Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wheel of Time season 1, episode 5.
Wheel of Time episode 5 just teased the introduction of the Forsaken, who are widely expected to serve as main villains in the show. Second only to the Dark One in terms of their threat level, the Forsaken are among the most important characters in Wheel of Time’s world. Assuming that the TV adaptation of Robert Jordan’s books is faithful to the source material, each member of the villain group should be represented at one point or another.
In just five episodes, Amazon’s Wheel of Time show has already brought to life several major facets of Jordan’s fantasy world. On top of all the rules and concepts that define the Aes Sedai and the One Power, Wheel of Time has also introduced the Ogier race, the Trollocs, the Tinkers, and the Children of the Light. It’s yet to take a deep dive into the Forsaken yet, but that could be coming soon, especially with the show continuing to develop its Dragon Reborn mystery. As the story progresses, the characters are sure to find themselves faced with enemies much more dangerous than Darkfriends, Whitecloaks, or Trollocs. In the books, it's the Forsaken who consistently challenges them the most.
Wheel of Time episode 5 set up the Forsaken joining the fold during a scene that featured a set of figurines sitting atop a shrine. The figurines represent the Forsaken, which were namedropped by Lan (Daniel Henney). According to Lan, the Forsaken were channelers who “sold their souls” to the Dark One in exchange for immortality. Stepin noted that the last Dragon (Lews Therin) sealed them all away, but expressed concern that they may one day get released. What Lan and Stepin said is an accurate description of the villains in Jordan’s Wheel of Time books. The Forsaken boast 13 members, all of which being incredibly powerful, immortal channelers. Here's all of them:
In the books, the Forsaken are a mix of male and female channelers who use the One Power to aid the Dark One. They were defeated and locked away by Lews Therin thousands of years ago, but gradually returned around the time of the Dragon Reborn’s emergence. The Forsaken would menace the main characters one or two at a time, due to the fact that they didn’t all break free at once. Their primary goal was to ensure the freedom of their master. While the Dark One is regarded as the overarching villain of the entire series, his imprisonment kept him from getting directly involved for most of the story. As a result, it was the Forsaken who took the fight to the Dragon Reborn and their allies in most of the books.
Since there are 13 members of the Forsaken, it took several books before the main characters were able to meet all of them. It’s likely that Amazon’s Wheel of Time show will follow a similar pattern, meaning that each season could use one or two as antagonists, before moving on. One of the first Forsaken members that viewers may see in Wheel of Time season 1 is Ishamael, which is the only one that Stepin mentioned by name in the episode, as well as the main villain of the first book, The Eye of the World. There’s also Balthamel and Aginor, two additional Forsaken members who made appearances toward the end of the book. Any and all of the three could cause significant problems for Moiraine’s group in the show.
