The Tomb Raider franchise is experiencing a fresh resurgence. With officially in the works and two all-new games on the horizon, Lara Croft is set to make a comeback. For fans of the treasure-hunting icon, this is an exciting era—though they may have to wait a while for these new adventures to debut. Luckily, for those who can’t wait, Netflix has spent the past two years expanding Lara Croft’s story through animation.
was a welcome breath of fresh air when it launched in 2024—the first Tomb Raider project in ages that truly captured the essence of its heroine. Rather than a straightforward reboot, it served as a sequel to the Survivor trilogy (made up of the , Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider games). The series struck a balance between Lara’s gritty origin story and the more campy games from earlier in her franchise run. The Legend of Lara Croft felt rooted in two distinct worlds, blending mysticism and grounded adventure seamlessly. This balance was a key strength in Season 1, and the new second season builds on it effectively by leaning fully into the supernatural.
In her last appearance, the iconic tomb raider Lara Croft learned a crucial lesson about the value of working with others. No longer the traumatized lone wolf she once was, Lara reaffirmed her dedication to her team, promising to put her relationships above the treasures she’s spent her life chasing. This new sense of responsibility leads Lara on a mission to save her childhood best friend Sam Nishimura (Karen Fukuhara) from a mysterious, faceless syndicate.
Rescuing Sam turns out to be surprisingly easy—largely because Lara gains an unexpected ally in Fig (Marisha Ray). Fig is the enforcer for Mila (Tricia Helfer), the seemingly altruistic leader of Pithos, a research facility that feels a bit suspicious. The facility’s name, taken from the ancient Greek word for “box” (Lara notes, “Like Pandora’s”), is the first of many warning signs. It’s clear Mila’s motives aren’t entirely selfless, despite her claims of working to heal the world, retrieve artifacts from museums, and return them to their indigenous communities. Unfortunately, the heroes don’t catch on to this until it’s too late—Lara ends up donating an ancient Yoruba mask from her family’s collection to Pithos.
That mask acts as a channel for the powers of an Orisha—one of the many divine spirits native to West Africa. The Orisha are similar to demigods, a comparison Tomb Raider uses as a clever shorthand: these immortal beings have lived among humans for thousands of years, hiding their abilities to heal, combat disease, or summon monstrous plant life. Mila’s goal is to collect as many of these powers as possible to literally restart the planet, and she has no problem killing Orisha or triggering extinction-level events to achieve this. This kicks off another world-saving adventure, but Tomb Raider Season 2 stands out by pairing Lara with the surviving Orisha, while also exploring Yoruba culture in depth.
Tomb Raider Season 2 reintroduces Lara as a fully developed team player. Instead of pushing her allies away and charging into danger alone, she’s now more open to relying on Sam and fan-favorite characters like Jonah (Earl Baylon) and Zip (Allen Maldonado). Most importantly, she’s far better at supporting her new allies—the fractured Orisha. Like the Greek pantheon, the Orisha are a deeply dysfunctional family, torn apart by centuries of betrayal and pain. No one is more broken than Eshu (played brilliantly by O-T Fagbenle), a trickster god who’s essentially the Yoruba equivalent of Loki or Hermes. The tragic story of how he lost the mask that gave him shapeshifting and space-travel powers unfolds throughout most of the season; it’s also one of several smart, thoughtful critiques of colonialism.
It’s rare for a major franchise to provide such a well-done introduction to African history and folklore, which is why this new Tomb Raider season feels so refreshing. Lara Croft has long grappled with the harm caused by treasure hunting, but centering the impact of the Transatlantic Slave Trade makes this theme feel more personal. The globe-trotting journey explores the African diaspora in Brazil, New Orleans, and the Caribbean, addressing the subtle, harmful ways West African culture has been suppressed over centuries. The Orisha represent various aspects of this trauma—from psychological to physical—with Eshu’s identity crisis and eventual redemption serving as the core of a deeply satisfying adventure.
While Season 1 played it relatively safe with a familiar world-ending threat, Season 2 carves out a fresh and thrilling direction for the Tomb Raider franchise. Admittedly, Mila isn’t drastically different from the power-hungry billionaires Lara has faced before—but Tomb Raider counteracts this familiarity by offering a one-of-a-kind ensemble adventure and exploring a mystical realm that’s largely underused in other media. Season 2 is even more engaging than its predecessor, and it’s eager to grow its small-screen universe. Unfortunately, the series won’t be returning (Netflix this past September), but The Legend of Lara Croft has set a high standard that future Tomb Raider stories will need to work hard to meet.