Wheel Of Time Season 3 Casting Sets Up A Surprising Age of Legends Story That's Not In The Books

Summary Season 3 of "The Wheel of Time" delves deeper into the Age of Legends, focusing on powerful channelers and key historical events.

An older Latra in the upcoming season suggests a storyline set after Lews Therin's death, potentially exploring uncharted territory.

The return of Latra may revive the theory of her connection to Egwene, adding a new layer to the character's backstory.

Casting details for The Wheel of Time season 3 set the stage for an Age of Legends story that's not in any of Robert Jordan's books. The historic era known as the Age of Legends is remembered as a time when The Wheel of Time's world was abundant with powerful, heroic channelers, both male and female. Back then, the True Source had yet to be tainted, meaning men and women alike could use the One Power for good as Aes Sedai.

Easily the most important figures living during the Age of Legends were Lews Therin Telamon a.k.a. The Dragon and The Wheel of Time's 13 Forsaken. Because what happened to Lews Therin and the Forsaken is central to the foundation of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book series, the Age of Legends is naturally a key part of its history. Even so, it's thus far received limited focus in Prime Video's show, with the show not given much attention to the Age of Legends' events from the books. Season 3, on the other hand, looks to go much deeper, and may even tell a whole new story from that era.

Wheel Of Time Season 3 Casting Sets Up A Story Set Decades After Lews Therin's Death

According to a casting report regarding The Wheel of Time season 3, 74-year-old Ania Marson will play the role of Latra, a member of the Aes Sedai [via WOTseries]. What's interesting about this decision is that Latra already appeared on the show, albeit with a much younger actress in the role. Katie Brayben portrayed the character in the Age of Legends scene that introduced Lews Therin in The Wheel of Time season 1 finale. Judging by the significant age difference, it's safe to assume that Latra hasn't exactly been recast; it's more likely that Wheel of Time is depicting a different period from Latra's life.

Aes Sedai age very slowly in The Wheel of Time, which is a sign that any scenes with Ania Marson's Latra will take place several decades later after the Lews Therin storyline. With that in mind, it would seem that the series is gearing up to explore an event that occurred sometime after Lews Therin's death. That would be a striking decision, considering that in the books, what happened between the Breaking of the World and the start of the main narrative hasn't been explicitly shown in the novels. For that reason, how individual members of the Aes Sedai carried on in the aftermath of the Breaking of the World is largely unknown.

Who Latra Is In The Wheel of Time (She's Not In The Books)

The lack of scenes devoted to this particular period in Wheel of Time's history means that anything covered from it in the show may not be taken from Jordan's novels. Corroborating that idea is the fact that Latra herself isn't in the books. She was, however, created by Robert Jordan. Latra Posae Decume's only appearance in the canon was in Jordan's "The Strike at Shayol Ghul," a 1996 short story that provided extra context on Lews Therin's conflict with the Dark One during the Age of Legends. In the short story, Latra was introduced as an Aes Sedai with reservations about Lews Therin's leadership.

Ultimately, Latra and Lews Therin wound up leading the Aes Sedai in different directions when it came to stopping the Dark One. Both wanted to ensure the Dark One remained sealed, but had opposing ideas on the safest way to accomplish that task. Latra user her influence to convince the female Aes Sedai not to assist Lews Therin, forcing him to proceed without them. This was detrimental to his plan's chances of success, and as a result, the male half of the True Source was tainted in Wheel of Time. What happened next is a well-known part of Wheel of Time history: Lews Therin and his allies developed the madness, caused the Breaking, and died.

Latra and many of the Aes Sedai who didn't take part in Lews Therin's plan outlived the Dragon, but exact details on their future were vague in "The Strike At Shayul Ghoul." According to the story, Latra "rose to a prominence which rivaled that of Lews Therin before her." She died during the Breaking of the World, but the circumstances and exact timing weren't disclosed [via Dragonmount].

With an older Latra appearing in The Wheel of Time season 3, it would appear that what befell her or what experiences she had at the time of the Breaking will be showcased, possibly in-depth, onscreen. As noted above, these events (as they relate to Latra) weren't in the books, and were only alluded to in "The Strike at Shayol Ghul." The ambiguity surrounding all this provides The Wheel of Time season 3 with a unique opportunity to expand on the Age of Legends' history in a way that doesn't drastically change Jordan's story.

Lattra's Return Revives An Unproven Book Theory About Egwene

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Adapting "The Strike at the Shayol Ghul" and diving deeper into what happened after Lews Therin's death could very well be the extent of what The Wheel of Time plans to do with Latra. However, highlighting her role in the Breaking of the World and any additional exposition given to her story will likely revive interest in an old book theory from the 1990s. The release of "The Strike at Shayul Ghul" led to speculation that Latra wasn't just a throwaway character Jordan created to flesh out Lews Therin's past. Rather, it was heavily theorized that Latra was Egwene's Age of Legends counterpart.

These theories were based on the evolution of Rand's relationship with Egwene. Although they had started out as each other's first love in the Two Rivers, Rand's status as the Dragon Reborn and Egwene's rise to power as the Amyrlin Seat complicated their dynamic and mutual trust. As Egwene became increasingly entangled in the politics of the White Tower, her loyalty to Rand waned and the two came to realize that they had different goals. Her opposition to Rand's plans in the books has drawn notable comparisons to Latra's issues with Lews Therin in the Age of Legends.

With Rand being the reincarnation of Lews Therin, there was at least a basis for the idea that Egwene could be Latra reborn. But even if that was a notion that Jordan was considering, it was never something that wasn't actually embraced later on, since Lattra was dropped after "The Strike at Shayul Ghul." Depending on how Latra is utilized and the way in which the show approaches Rand and Egwene's relationship, there's a chance The Wheel of Time acts on this theory, which could add a fascinating new layer to Egwene's character.