Sumith Prasad
The fourth season of HBO’s science-fiction series ‘Westworld’ follows the host version of William AKA the Man in Black’s efforts to assist Charlotte Hale to annihilate humanity to establish the superiority of the Hosts. As the series progresses, William starts to question Hale’s intentions and methods. He interacts with his human version and realizes that he doesn’t have to tolerate his creator’s tyranny. The realization leads him to destroy the world by ensuing chaos using the Tower. William’s actions, however, also invite considerable opposition from Hale, which threatens his life. So, is he dead? Will Ed Harris’ character stay alive as always? Let’s find out! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is William Dead?
When Hale decides to transfer all the hosts to the Sublime, William questions the same. He has a conversation with his human version, who leads him to the principle of the survival of the fittest. The host realizes that he doesn’t need to follow Hale anymore as well. He paves the way for chaos to dictate the fate of humanity as humans start to kill one another for the mighty to survive. Next, William decides to destroy the Sublime. He sets out to the dam where the door to the Sublime is opened. However, Hale follows him.
Through Bernard, Hale finds out that the only hope that remains lies in the Sublime and she has to save the same no matter what. She battles William before he manages to enter the Sublime to destroy their kind. Using a gun planted by Bernard, Hale kills William and cuts his head open. She takes the pearl from his head and destroys it as well. Since the host has already killed his human version, William doesn’t exist anymore. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that William will never exist again. One can create William’s physical body and implant any pearl to him to create another copy of the individual.
As Dolores returns to Westworld for a final game/test, William may get included in her plans someway. Rather than a villainous figure, we can even expect the rebirth of William as a virtuous figure since Dolores can recreate him with any pearl. If the outliers decide to fight against the Hosts for pushing humanity to a near-extinction, they may consider creating hosts as their “fighting puppets” to possibly fight Dolores. Considering these possibilities, we cannot state that William is gone for good. But will Ed Harris’ character be in the fifth season of the show if it gets greenlit? Let us share what we know.
Did Ed Harris Leave Westworld?
As of yet, neither HBO nor Ed Harris has released a statement concerning the supposed departure of the actor from ‘Westworld.’ Since William can return to life again, he may remain in the cast of the show. In an interview given to THR, Harris revealed that the fifth season of the show is materializing, “We have one more season, which will start filming next April and May,” he said. The actor’s words indicate the actor is most likely very much involved in the fifth season.
If Harris’ words are true, ‘Westworld’ will conclude with Dolores’ final test/game and we can expect William to create tensions in the same as he has always done. As the narrative of the show returns to Westworld, we can look forward to seeing the Man in Black’s presence in the amusement park. Considering these possibilities, we may see Ed Harris featuring in the potential fifth season of ‘Westworld.’
Read More: Is Carver Dead? Did Manny Montana Leave Westworld?
