‘Warrior Nun’: What Is the New Netflix Series About?

'Warrior Nun' is the latest fantasy series to hit Netflix. From casting to story, here's what to expect from the thrilling new show.

by Mishal Ali Zafar

Published on July 15, 2020

2 min read

What is ‘Warrior Nun’ about?

Loosely based on Ben Dunn’s 1993 manga comic, Warrior Nun Areala, the new Netflix series is centered on Ava Silva, a young woman who grows up in an orphanage after the death of her mother. But now as an adult, she comes to discover that the nuns at her orphanage are not at all what they seem.

“Inspired by the Manga novels, Warrior Nun revolves around a 19-year-old woman who wakes up in a morgue with a new lease on life and a divine artifact embedded in her back,” the Netflix synopsis for the series reads. “She discovers she is now part of an ancient order that has been tasked with fighting demons on Earth, and powerful forces representing both heaven and hell want to find and control her.”

The series features mythological and religious elements

With a title like Warrior Nun, you may have guessed that the show features elements of religion. But according to showrunner Simon Barry, the series is more focused on supernatural mythology and fictional elements of the comic book world.

“It’s a mythology that everybody knows — I don’t have to educate the audience on the stakes of demons, and angels in heaven, and hell, and God, and the devil,” Barry said in an interview with Variety. “So when you’re introducing a crazy new idea like warrior nuns and an idea of something like the halo, which is this crazy supernatural super power device, it is nice to have another mythology up against that that is grounded and understood and accepted. The crazy part is counterbalanced by something that’s a little bit more familiar.”

Who is in the ‘Warrior Nun’ cast?

Hollywood newcomer Alba Baptista plays the lead role of Ava Silva in Warrior Nun. The 23-year-old is a seasoned Portuguese actor, and the Netflix series is her first major English language role.

The show also stars Toya Turner as Sister Mary/Shotgun Mary, Thekla Reuten as Jillian Salvius, Lorena Andrea as Sister Lilith, Kristina Tonteri-Young as Sister Beatrice, and Tristan Ulloa as Father Vincent. Desperado and Queen of the South star Joaquim de Almeida plays Cardinal Francisco Duretti.