Shadow and Bone season 2: All actors & characters

Season 2 of Shadow and Bone is set to release on Netflix this week, so here is a full rundown of all the returning characters, as well as some of the new ones, joining the series for its second outing.

While the young adult genre may have dominated the 2010s, there are still some great new shows coming out that are adaptations of classic YA novels. Enter Shadow and Bone, the young adult fantasy series, based on a book trilogy, that was a surprise smash hit when the first season released in April 2021 on Netflix. Ever since the first season dropped on the streaming service, fans have been eagerly awaiting Season 2.

Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov, a young cartographer who discovers that she is actually a Sun-Summoner, a special type of Grisha that is believed to be an important figure in helping to defeat The Darkling. While most of the first season focused on Alina discovering her power and the role she is to play, the first season ended on a massive cliffhanging after revealing the identity of The Darkling. 

This moment leaves Alina and her friends scrambling to figure out how to complete her training to become the Sun-Summoner.

With the second season set to release on Netflix on March 16, 2023, here is our comprehensive list of the main cast for Shadow and Bone season 2 as well as the characters they play.

Contents:

• Alina Starkov: Jessie Mei Li
• Malyen “Mal” Oretsov: Archie Renaux 
• Kaz Brekker: Freddy Carter  
• Inej Ghafa: Amita Suman 
• Jesper Fahey: Kit Young 
• The Darkling: Ben Barnes
• Nina Zenik: Danielle Gilligan

Alina Starkov: Jessie Mei Li

Alina is the main character of the Shadow and Bone trilogy. She was orphaned when she was just a child, meeting her friend Mal at the orphanage where she grew up. Because she is half Shu, Alina has always been given a hard time in East Ravka and faced many hardships in her life.

Alina is played by English actor Jessie Mei Li, who has also appeared in the hit Edgar Wright movie Last Night in Soho. However, Shadow and Bone is her main credit at this point in her career.

Malyen “Mal” Oretsov: Archie Renaux 

Malyen Oretsev, mainly known as Mal, is protagonist Alina Starkov’s best friend since childhood and someone that she places great trust in. As well as being a loyal friend, Mal is a former soldier of the First Army and is known to be a gifted tracker, a skill that comes in handy.

In the series, Mal is played by English actor and model Archie Renaux. As well Shadow and Bone, Renaux is also known for his role in the BBC One miniseries Gold Digger.

Kaz Brekker: Freddy Carter  

The Crows are back and better than ever. Kaz Brekker forms part of a gang of small-time thieves who, in season 1, are given the task of kidnapping Alina. However, season 2 will explore all of the characters in more depth, with Kaz set to get more of a chance to shine after he sides with Alina and helps her fight the Darkling

In Shadow and Bone, Kax Brekker is played by another English actor Freddy Carter. Prior to starring in the show, Carter spent years playing Peter Hawthorne in Free Rein, another Netflix series.

Inej Ghafa: Amita Suman 

Inej Ghafa is, to put it simply, a pretty epic character. She is a member of the Dregs and is a skilled spy, one who uses her acrobatic skills to evade capture and find out what she needs. And while she is also a skilled and gifted assassin, Inej never kills as part of the moral code she abides by as part of her heritage.

Inej is played by Nepal–born British actress Amita Suman who may also be known for her recurring role as Naya in The CW series The Outpost.

Jesper Fahey: Kit Young 

Jesper Fahey is another member of the Dregs and is a Zemeni-born character, one that is described as being a sharpshooter. As well as this, Fahey is also a Frabrikator and one of the protagonists of the Six of Crows duology. 

In the series, Jesper is played by young up-and-coming actor Kit Young. Other than appearing in Shadow and Bone, Young has featured in films such as The School for Good and Evil and The Origin.

The Darkling: Ben Barnes

General Kirigan is the General of the Grisha Army and a power figure in the Shadow and Bone series. Speaking of power, he is also a Shadow Summoner, which means he is able to harness, conjure and control darkness. At the end of season 1 of Shadow and Bone, it was revealed that General Kirigan is in fact the Darkling, the force that Alina must take down.

Ben Barnes is arguably the biggest name attached to the show. While some may know him as Billy Russo/Jigsaw in the Marvel series The Punisher and Logan Delos in Westworld, he is probably most famous for playing Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia film series.

Nina Zenik: Danielle Gilligan

Nina Zenik serves Kirigan as part of the Ravkan army and is a formidable character. She is what is known as a heartrender, which grants her the ability to either speed up or slow down a person’s heartbeat. This skill also being useful for Nina when trying to figure out whether or not someone is lying to her.

Nina Zenik is played by Danielle Galligan, an Irish actress, theatremaker, and poet. Galligan has very few credits to her name but did star in the 2022 Irish drama film Lakelands.

And there you have it, some of the main cast members and characters who will be featured in season 2 of Shadow and Bone. Need to catch before the second season airs? Shadow and Bone season 1 is currently available to stream on Netflix.

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