His Dark Materials Season 1 ended on an intense note, with Lyra and Will both crossing bridges between universes. Season 2 of the BBC/HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman's novels adapts the second book in the series, The Subtle Knife, which further develops the mysteries of dæmons, Dust and the multiverse in new and fascinating ways. The season premiere has already aired on BBC in the UK and premieres on HBO in the US on November 16. Ahead of the American premiere, here's a guide to all of this season's major characters, both new and returning.
Lyra Silvertongue
The prophesied hero Lyra (Dafne Keen) has gone through a lot already, losing her best friend Roger and her trust in both of her parents, Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel (who won't be appearing in this season). Now she's arrived in a new world in the city of Cittàgazze, which is haunted by Spectres. The whole Magisterium is trying to hunt her down. With her new friend Will, she's set to make further discoveries that could change the fate of the whole Multiverse. Because she's still a child, her dæmon Pantalaimon (voiced by Kit Connor) has not yet settled into a set form.
Will Parry
In the books, Will (Amir Wilson) was introduced in The Subtle Knife, but he received a surprise early introduction in Season 1 of the TV show. He's a boy from our universe dealing with a mentally ill mother and a missing explorer father. His father's whereabouts made him a target of Boreal's Magisterium agents. On the run after killing one of these agents in self-defense, he was last seen entering a portal between worlds. Setting up his backstory last year will allow Season 2 to jump straight into meeting Lyra in Cittàgazze and setting off on a multiverse-spanning adventure.
Marisa Coulter
Our main villain Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) also finds herself in a tight spot going into the new season. Her facility at Bolvangar, where she was doing dæmon-severing experiments on kidnapped children, has been destroyed by her daughter Lyra. Now she's working to track down Lyra and keep her power within the Magisterium. Her golden monkey dæmon remains as silent and creepy as ever.
Lee Scoresby
The Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda) remains one of Lyra's most valuable allies back in her home universe. With Lyra gone, he's now working on behalf of the Witches to try to find Lyra and keep her safe. His dæmon is a hare (voiced by Cristela Alonzo).
Lord Carlo Boreal
As shown in Season 1, the Magisterium agent Lord Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) has been traveling between our world and Lyra's world since long before Lord Asriel opened up his bridge. In our world, he goes by the alias Sir Charles Latrom. His role was expanded from the books, and this year he's certain to cause trouble for Lyra and Will. His dæmon is a snake.
Father MacPhail
Father MacPhail (Will Keen, the father of Lyra's actress Daphne Keen) is the president of the Magisterium's Consistorial Court of Discipline. He's dedicated to keeping order and power above all else and has been fighting with Mrs. Coulter for power within the Magisterium. His dæmon is a lizard.
John Parry/Stanislaus Grumman
Will's father John (Andrew Scott) technically appeared in Season 1 through photographs, but Season 2 will give him his proper introduction as an on-screen character. He's an explorer who's crossed into Lyra's world and has taken on a new life as Stanislaus Grumman. His osprey dæmon will be voiced by Scott's Fleabag co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The Witches - Serafina Pekkala and Ruta Skadi
Serafina Pekkala (Ruta Gedmintas), Queen of the Lake Enera witch clan, was one of Lyra's major allies in the fight against the Magisterium in Season 1. Season 2 introduces another witch Queen, Ruta Skadi (Jade Anouka) of the Lake Lubana clan. The witches believe that Lyra will fulfill a prophecy to "bring about the end of destiny." Seraphina's dæmon is a gyrfalcon (voiced by David Suchet), while Ruta's is a bluethroat (voiced by Sope Dirisu).
The children of Cittagàzze - Angelica and Paola
The Spectres haunting Cittagàzze attack adults but not children. As such, it's a city filled with orphans. The first kids Lyra and Will meet in this new world are the sisters Angelica (Bella Ramsey) and Paola (Ella Schrey-Yeats). Paola was originally Paolo in the books and the character has been gender-swapped.
Dr. Mary Malone
A physicist from our universe, Dr. Mary Malone (Simone Kirby) is one of Season 2's most important new characters. Her scientific investigations into Dark Matter will prove significant in helping both Lyra and the viewers better understand the nature of the metaphysical Dust, and her adult perspective will prove crucial as Lyra and Will begin to come of age.
Giacomo Paradisi
An adult resident of Cittàgazze, Giacomo Paradisi (Terence Stamp) is the bearer of the Subtle Knife, the powerful object from which the second book gets its name. To say any more about this character's role and the nature of the Subtle Knife would get into spoiler territory.
The Angels - Balthamos and Baruch
His Dark Materials' provocative theological themes pick up heavily in The Subtle Knife, and it'll be interesting to see how Season 2 adapts these themes. Season 1 already established a war against the Magisterium's oppressive theocracy, but now the conflict goes all the way up to Heaven itself! Though they have not shown up in any marketing materials yet, the angel couple of Baruch (Oliver Monaghan) and Balthamos (I-Kay Agu) will make their introductions in the story this year.
Premiering on HBO on Monday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, His Dark Materials Season 2 stars Dafne Keen as Lyra, Amir Wilson as Will Parry, Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby and Andrew Scott as John Parry.