10 Best Rings Of Power Characters Who Aren't In The Lord Of The Rings

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been renewed for its third season, and may soon introduce a swathe of new original characters, so it's a good time to review which ones worked so far. The Rings of Power season 1 finale revealed the original character Halbrand as Sauron, while the season 2 finale revealed the original character the Stranger as Gandalf. The show's strategy, so far, has been to get viewers acquainted with characters before confirming their link to the source material. However, some of the show's best original characters have stayed just that.

The Dark Wizard has been teased as one of Lord of the Rings' five Istari. The season 3 finale will likely confirm whether he is Saruman, Radagast, or one of the Blue Wizards, as the showrunners implied in a Reddit Q&A. Discounting him, therefore, from the running for Rings of Power's best original characters leaves the door open to the show's new Dwarves, Elves, and Men. Not forgetting the darker creatures of Middle-earth - the show also created some fascinating creatures of evil. These characters shone when they captured Tolkien's themes the closest.

10 Glûg

Uruk

Glûg was introduced in The Rings of Power season 2 as a follower of Adar's, and he was notable for fathering an Orc baby that he seemed very protective of. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies painted Orcs as evil and treated them as canon fodder, with no reference to their suffering. But the legendarium was more complex than this, and Rings of Power was right to exploit its opportunity to explore this. Making Glûg sympathetic hammered home the point made by the show in Halbrand's voice - "If you want to murder Orcs... don't dress it up as heroism."

Faramir knew that peace was as vital as war.

Rings of Power's divisive Orc family has roots in Tolkien, who confirmed that Orcs are not entirely evil and had rights. Tolkien wrestled with this, eventually conceding that Orcs' use of language signified free will, so they deserved to live in peace. Even in his landmark novel, 1954's The Lord of the Rings, Shagrat and Gorbag fantasized about peace. The War of the Ring had to be fought, but its true heroes "do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness... only that which they defend." Faramir knew that peace was as vital as war.

9 Mirdania

Elf

The Rings of Power season 2 added Amelia Kenworthy to its cast as the Elf Mirdania, in service to Celebrimbor of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain of Eregion. She was a good smith but quite ineffective in the fight against Sauron, which doesn't say much, since even Celebrimbor was fooled by Sauron's deception. It was here, in fact, that she came in handy.

Morgoth's Ring discussed Morgoth's attempt to "distain" Arien in an essay published posthumously.

Mirdania was an apt plot device to show quite how far Rings of Power's Sauron was willing to go to manipulate others. Sauron exploited Mirdania's crush on him to stay in her good books, despite looming evidence that he should be anywhere but. It should come as no surprise that Sauron would flirt his way to the top. He didn't do so in the books, but he followed Morgoth, whose sexual repertoire was far more sinister than light manipulation (raping Arien, conspiring to rape Lúthien, forcibly breeding multiple races).

8 Valandil

Human

Like Glûg and Mirdania, Valandil met an untimely end in The Rings of Power season 2. Although it is a pity that some of Rings of Power's best original characters are now ended, it is a testament to their value that they served a specific purpose and were swiftly dispatched. Only an inefficient narrative would keep deadweight additions to the source material around to clutter up the real story of Lord of the Rings' Second Age.

Celebrimbor and Sauron from Rings of Power.

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Valandil, played by Alex Tarrant, was a surprisingly captivating addition to Númenor's cast. A supporting character in the developing tale of the young Isildur, Valandil was his foil in many ways. The rebellious Isildur sought the West and Elvish culture, whereas Valandil was happy with his lot, desperate to succeed in the Sea Guard. But Valandil was like Isildur where it counted. Valandil, Isildur, and his father backed Míriel, which got Valandil killed, foreshadowing the rising tide of Pharazôn and his loyalists.

7 Eärien

Human

Ema Horvath's Eärien is Rings of Power's addition to Elendil's brood, otherwise composed of Isildur and Anárion. She humanizes Elendil and Isildur, allowing them relatable dysfunctional family scenes. More importantly, she represents the side of Elendil, a critical Tolkien character, that blindly follows orders in the show. Book Elendil always opposed Pharazôn, but show Elendil began conflicted, exhibiting dramatic character development. At the start of the show, Elendil was a quietly conflicted man who had disavowed the West and the demigods (Valar) it represented, choosing a quiet but cowardly life of servitude to grieve his wife in peace.

Eärien fights for a secular state led by Pharazôn, embodying a contemporary idea that many people value greatly.

Eärien represents how Elendil rationalized this choice, despite his buried faith in the Valar. Eärien fights for a secular state led by Pharazôn, embodying a contemporary idea that many people value greatly. Eärien is on the wrong side but has fair motivations, providing sensitive commentary on how much times have changed since the books' time of writing. Nonetheless, Tolkien remained on the side of the Valar, as did Elendil, Tolkien's force for good in the Second Age. Rejecting Eärien was key to Elendil's growth into the book character, leaving him to choose to follow Anárion into the West, as destined.

6 Theo

Human

Theo, like Eärien, survives into The Rings of Power season 3, remaining a key player in the show's rising pantheon of power players. Eärien could either fade or become more important as the show works up to its big Númenor arc. Likewise, Theo perhaps served his purpose in the Southlands arc. Or, his importance has barely been revealed yet. His attraction to darkness may foreshadow his fate.

Tolkienian Age	Event Marking The Start	Years	Total Length In Solar Years
Before time	Indeterminate	Indeterminate	Indeterminate
Days before Days	Ainur entered Eä	1 - 3,500 Valian Years	33,537
Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.)	Yavanna created the Two Trees	Y.T. 1 - 1050	10,061
First Age (F.A.)	Elves awoke in Cuiviénen	Y.T. 1050 - Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 - 590	4,902
Second Age (S.A.)	War of Wrath ended	S.A. 1 - 3441	3,441
Third Age (T.A.)	Last Alliance defeated Sauron	T.A. 1 - 3021	3,021
Fourth Age (Fo.A)	Elven-rings left Middle-earth	Fo.A 1 - unknown	Unknown

Drawn to the Orc Sigil Hilt in season 1 and left without a mother in season 2, Theo is vulnerable in season 3. The Rings of Power season 3's time jump makes Theo darker yet, since he will be years older and more likely to be leading the people that his mother used to lead. As a leader looking for security after Morgoth's followers destroyed his home, Theo may ironically accept a Ring of Power from Sauron and become a Ringwraith.

5 Bronwyn

Human

Theo's mother died between seasons 1 and 2 of The Rings of Power due to the exit of her actress, Nazanin Boniadi. Fortunately, Bronwyn was horribly injured at the end of season 1, so killing off her character didn't present a major issue. It was a shame, as Bronwyn was an asset to the show, a single mother, a healer, and a fierce leader, kicking stereotypes at every corner.

But even her death was handled well by the show. More time to say goodbye would have been ideal, but leaving Theo motherless accelerates his downward spiral, which hopefully will be revealed as important to the overarching story in season 3. Bronwyn, though now lost to the show, displayed the human side of those who ended up siding with Morgoth and how and why that could operate.

4 Arondir

Elf

Arondir is Ismael Cruz Córdova's representative original Elf character, leading the show's foray into this much-storied Tolkienian species. His intense eyes carry the emotion of his long life, and the ambiguity of his possible romance with Bronwyn opened up a fascinating and controversial relationship. It was key in LotR that Arwen and Aragorn were unique, like Lúthien and Beren before them.

For the show to add another Elf-human romance to a story where the impossibility of this was totally central was bold and risked upsetting core tenets of the canon. However, it was thrilling to explore. Also, Arondir is excellent hero material, giving the show Legolas energy where Halbrand gave it Aragorn energy. Bronwyn's death left Arondir feeling a little aimless in season 2, so it will be up to season 3 to determine where he fits in.

3 Disa

Dwarf

Disa sheds light on some intriguing Tolkien lore, as The Rings of Power does at its finest. Key to Durin IV's political journey, Disa was operating in the background of the beginning of The War of the Elves and Sauron in season 2. She will continue to do so in season 3, which will start at the height of this war after a time jump of "several years" (The Hollywood Reporter). During this war, the Dwarves granted passage to their allies through the mountains to Lothlórien.

Charlie Vickers as Sauron From The Lord of The Rings The Rings of Power

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While Durin worries about the brother that Rings of Power has teased, Disa could be the conduit to the show's first tentative steps into the legendary Lórien. But already she has put facial hair on Dwarven women, a treat for book readers. And, she has brought a fun and friendly atmosphere to a dark show, which her arc with Durin was perfect for. Sophia Nomvete's Scottish-accented Disa is a strong, lovable, idiosyncratic invention.

2 Nori

Harfoot

Nori is one of Rings of Power's best original characters for many reasons, but mostly because an unrecognizable Markella Kavenagh is outstanding in the role. In some ways, she played the hardest part, shouldering the responsibility that the Hobbits had in Peter Jackson's movies - making the show funny, emotional, and approachable. And yet, she did this in spades. Her double act with Megan Richards' Poppy was a highlight of seasons 1 and 2.

While she is clearly no Tolkien character, it is looking increasingly like she may be Frodo's ancestor. She acted as Gandalf's guide when he first arrived in Middle-earth, which is Rings of Power's way of fleshing out the unwritten details of why Gandalf is so fond of Hobbits. Gandalf values their strength, stealth, and purity of heart - this is written. But it makes perfect sense for a pre-Hobbit to have helped Gandalf generations before he deemed them worthy of the quest of the age.

1 Adar

Uruk

Adar was inconsistent, in turn a freedom fighter and a tyrant, but it all made sense by the season 3 finale. Adar demanded a blood sacrifice for the Southlanders to confirm their loyalty, and burned one of his children's arms in the sun to make a point. These seemed the acts of one following in Sauron's footsteps, contradicting his monologues about justice for the Orcs. But season 3 got inside his head, confirming how Adar was enthralled by Sauron's beauty as Galadriel had been in season 1 and torturously turned from an Elf to one of the first Orcs.

Elven-ring	Name	Gem	First Owner	Last Owner
Vilya	The Ring of Air	Sapphire	Gil-galad	Elrond
Narya	The Ring of Fire	Ruby	Círdan	Gandalf
Nenya	The Ring of Water	Adamant	Galadriel	Galadriel

Adar nobly killed Sauron to protect the Orcs from him, but Sauron's influence ran deep, and he battled it continuously. His victory over this dark side in season 3 was the character development of fantasy dreams and a reflection of LotR's key theme. Wearing Nenya de-aged Adar and healed his disfigurement, but to truly reject his old master, he had to recognize that no good would come of his magic, which turned him in the first place. Adar proved how artificial immortality is only ever a false economy in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Source: Reddit, The Hollywood Reporter

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