Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time book series after The Dragon Reborn and for season 2 of The Wheel of Time TV show
Amazon's The Wheel of Time season 3 and its "absolutely bananas" opening will follow Rand as he continues on toward his destiny of fighting the apocalyptic Last Battle against the Dark One. Yet The Wheel of Time is a popular show not only because of such powerful characters with capitalized epithets showing how important they all are - it's popular because the world is full of fascinating people with their own destinies.
While many of the show's changes from the books have been met with criticism, some of the about season 3 of The Wheel of Time, we have to consider just what some of the minor players in the books may do to influence events moving forward.
10 Basel Gill
Played by Darren Clarke
The steadfast proprietor of the Light's Blessing Inn in Tar Valon, Basel Gill helped shelter Rand and Mat while Mat was on the brink of succumbing to the curse of the dagger he took from Shadar Logoth. A friend of Thom Merrilin but also a loyal citizen of the city housing the White Tower, he had no problem following Moiraine's orders as she did her best to intervene and save Mat. Although he only appeared in episode 6 of season 1, this simple innkeeper may yet be involved in our heroes' story.
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Basel Gill's fate in the show will hinge on how the show follows up on the major change it made to his backstory. In the books, where Rand and company reunited in Caemlyn instead of Tar Valon, Gill was the proprietor of an inn there called the Queen's Blessing, and was a staunch er of Queen Morgaise Trakand. It is this staunch loyalty to his Queen that brings Gill back into the plot, as he accompanied her out of the city when she was deposed, and they eventually ed up with the army led by Perrin Aybara.
9 Masema Dagar
Played by Arnas Fedaravicius
A skilled Shienaran soldier, Masema is one of the few of Lord Ingtar's company who survived the Battle of Falme. He's also one of the more openly spiritual of the company and offered a prayer to the Creator for the fallen after the soldiers found the caravan that had been slaughtered by Darkfriends.
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So far, the show has been fairly true to the books in of adapting Masema, but his role in the story is only just beginning. Having been present when Rand defeated Ishamael at Falme, Masema was overcome by the significance of what he saw and deserted his fellow Shienarans, becoming a wandering preacher who spreads the word of the arrival of the true Dragon Reborn with such fervor that he directly contributed to the collapse of the nation of Ghealdan.
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Eventually, Masema became known as the Prophet of the Dragon and commanded a veritable army of zealots that raped and pillaged in Rand's name. They became a part of Perrin Aybara's army, but Masema's zeal swiftly turned to instability and then outright insanity, possibly due to manipulation by one of the Forsaken, and Masema started believing that Perrin was some kind of Shadowspawn and must be killed. Thankfully, Masema and his last few followers were wiped out by Perrin's wife, Faile, before he could make a legitimate attempt on Perrin's life.
8 Joiya Byir
Played by Joelle
An Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah, Joiya is involved in the instruction of novices and Accepted, and also is a part of the Amyrlin Seat's entourage for the trip to Cairhien to meet with Moiraine. As a Gray, Joiya is a skilled political manipulator and negotiator, and we see her discuss the news of the new False Dragon in Saldaea who she believes is an even stronger channeler than Logain.
Joiya, along with twelve other Black Ajah sisters, fled the White Tower concurrently with the Battle of Falme.
If the show follows the books directly in season 3, it will soon be revealed that Joiya is actually a member of the Black Ajah, the secret cabal of Aes Sedai pledged to the Shadow, and that she has been working to undermine the White Tower. Joiya, along with twelve other Black Ajah sisters, fled the White Tower concurrently with the Battle of Falme after stealing a number of ter'angreal — artifacts of the One Power — and set up in the fortress known as the Stone of Tear.
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When Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne traveled to Tear in hopes of capturing the Black Ajah, they were instead captured. The young novices managed to free themselves and capture Joiya and her compatriot Amico with some help from Mat. Soon after, the Stone was attacked by a force of Trollocs, and Joiya and Amico were killed by the mysterious Shadowspawn known as Slayer. Since we have yet to know how season 3 of The Wheel of Time will include Tear, Joiya's fate may change, but either way, this outwardly innocuous Aes Sedai represents the extent of the Shadow's reach.
7 Bain
Played by Ragga Ragnars
Bain is one of the two Aiel warriors we meet in episode 7, season 2 of The Wheel of Time as she and her spear-sister Chiad Perrin and Aviendha as they cross Tomon Head en route to Falme. As one of the Far Dareis Mai, the Maidens of the Spear, Bain is as deadly a warrior as any other Aiel, and proves her martial prowess repeatedly in the battles against the Seanchan.
The people of the Westlands aren't the only ones with prophecies; Bain and her fellow Aiel search for one they call the Car'a'carn, the Chief of Chiefs who will lead them out of the barren Three-Fold Land. And they will know the Car'a'carn, for he will be marked on each arm with a Dragon...
Bain and her sister Chiad eventually became central to the plot of the books, first traveling with Perrin back to the Two Rivers to save Emond's Field from being occupied by Whitecloaks, then eventually becoming one of Rand's personal guards. Although her personal arc has little impact on the greater events of the story, hers becomes a compelling part of the narrative as she struggles with her warrior culture's strict code of conduct as it comes in conflict with her desire to protect Rand.
6 Bayle Domon
Played by Julian Lewis Jones
The gruff Illianer captain of the riverboat Spray is a simple trader at heart who got involved in deeds far too perilous for his liking. In season 2, episode 1, he visited Moiraine in Arafel and sold her a poem found on one of the broken cuendillar Seals, as well as alerting her to the presence of Fades nearby.
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In the books, Domon appears much earlier, when Mat, Rand, and Thom Merrilin almost literally fall onto the deck of his riverboat while fleeing Trollocs during their escape from Shadar Logoth. A merry series of misadventures led to Domon being captured by a Seanchan captain, who he then married, and then they fled the Seanchan altogether along with Mat and a not-entirely-unwilling captive who just happens to be the heir to the Seanchan throne.
5 Eamon Valda
Played by Abdul Salis
As sadistic as he is zealous, Eamon Valda is one of the most devout Questioners in the Children of the Light, with a particular love for torturing Aes Sedai, which he demonstrated quite thoroughly on the unnamed Yellow Ajah sister he burned at the stake in season 1, episode 2. He also would have killed Egwene and Perrin were it not for the timely intervention of the wolves. In season 2, he was at Geofram Bornhald's right hand while fighting Perrin and the wolf Hopper, who almost killed him.
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In the books, Valda murdered his way to the rank of Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light, and he used that power and authority to force Queen Morgase to submit to him both politically and physically. Eventually, he met a fitting death at the blade of Galad Damodred, Morgase's adopted son and his subordinate within the Children who he had been grooming as a successor; Galad, finally hearing some of the horrid things Valda did to his mother, challenged Valda to a trial by combat and slew him handily, avenging Morgase's honor.
4 Dain Bornhald
Played by Jay Duffy
Another Child of the Light, Dain is the son of Geofram Bornhald, and saw his father die at Perrin's hands during the Battle of Falme. Dain was dragged away from the battle by his fellow Whitecloaks, swearing vengeance for his father's death.
Vengeance becomes Dain's entire reason for living in the books, although in that version of events he only learned of the elder Bornhald's death secondhand — and in the books, Geofram was actually killed by the Seanchan, and had been fighting side by side with Perrin against them. In order to get his revenge, he requested command of a legion of Whitecloaks and went to occupy the Two Rivers and root out Darkfriends. Perrin and his friends soon arrived to drive the Whitecloaks out, but the two forces were forced to work together when Emond's Field was suddenly besieged by Trollocs.
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After a long descent into alcoholism, during which he was the one who alerted Galad to the depths of Eamon Valda's sadism, Dain Bornhald finally confronted both his inner demons and Perrin and realized that Perrin wasn't the one who slew his father. Since the show did have Perrin kill Geofram, it will be interesting to see how the younger Bornhald's arc will change as the show continues.
3 Aram
Played by Daryl McCormack
This charming member of the Tuatha'an was the first of his family to offer hospitality to Egwene and Perrin as they fled Shadar Logoth. While the young Two Rivers folk were with the caravan, Aram was kind and flirtatious with Egwene, and often openly questioned his family and their staunch adherence to the pacifistic Way of the Leaf. When Whitecloaks stopped the caravan and Eamon Valda recognized Egwene and Perrin, it was Aram who tried to help them escape, although he was knocked out for his troubles.
The Tuatha'an and their Way of the Leaf share a common origin with the warlike Aiel, both descending from the same people who served the Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends.
Aram's story in the books only gets more tragic from there. His caravan happened to be in the Two Rivers when the Trollocs attacked, after which he completely rejected the Way of the Leaf, asking Perrin to help him learn to fight. From there, he followed Perrin like an anxious puppy, enthusiastically throwing himself into every fight until they met up with Masema; then, Aram transferred his adoration to the Prophet, who convinced him to kill Perrin. Unfortunately for Aram, before he could even land a blow against his former friend, he was slain from behind by an Aiel spear.
2 Elyas Machera
Played by Gary Beadle
A strange man with golden eyes like Perrin's and a taste for raw meat, Elyas is the wolfbrother who accompanied Lord Ingtar's men as they tracked Padan Fain and the stolen Horn of Valere. The Shienarans call him a "sniffer" — someone with the ability to literally smell violence and ill intent. He is the one who began to teach Perrin about his connection with wolves and introduces him to Hopper.
In the books, Elyas isn't the sniffer for the Shienarans; they use a man called Hurin, whose abilities to smell violence are never explained. It's currently unclear in the show if sniffers exist in this turning of the Wheel, or if that's just what the Shienarans labeled Elyas because of his abilities as a wolfbrother.
Elyas meets Perrin much earlier in the books, where he was the one who first gave Perrin and Egwene shelter after Shadar Logoth and guided them to the camp of the Tuatha'an. Later, he ed up with Perrin's army in Ghealdan, and served as one of Perrin's closest advisors and allies up until the Last Battle.
1 Hopper
Portrayed by Ka Lupinka
As the wolf Perrin bonded with most closely, Hopper helped Elyas guide the young wolfbrother in how to strengthen his new abilities. Hopper traveled with Perrin and the Aielwomen to Falme, and although Perrin told the wolf to stay outside the city, he ignored that instruction so he could save Perrin's life when Eamon Valda attacked him. While Hopper almost managed to kill the twisted Questioner, he was instead killed by Geofram Bornhald, who had come to Valda's aid.
Thankfully, Perrin soon learned that a wolf's death was not the same as a human's, as a dead wolf's soul still roams free in Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams.
In the books, Hopper's sacrifice to aid Perrin comes much earlier, as Hopper led the charge of the wolves that came to rescue Perrin and Egwene from the Whitecloak camp. Unfortunately, the wolves were driven off and Hopper was killed; one Whitecloak joked about making him into a rug, which only added to Perrin's fury. Thankfully, Perrin soon learned that a wolf's death was not the same as a human's, as a dead wolf's soul still roams free in Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams, and Hopper was waiting for him there to continue guiding and protecting him.
The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the powerful all-female organization Aes Sedai, as she leads a perilous quest with five young individuals. Moiraine suspects one among them could be the prophesized reincarnation of a mighty figure destined to either save or doom humanity.
