The Dragon Prince‘s executive producer, Aaron Ehasz, teased a surprising story arc for Callum (Jack De Sana) in season 4. The Dragon Prince is a computer-animated fantasy series that premiered on Netflix on September 14, 2018. The series follows two human prince step-brothers, Callum and Ezran (Sasha Rojen), and the Moonshadow elf, Rayla (Paula Burrows), an unlikely trio that sets out to return the infant dragon prince, Azymondias, to his home in Xadia. Caught in the middle of two worlds – the human kingdom and the land of magical creatures – locked in a centuries-long conflict, their mission could be the only hope of restoring peace.
The Dragon Prince has received excellent reviews, boasting a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and being compared to the likes of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Hence, anticipation is high for the show’s fourth season, which is set to debut in November of 2022. Meanwhile, The Dragon Prince season 4 features a 2-year time jump. During this time jump, Ezran becomes King of Katolis, while Callum becomes the king’s High Mage. However, Callum’s story will go a bit deeper than his new appointment in the kingdom.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant at SDCC, Ehasz revealed a surprising season 4 arc for Callum. In particular, the season will focus on Callum’s reaction to Rayla leaving. However, he is coping by shutting off certain emotions and focusing his energy on other things. This causes some character distortion, and some experiences viewers might not expect to see from Callum. Check out Ehasz’s statement below:
We’re starting to see Callum’s reaction to Rayla leaving. He has certain parts of himself that are emotionally shut off, and other parts of himself that he’s pumping all of his energy into. And those kinds of distortions affect a person; affect a character. So, we’re gonna see Callum experience things that maybe people didn’t expect.
In the trailer for The Dragon Prince season 4, it is revealed that, during the 2-year time skip, Rayla went off on her own while the boys stayed behind to rebuild their kingdom. Despite Viren’s (Jason Simpson) apparent demise in season 3, Rayla comes to suspect that they haven’t seen the last of the villain and sets out after him. However, she and Callum had struck up a close relationship during their journey together. Hence, it isn’t surprising that he would feel emotional at her absence. From Ehasz’s statement, though, it seems he doesn’t know quite what to do with his emotions, which could certainly complicate things.
What Ehasz did point out, is that Callum’s feelings for Rayla will affect his character. Callum is known for being one of the most easy-going, compassionate, and bright personalities in the show. He is also an extremely talented magician. Ehasz’s statement certainly creates one question: is it Callum’s signature personality or his skills that might suffer from his emotional distress? Regardless of what shape this surprising storyline will take, it does suggest that The Dragon Prince season 4 will take an in-depth look at Callum and truly explore his feelings towards Rayla and what their relationship means to him. This depth with which The Dragon Prince dives into mature and complicated themes, such as the impact of shutting off emotionally, is one of the reasons why the show remains appealing and engaging.