Bridgerton Season 4 Just Shattered a Major Villain Theory—And It Changes Everything

For a time, a confusing naming debacle among the Bridgerton cast had viewers theorizing that season 4 would offer up a shocking villain twist, but fortunately, the mix-up has officially been figured out. Bridgerton season 4 is the new upcoming installment of Netflix’s hit historical drama, and this time around, audiences will be seeing the love story between Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek. Those who are familiar with Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books have inside knowledge on what the next season will hold, but even then, that did not stop rumors of a surprising plot twist.

Namely, Bridgerton viewers started to theorize that Sophie’s step-mother, who is the cruel and unloving villain of An Offer From A Gentleman, would actually be played by Joanna Bobin, who is Cressida Cowper’s mother in Bridgerton. In the Bridgerton books, Sophie’s step-mother is not a Cowper, but a woman named Araminta Gunningworth, who marries Sophie’s father and abuses her because of her illegitimate birth. However, despite this knowledge, many believed that Bridgerton would once again make changes to the book by merging Sophie’s step-mother with Cressida’s own evil mother figure.

Why It Was Theorized That Cressida Cowper’s Mother Could Be Sophie’s Step-Mother

How Araminta Cowper Would Change Sophie’s Story

The main reason why audiences were theorizing that Bridgerton would be merging Sophie’s step-mother with Cressida’s mother is because Bobin made an Instagram post in which she referred to her character as Araminta. Lady Cowper’s first name evidently doesn’t come up too often in Bridgerton, because some viewers became confused and thought that Araminta Cowper may be the same as the book character Araminta Gunningworth, because the two share the same first name. It certainly seemed unlikely that the series would have two characters named Araminta. Plus, in some ways, combining the characters makes sense.

Although the original text does not have Sophie’s step-mother being Araminta Cowper, the change wouldn’t be too out of left field for Bridgerton. Lady Cowper definitely has the cruelty of Sophie’s step-mother, as proven by her harsh relationship with Cressida. Furthermore, Sophie acts as a servant for Araminta, and Lady Cowper definitely has servants of her own. In this way, it would be easy to plop Sophie right into the world of Cowpers and set her story from there. However, considering that Bridgerton never even hinted at this reality makes it far more questionable.

Bridgerton Season 4’s Cast Debunks The Araminta Cowper Theory

Why Bridgerton Has Two Aramintas

Fortunately, Bridgerton cannot be critiqued for its use of Araminta Cowper as Araminta Gunningworth because the theory has been confirmed to be untrue. For Bridgerton season 4, actress Katie Leung is officially playing Lady Araminta Gun. This casting quickly confirms that the show has no intention of merging the characters, but simply has two women who are named Araminta. Any similarities between them seem to be just mere coincidence. Although the Araminta Cowper theory was compelling, it is a relief that the characters are separate entities, as meshing them might have raised one too many questions.

The only discrepancy that remains now is why Bridgerton has two Aramintas in the first place. If the intention was always to give each Bridgerton sibling their own season, then it is strange that they would give Lady Cowper the name of another character who becomes integral in later seasons. Ultimately, there is no telling what the Bridgerton showrunners were thinking when making this decision, but it could have been that the Lady Cowper theory was a route Bridgerton was considering taking before changing their minds. If so, Cowper theorists may have been right all along.

It’s Good Bridgerton Season 4 Avoided This Theory

Cressida’s Story Should Not Swept Under The Rug

It is a good thing that the Lady Cowper theory has been debunked. Though it would have been creative to see Lady Cowper take on a bigger role, it would have diminished Sophie’s story. Audiences may have been too distracted by the fact that they had never seen Sophie before within the Cowper house. On top of that, merging Araminta with Lady Cowper would have taken away the chance for another actress to become a strong villain within the Bridgerton universe. With everyone playing a separate character, they can each take the time to shine in their own unique ways.

Plus, Lady Cowper’s character change would have overshadowed Cressida, who got a really interesting character arc by the end of Bridgerton season 3. Arguably, Cressida deserves even more screentime in future Bridgerton seasons, and this would have been impossible with the character merge. Hopefully now, Bridgerton can take the time to make each of these characters – Sophie, Araminta Gun, Lady Cowper, and Cressida – into their own fully-fledged characters.