV shows such as Ten Days in the Valley and The Fix. He also appeared in the film Wetlands.
Amber Fitzgerald-Woolf as Ama
Ama is a young girl who lives in a remote village. She forms an unusual bond with a ‘holy woman’ and a ‘sleeping’ girl in her care, who may or may not be a mother and daughter on the run from the Magisterium…
Portraying Ama will be Amber Fitzgerald-Woolf’s on-screen debut.
Jamie Ward as Father Gomez
As if the Magisterium weren’t treacherous enough, Father Gomez is a priest that they seek out because he’s also an assassin. They task Father Gomez with killing Lyra, so she cannot fulfill the witches’ prophecy.
Jaime Ward had a recurring role in the FX series Tyrant. More recently, he has appeared in films such as Monster Party and Cliffs of Freedom.
Chipo Chung as Xaphania
With the angels rebelling against the ‘Authority’ and teaming up with Asriel, there are three important ones that will be featured in this upcoming season. The first of which is Xaphania, the leader of the rebel angels, who is a key player in helping shape Asriel’s war plans.
Chipo Chung has recently had recurring roles on TV shows such as Absentia and Into the Badlands. She also currently lends her voice to animated shows such as Thomas & Friends and Octonauts: Above & Beyond.
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Balthamos and Simon Harrison as Baruch
Under Xaphania’s command, there are two lower-level angels named Balthamos and Baruch, who are also a couple. They, too, want to help Asriel and their other fellow angels to take down the ‘Authority’.
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith has starred in TV shows such as Red Election and The Split. He also recently appeared in films such as Mary Poppins Returns and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Simon Harrison has recently had recurring roles on TV shows such as Endeavour and No Man’s Land, as well as the documentary series The Toys that Built America.
Sian Clifford as Agent Salmakia and Jonathan Aris as Commander Roke
Agent Salmakia and Commander Roke are a pair of Gallivespian spies, working as part of Asriel’s army. The Gallivespians are a human-like race, though they are tiny, and have poisonous spurs at the back of their heels.
Sian Clifford is perhaps best known for her role as Claire on the TV series Fleabag. She has also recently starred in TV shows such as Life After Life and The Suspect, as well as the film See How They Run.
Jonathon Aris has had many recurring roles on TV shows such as Sherlock, The Night Manager, and The End of the F***ing World. He is currently in the second season of Avenue 5.