By skipping two villains from the first book, The Wheel of Time set up a better Forsaken storyline. Lightly foreshadowed in the Amazon series, the Forsaken are the central antagonists in most of the books in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. The Dark One, of course, is the overarching villain of the saga itself, but it’s the Forsaken whom the main characters have to contend with from book to book.

As the show established in Wheel of Time episode 5, the Forsaken are a group of extremely powerful One Power channelers who have pledged their lives to the Dark One. They were sealed away centuries ago, but gradually returned to menace Rand and the others in the book version of the story. The same is likely to be the case in Amazon’s adaptation, with Fares Fares’ Dark One widely believed to be Ishamael in disguise. By all indications, Ishamael is The Wheel of Time’s first Forsaken villain. Interestingly, though, this particular storyline actually included two more Forsaken, Balthamel and Aginor.

Wheel Of Time’s Forsaken Story Is Better Without Balthamel & Aginor

Balthamel and Aginor were dead within just two chapters, with the Green Man killing Balthamel and Aginor meeting his end after drawing too much one of the One Power from the Eye of the World. The TV show’s interpretation of these events notably excluded both villains (and the Green Man), thus making the big fight at the end a bit less climactic than it could have been. However, not using these characters can be good for the show’s future, as their role could have had a negative impact on the Forsaken plotline as a whole.

The Forsaken are meant to be seen as all-powerful, sinister figures in Wheel of Time, hence why omitting Aginor and Balthamel isn’t a move without its own merits. Rand seemingly already beat one Forsaken; seeing three fall in the span of one episode would do very little to the Forsaken’s fearsome image. It would be difficult to perceive them as unbeatable foes if three were killed before the characters were even fully aware of the Forsaken. Focusing only on the ones that can serve as long-term threats, such as Lanfear and Rahvin, will help ensure that these villains are done justice in Amazon’s show.

Why Balthamel & Aginor May Not Appear At All

With the show moving around the timing and locations of some characters’ introductions, it could be assumed that Balthamel and Aginor can always show up somewhere else. This is theoretically possible, but a detail in Wheel of Time episode 5 suggests otherwise. Eight statues were shown when the villains were discussed, implying that the number of Forsaken has been reduced from 13 to eight. There’s no way of knowing for certain which ones have been cut, but Balthamel and Aginor being minor antagonists – combined with the fact that they weren’t in the finale – makes it all the more likely that the two characters are among the five left out of the story.