Season two of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone is right around the corner, once again transporting audiences to the magical world of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. 

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Early trailers for the season introduced viewers to several new additions to the cast, including Jack Wolfe’s Wylan Hendricks. The fresh-faced addition is set to join the ranks of the Crows in season two, and fans are already desperately in love with the timid newcomer.

If you’ve yet to enjoy Bardugo’s Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, it’s safe to say the following article contains plenty of spoilers, so avoid reading further if you’re aiming for any season two surprises.

Who is Wylan Hendricks?

Wylan will likely make his big debut early in season two. He’ll doubtless become a staple of the Crows early on, as the “demo guy” Jesper so desperately wanted in season one, and sometimes as a moral compass for the team. 

The son of Jan Van Eck and Maria Hendricks, Wylan grew up wealthy but neglected. His father, upon discovering that his son couldn’t read by the age of eight, told Wylan his mother took ill and died, but refused to allow him to attend her funeral. He sequestered his only heir away from the public eye and sought to make the world forget about him. When his replacement wife became pregnant, and Van Eck finally had an out, he attempted to end Wylan for good.

In reality, Wylan’s mother never died. Instead — knowing she would never turn her back on her son, but also requiring continued access to her money — Van Eck sent his wife away and told the world she was dead. Wylan eventually managed to track her down and, once his business with the Crows (or Dregs, in the books) was concluded, he took over the operation of his father’s business — and cared for his beloved mom.

A clever young man with an aptitude for chemicals and demolitions, and a brilliant creative mind, Wylan’s inability to read or write — due to severe dyslexia — followed him since youth. His father, a wealthy mercher, saw absolutely no value in a son who could not read or write, seeking to dispatch his only child at the earliest opportunity. Thankfully, his attempts to kill Wylan failed, and he instead ended up in the Barrel, where he eventually joined the Crows. 

As a member of the Crows, Wylan became far more than his abandoned “Van Eck” surname. He was initially hesitant to lump himself in with criminals, but he gradually found a family among the members of his new group. When things came to a head with his father — who hired the team to steal a vital Grisha from the clutches of Fjerdans — Wylan was even willing to sacrifice much of his identity to keep his new family safe. 

Wylan experiences a massive amount of growth over the course of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom. From a slightly bumbling add-on to a vital member of the team, he slowly discovers himself as he joins in on a risky heist that takes him far from the crowded Ketterdam shores he’s so familiar with. He has a unique and wonderful relationship with each member of his found family — particularly Jesper — and, by the end of his time in the books, he’s become a necessary and beloved member of the gang.