It’s been years in the making, but now, it’s official: Tom Hardy is back as James Delaney, and Taboo Season 2 is finally happening. The silence is over. The whispers in the fog are growing louder. And fans of the dark, slow-burning drama are bracing themselves for a return to the shadowy world of secrets, curses, and power.
Season 1 was bold, brutal, and mysterious. Season 2 promises to go deeper, wider — and far more dangerous.
The Rise of the Colonnade
When Season 1 ended, Delaney spoke of “the Colonnade” — a secret organization that operates in the shadows of governments, corporations, and war. We know little about them, but they appear to be the true architects of influence, manipulating political outcomes under the guise of espionage and trade.
Season 2 is expected to pull the curtain back on this world — and Delaney’s role within it. Is he their servant? Their enemy? Or something entirely more volatile?
Fans can expect plots that intertwine:
- American and British intelligence agencies
- Early 1800s diplomacy and revolution
- Hidden alliances between rival nations
- Delaney’s deeper, darker origins
Delaney’s Transformation
Tom Hardy’s James Delaney was never easy to understand — and that’s exactly why fans were drawn to him. He’s not a classic protagonist. He’s morally complex, spiritually tormented, and intensely intelligent.
Season 2 will likely show a transformed Delaney — not just a survivor, but a strategist and leader. With his loyal crew and growing knowledge of global politics, Delaney is stepping into a role he’s long resisted: a man with power over life, death, and history itself.
New Setting, New Enemies
Season 2 moves beyond London’s foggy docks and into the political crucible of 19th-century America — a land on the verge of identity, shaped by war, trade, and treachery.
The shift opens doors to:
- New American characters — spies, generals, radicals
- Native alliances and conflicts
- Post-war power struggles between Britain, France, and the United States
- Secret societies operating under religious or political fronts
Delaney’s enemies will no longer just be greedy merchants or corrupt royals. They’ll be ideologues, power brokers, and people just as dangerous as him.
Will Zilpha Return?
One of the most haunting aspects of Season 1 was Delaney’s relationship with his half-sister, Zilpha. Their tragic, taboo bond ended in her apparent suicide — but many fans still question what really happened.
Could she return in flashbacks? As a hallucination? Or — in typical Taboo style — alive and hiding?
Delaney’s connection to her was the emotional core of the first season. Season 2 is expected to dive further into the psychological consequences of her loss — and what it awakens in him.
Steven Knight + Tom Hardy = Unfinished Genius
Series creator Steven Knight (of Peaky Blinders fame) has confirmed that Taboo was always planned as a three-part journey, with Season 2 being the second act — darker, more complex, and morally twisted.
Knight has described the upcoming season as:
“About survival, revenge, betrayal, and how a man like Delaney reshapes the world through sheer willpower.”
Hardy and Knight’s partnership is known for bold storytelling, raw performances, and thematic depth. Together, they aren’t just continuing a series — they’re building a myth.
Themes to Watch
Season 2 will likely explore:
- Colonial power and cultural exploitation
- Mental health in the age of superstition
- The price of loyalty
- Redemption through blood
- The fine line between curse and purpose
And at the center of it all, James Delaney, always watching, always calculating — a ghost in a world full of the living.
Final Thoughts: Not Just a Return — A Reckoning
Tom Hardy’s return in Taboo Season 2 isn’t just about continuing a story. It’s about deepening a legend. Delaney isn’t done — not with the world, not with the truth, and not with those who tried to destroy him.
The darkness didn’t consume him. He became it.
And now, he’s bringing it to America.