Tom Hardy Returns in a Darker, Deadlier Chapter: Taboo Season 2 Heads to America and Straight Into War

After years of silence, speculation, and feverish anticipation, Taboo — the brooding period drama that became an instant cult phenomenon — is officially returning. Once again led by Tom Hardy’s magnetic, feral performance as James Keziah Delaney, Season 2 promises a bolder, more violent continuation of the dark legend. And this time, the nightmare crosses the Atlantic.

The new season will transport audiences from the fog-choked streets of London to the unstable, war-torn landscape of 19th-century America, where Delaney and the fractured remnants of the League of the Damned must claw their way through a new world filled with danger, deception, and brutal opportunity.

A New Frontier — and New Enemies

Season 1 ended with Delaney fleeing Britain under the threat of execution, having humiliated the Crown, defied the East India Company, and shed more than a little blood along the way. Season 2 finds him older, harder, and even more dangerous — a survivor shaped by loss, secrets, and the ghosts of his own making.

But America is no sanctuary. Instead, it becomes the battleground for a larger conflict: the simmering war between Britain and the United States, a conflict that elevates Delaney from outlaw to key player in a geopolitical game far bigger than himself.

The BBC and FX have remained tight-lipped on specific plot details, but early information suggests Delaney will be pulled into a treacherous network of:

American political powers, eager to manipulate him
Indigenous tribes, tied to his mother’s lineage
Corrupt mercenaries and traders, hungry for land and influence
Shadowy secret societies, pulling the strings of both nations

In short: the enemies are new, but the danger feels familiar — and lethal.

The Ghosts of His Mother’s People

A major thematic shift in Season 2 is the exploration of Delaney’s mother’s heritage. Her past, shrouded in pain and mystery, becomes central to the new storyline. In America, Delaney begins to understand the truth behind the land his family lost — a truth tied to bloodlines, betrayal, and colonial violence.

The show’s creators have indicated that these revelations will force Delaney into confronting a side of his identity long buried under violence and vengeance. His connection to Indigenous communities, hinted at in the first season, will receive far greater narrative focus.

But in true Taboo fashion, knowledge is not a gift — it is a weapon, and one that cuts in every direction.

The League of the Damned: Broken, Brutal, and Still Standing

Season 2 also continues the story of the League of the Damned, Delaney’s ragtag circle of outcasts who escaped London with him. Once united by desperation and revenge, the survivors must now adapt to a new land that is as unforgiving as their former home.

With no guarantees, no allies, and no safe ground, the League becomes an explosive wildcard — one that both American and British forces underestimate at their peril.

War, Power, and Vengeance: A Dangerous Web

As war looms, Delaney is thrust into a deadly power struggle that spans continents. Britain sees him as a traitor. America sees him as a threat. Secret societies see him as a tool. Delaney sees them all as obstacles.

This season raises the stakes, shifting from the claustrophobic villainy of the East India Company to a much broader battlefield where:

Every alliance comes with a hidden cost
Every betrayal is paid for in blood
Every secret threatens to unravel empires

If Season 1 was about survival, Season 2 is about domination.

Tom Hardy’s Most Ferocious Role Returns

Hardy’s embodiment of Delaney remains one of the most intense performances on modern television — a savage blend of psychological depth, animalistic rage, and quiet vulnerability. The actor has described Season 2 as “bigger, darker, and more explosive,” with Delaney “at war with the world — and with himself.”

His presence anchors the series’ brutal tone, and critics have long said that Taboo showcases Hardy at his most fearless.

A Bigger, Bloodier, More Ambitious Season

Co-created by Hardy, Steven Knight, and Chips Hardy, Taboo has always been an uncompromising series — a gritty, atmospheric dive into corruption, colonialism, trauma, and rebellion. Season 2 expands the show’s scale while preserving its signature grit: smoky rooms, whispered conspiracies, sudden violence, and the relentless pull of the supernatural.

Executive producers have teased more action, more revelations, and more of the occult undertones that set Taboo apart from other period dramas.

A Cult Classic Reborn

For fans who waited years, Taboo’s return feels monumental. Season 2 looks to deliver a sweeping, savage chapter in James Keziah Delaney’s saga — one where monsters wear uniforms, alliances crumble fast, and vengeance drives the story forward.

In this world, nothing is just. Nothing is safe.
And for Delaney, nothing — not even war — is taboo.