The ‘Wheel of Time’ Season 2 Unexpected Death That Hit the Hardest – Armessa Movie News

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 finale of The Wheel of Time.

The Wheel of Time includes many characters in the sprawling fantasy world, though some are more lovable than others. After the Season 2 finale, “What Was Meant To Be,” several of the show’s characters are gone. Due to the nature of the story, the season’s body count was high. With Uno (Guy Roberts) early on and an extended battle in the finale, there was no avoiding it. The season’s last episode included multiple deaths, with Turak (Daniel Francis) and his people’s bloody demise, Egwene (Madeleine Madden) finally getting revenge on Renna (Xelia Mendes-Jones), and Ishamael (Fares Fares) seeming to have actually died this time. But none of these characters will be mourned deeply. However, no death could hope to be as tragic as that of Hopper the Wolf. Though told to stay away from the battle, the innocent wolf charged in, wanting only to rescue his friend. Hopper may not have been a large part, appearing only in a handful of episodes, but his loyalty quickly earned him a spot in the hearts of viewers, which made his sudden, heroic death all the more painful. Even after such little time with the good boy, fans are sad to say goodbye, but they may not have to. Hopper’s death is a departure from Robert Jordan‘s books, and, with small adjustments, his future story is still possible. While the series has shown no hesitation in diverging from the novels, there is hope that Hopper will return, and for now, fans of Hopper’s will have to cling to that.

‘The Wheel of Time’ Season 2 Showed the Close Bond Between Hopper and Perrin

Hopper may not be a traditional character, especially considering he can only communicate with Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) and Elyas (Gary Beadle), but he is important. He is one of the wolves that saves Perrin from Ishamael with Elyas. And Hopper only grows more significant from there. As Perrin learns what it is to be a wolfbrother, he spends time with several wolves, but Hopper latches on to him more closely than the others. Hopper relates to Perrin, having also lost his mate as Perrin lost his wife and is the first to reveal his name to Perrin. With Perrin’s rare ability to communicate with wolves through visions, Perrin and Hopper share a close relationship.

In fact, Hopper sticks by Perrin’s side even after the wolfbrother separates from the pack. Most choose to go away from trouble with Elyas, but when Perrin departs, Hopper stubbornly follows and journeys with him throughout the rest of the season as Perrin sets out to save his friends. No matter where Perrin goes, Hopper is there, filling the beloved role of a four-legged companion, though, with his ability to communicate with Perrin, he is more than one may expect. Hopper stays with Perrin all the way to Falme, even though they expect danger with an unwavering dedication. Hopper’s fierce loyalty toward Perrin makes Hopper easy to love despite appearing in only three episodes before his death.

Hopper Was a Hero in ‘The Wheel of Time’s Season 2 Finale

Though he and Perrin spent much of their time traveling, Hopper’s story ended with an act of heroism. Upon reaching Falme, Perrin tells the wolf to stay behind, attempting to protect his friend from the battle in the city. The Whitecloaks and the Seanchan are engaged in an all-out war throughout the city, and Perrin hopes to spare Hopper the danger. However, Perrin goes into the conflict, and as the battle goes on, he is threatened. The Whitecloak, Eamon Valda (Abdul Salis), finds Perring, recognizing him from their encounter in Season 1. Believing Perrin to be unnatural due to his yellow wolfbrother eyes, Valda attacks Perrin, and Hopper can sense that. As Valda corners Perrin, Hopper rushes to the rescue, tearing the enemy away from Perrin and saving his life. Despite his disregard for Perrin’s instructions, the wolf is a welcome sight.

But the joy of his appearance doesn’t last long as Goefrom Bornhald (Stuart Graham) sees Hopper attacking Valda and buries an ax in the wolf’s side. As Hopper dies, Perrin watches a final projection of him jumping, float off, and fade. Enraged by the loss of his friend, Perrin gets a new strength, killing Geofram Bornhald and avenging the wolf. This begins a rivalry between Perrin and Bornhald’s son, Dain (Jay Duffy), but in his grief, Perrin doesn’t spare a thought for future danger. In the heat of battle, Perrin doesn’t get the time to mourn Hopper, but at least the heroic wolf saves his friend.

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Hopper’s Death May Not Be Final in ‘The Wheel of Time’

This tragic farewell may not be the end for the wolf. Adapted from Robert Jordan’s novels, not everything can be the same in the TV series, but the story remains close to the source material. Yet Hopper’s death is a deviation. In the books, Hopper dies even earlier, when Perrin and Egwene are taken captive by the Whitecloaks in the first book, which is the basis for Season 1. Barely a part of the story until his death, Hopper actually becomes more memorable after his Bornhald kills him. Perrin meets the wolf that saved him again in Tel’aran’rhiod. The mysterious dream realm has many aspects to it, and Perrin is able to go there in what the wolves refer to as “the wolf dream.” There, heroes await rebirth, including some non-human heroes.

In the books, this is when Perrin gets to know Hopper, who serves as his guide through Tel’aran’rhiod. In the dream realm, Hopper is able to soar like the eagles he envied in life. Though Perrin and Hopper’s story looks a little different in the series, their future is not thrown off. As Hopper dies, Perrin sees one last image of him jumping to new heights as it fades. This moment seems to hint that the wolf is moving to the afterlife and may reappear in later seasons. Though Hopper’s death is undoubtedly the most tragic part of Season 2’s ending, he isn’t gone, which makes the loss a little more bearable.