Titus Welliver's Dark Winds Update Is A Major Bummer For Season 5

Published Jul 12, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

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Welliver played Dominic McNair in Dark Winds season 4, a criminal who spent the entire season in jail on murder and drug trafficking charges. McNair acts as the overarching villain of the season as he sends assassin Irene Vaggan (Franka Potente) on her mission to kill witnesses and, eventually, Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon). McNair obviously wasn't successful in getting Joe killed, though at the end of Dark Winds season 4, he assured Joe that he would exploit legal loopholes to get out of prison and get his revenge.

McNair and Welliver were a highlight of Dark Winds season 4, partially due to the skill Welliver used in portraying a decidedly darker and more villainous character than Harry Bosch. Additionally, since previous Dark Winds seasons have killed off villains like B.J. Vines, it looked like Welliver was ready to step into the role of the show's main antagonist for the already-confirmed Dark Winds season 5. That hope, however, has been dashed thanks to a recent announcement.

Dark Winds Season 5 Won't Pay Off Titus Welliver's Villain Character

In an interview with Screen Rant, Titus Welliver revealed that he won't be appearing in Dark Winds season 5 at all. Evidently, Welliver's upcoming role in The Night Agent season 4 created a scheduling conflict that prevented him from filming Dark Winds season 5. While he won't be returning this season, Welliver also made mention that he enjoyed the character of Dominic McNair and working on the show, and that he'd be willing to return in the future.

It would be interesting to see McNair out in the world, or to see him in the wild, because we only see him incarcerated. And the fact that the idea that a character, even whilst incarcerated, there's a lot of danger, but if he's out in the wild, what kind of damage can he inflict? So, that'll be interesting to see.

Unfortunately, Welliver's scheduling conflict means that Dark Winds season 5 won't be able to pay off any of the buildup it created for Dominic McNair. As previously mentioned, the ending of Dark Winds season 4 set McNair up as the show's new villain. Leaphorn was confident that McNair would be released from prison due to legal loopholes he dubs "white man's justice," and he even challenged McNair to try to kill him once he's free.

It seemed that Dark Winds season 5 would at least feature a side plot dedicated to McNair sending more hired guns after Leaphorn. That plot probably would have resulted in a final showdown between them and parts of Leaphorn's world, like his estranged wife Emma, being threatened. Seeing that showdown and watching Welliver reprise his role was one of the most exciting prospects for Dark Winds season 5, and now it won't happen.

Titus Welliver Could Still Return In Dark Winds

As disappointing as it is that Titus Welliver won't be returning as Dominic McNair in Dark Winds season 5, there is a silver lining to this storm cloud: he could come back in a future season. Dark Winds can very easily explain McNair's absence in season 5 as him simply still being in prison, waiting for his lawyers to find a way to get him out on a technicality. McNair's motivation for coming after Leaphorn, as well, is evergreen, and can easily be picked back up in season 6 with just a quick refresher.

It even makes sense story-wise for McNair to spend a bit more time in prison before coming after Leaphorn again. The biggest reveal, by far, of Dark Winds season 4's ending was the murder of Gordo Sena (A Martinez). Dark Winds season 5 will benefit by being able to focus exclusively on solving his murder instead of having to juggle McNair's side plot at the same time. McNair can come back to the show when the stakes need to be raised; right now, Gordo's death is more than enough to keep viewers hooked.

Titus Welliver has even expressed his interest in reprising the role of McNair in the future. If his schedule allows, and if Dark Winds continues past season 5, there should be no issue whatsoever in getting him back. There also shouldn't be any problem in getting the show renewed again, given Dark Winds' stellar review scores, which earned it a rare 100% for every season on Rotten Tomatoes, and the fact that it still has over 20 of Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee novels ready and waiting to be adapted.

Welliver's departure from Dark Winds is a blow to the show, but it seems overwhelmingly like a temporary setback. In all likelihood, Dark Winds will be renewed for a sixth season, Welliver can return, and Dominic McNair can become a more important character in a future season. If there's anything the creators and actors of Dark Winds have already proven, it's that they can handle a twist with ease, and they'll likely be able to handle this change just as easily.