Westworld
James Marsden and Evan Rachel Wood are pictured in a scene from "Westworld." HBO

As 2020 fast approaches, so too do the host-ridden worlds of HBO’s “Westworld” Season 3. Returning “Westworld” cast members include Evan Rachel Wood as the malignant Dolores, Jeffrey Wright as original park founder-turned host Bernard, Tessa Thompson as yet another park associate-turned host Charlotte Hale, and Thandie Newton as the well-intentioned Maeve.

While the first and second seasons may have been riddled with a maze of questions and enigmas, Season 3 will be “less of a guessing game,” co-showrunner Jonathon Nolan said to Entertainment Weekly. Yet, some questions left over from its previous season still remain and require answering in the upcoming season of HBO’s sci-fi western.

Is Maeve Really Dead?

Given it’s an HBO series about robots, which are coined “hosts” in the show, “Westworld” should have no problem bringing back characters from the dead. Despite his passing of an overdose, Ben Barnes’s Logan still made an appearance in Season 2 as a computer simulation. Within the world (or worlds) of “Westworld,” nearly anything is possible, given the right equipment.

Due to the fact that Newton’s Maeve was featured in the first “Westworld” Season 3 trailer, it’s safe to assume she’s alive. And, with behind the scenes shots of Newton on-set in a Spanish town dressed up to appear like a World War II “Westworld” park, it’s clear Maeve will be returning in a big way.

Who (Or What) Are Hale’s Black Pearls?

On “Westworld,” anybody can be a host, but to be a host and operate functionally, one needs a black pearl. Following her escape from the park in the likeness of Hale, Dolores stole within her purse a group of varied black pearls.

While one of the pearls was later confirmed to be Bernard and another was put into Hale's body, the last four identities, teased in the most recent “Westworld” comic-con trailer, still remain unknown. “Westworld” Season 3 will certainly depict these other characters freed by Dolores, while also exploring how they will help to engineer her plans of world domination.

What’s With William’s Post-Credit Scene?

At the very end of “Westworld” Season 2, following the credits, a short scene involving Ed Harris’s William meeting his dead daughter (Katja Herbers) in a run-down old “Westworld” park facility alludes to even more questions. Is William a host now? How long has he actually been in the park? What will his return mean in “Westworld” Season 3 for the likes of both Dolores and Bernard?

Fans will just have to wait for the “Westworld” Season 3 release sometime next year.