'Westworld' Season 4: Is William alive? HBO trailer reveals return of 'The Man in Black'
HBO's critically acclaimed TV show 'Westworld' is returning for Season 4. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's science-fiction series is based on Michael Crichton's 1973 movie about a Western-themed park where robots gradually gain consciousness and start to revolt against the people who controlled them for so long. The fourth season picks up seven years after the end of Season 3 and has been described as a "dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on Earth."
One surprise of the new season is that James Marsden's Teddy Flood will be returning to 'Westworld' following a four-year break. The trailer for the new season also teased the return of William aka The Man in Black (Ed Harris) despite being killed by his cyborg copy. In the trailer, William is shown to be alive, only now he's built from wires and synthetic tissue.
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'Westworld': William's strange therapy session with himself has fans on the edge of their seats
Who is William aka The Man In Black ?
The Man In Black is a Westworld veteran who has been visiting the park since its very beginnings. He is the majority owner, member of the board, and visitor of the theme park, whose goals are to learn the deepest secrets of the park. He invested in the park side by side with his brother-in-law Logan (Ben Barnes), but William would also behave in the most inhumane ways towards the park's hosts. Later, he started working on The Forge, a project which recorded the behavior of the guests, with a goal for immortality. The first prototype for this project was James Delos (Peter Mullan) himself, the founder of Westworld, but his mind couldn't accept his body, so the project failed. In the first season finale, it is revealed that the Man in Black is the same person as William.
However, 'Westworld' Season 2 showed William as a host in a similar scenario with host Delos. The Season 3 post-credits showed William, who had spent most of the season in a hallucinatory state in a therapy clinic, arrive at a Delos facility, only to find a host version of himself, programmed by the Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thomspon) version of Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) to kill him. When host William slit William's throat, the latter was seen grabbing his wound and falling to the floor, but the camera moved away, leaving the fans wondering if he really is dead.
William in 'Westworld' Season 4
Even though William, a.k.a. the Man in Black was murdered by his android doppelgänger in Season 3’s post-credits scene, it appears human William will also be present even after his throat was slit. In the trailer, Charlotte Hale who is disguised as Dolores is seen standing before William, who's hooked up to Delos' robot-making machines. "Your kind made a sport out of hunting us," she says, taunting him. "You controlled our every move. And now I'm going to do the same to you." She warns the seemingly original/human William, who is attached to Delos' robot-making machines. "It's time to evolve into the species we were meant to become," Dolores-as-Charlotte adds. He forebodingly responds: "Maybe it's time you questioned the nature of your own reality. We're not here to transcend, we're here to destroy." Is William really alive or is it his host body ? Stay tuned to the new season of 'Westworld' to find out.
'Westworld' Season 4 premieres on Sunday, June 26, at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.