We finally know 'Bridgerton 4' main villain's identity
What's the story
Netflix's popular historical drama, Bridgerton, is set to return with its fourth season. The upcoming installment will focus on the romance between Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek. However, a recent naming confusion among the cast led to speculation about a potential villain twist in the new season. Fans theorized that Joanna Bobin's character—Cressida Cowper's mother—might also play Sophie's stepmother from Julia Quinn's book An Offer From A Gentleman.
Theory origin
Why fans theorized a character merge in 'Bridgerton' S04
The theory started when Bobin mentioned her character as Araminta in an Instagram post. Viewers were confused and speculated Araminta Cowper could be the same character as Araminta Gunningworth from Quinn's books. Gunningworth is Sophie's evil stepmother who serves as the primary antagonist in this book. The theory of merging the two characters appeared plausible since Lady Cowper has already shown her cruelty toward Cressida and both characters share a first name.
Theory debunked
'Bridgerton' S04 cast announcement debunked the Araminta Cowper theory
However, the theory has officially been debunked with the announcement that actor Katie Leung will be playing Lady Araminta Gun in Bridgerton's fourth season. This fact confirms that the show had no plans of merging these characters, and any similarities between them are purely coincidental. The lingering question, however, is why Bridgerton decided to have two characters with the same name Araminta in the first place.
Positive outcome
Why it's beneficial that 'Bridgerton' S04 avoided this theory
The debunking of the Lady Cowper theory is a welcome development. Merging Lady Araminta Gun with Lady Cowper could've overshadowed Sophie's story and robbed another actor of the opportunity to portray a strong villain in the Bridgerton universe. Plus, such a character change would've undermined Cressida's character arc, which saw great development by the end of Bridgerton SO3.