10 Best Characters of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’

The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power brings fans to a different Middle-Earth they hardly recognize, yet all the things they love about it are still there. Set in the Second Age, years before the forging of the 20 Rings of Power, including the One Ring, the Amazon Prime Video series delves deeper into J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium than ever before. It’s the same Middle-Earth, the same land that carried Frodo and Sam to Mount Doom. However, it is a more ancient land that has yet to see the founding of the beloved kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan or the creation of the Shire and Rivendell. The forgotten kingdoms of Lindon, Khazad-dûm, and Númenór thrive as global centers for each of their kinds: Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Their walls keep paradise in and are impenetrable. While some familiar faces dwell in this ancient Middle-Earth, they are nothing like their Third Age selves. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) are already thousands of years old but still lack experience. They’ve experienced some of Middle-Earth’s darkest days, too, but have not endured everything that shapes them into what they will become. Even evil and darkness are recognizable, although they come with a new face.

Rings of Powermight have flaws and non-canonical inconsistencies, but its essence is the same as any Lord of the Rings adaptation. There’s always hope. High-King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) perfectly states: “Hope is never mere, even when it is meager. When all other senses sleep, the eye of hope is first to awaken, last to shut.” Galadriel, Elrond, and all the rest carry hope in their hearts, no matter what, even when it seems like it might be snuffed out. There is hope that evil and darkness will finally fall and that light will cleanse and heal. That battle will turn victorious, and families will be reunited. There’s even hope for those who believe themselves too damned to repent and be forgiven. Even when the characters of Rings of Power touch the darkness, there is still light.

10 Elendil

Played by Lloyd Owen

Elendil (Lloyd Owen), a Númenórean sea captain, rescues Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) and Galadriel after his ship crosses their raft in the Sundering Seas. He brings them to Númenór and before Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and Ar-Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle). Míriel is skeptical about Elendil, especially since his name means “Elf-friend,” and suspects he rescued Galadriel because he’s loyal to the Elves, like some Númenóreans, and not the crown. However, he claims the sea put Galadriel on his ship’s path, and the sea is always right. Still, Míriel promotes Elendil and tasks him to watch over the elf. He reveals he can speak Quenya to Galadriel and brings her to the Hall of Lore, where she makes startling discoveries. However, Elendil’s friendship with Galadriel sours once he thinks his son Isildur (Maxim Baldry) is dead in the aftermath of Mount Doom’s awakening. He questions all his choices since rescuing her.

Elendil is one of the most loyal characters in Rings of Power, and that’s because of his exceptional talent for uncovering who is truly good and bad. He might sympathize with the Elves and Elf culture but would do anything for Míriel, Númenór, and his family. For once, he is a pure light through the darkness. Elendil has no ulterior motives like those around him, good or bad. His beliefs are so firm that it’s unsettling to watch him question his choices once he thinks he’s lost Isildur. However, Lord of the Rings fans know his confidence and bravery only strengthens from here as he becomes one of Middle-Earth’s greatest Kings.

9 Nori

Played by Markella Kavenagh

Like Frodo, Nori (Markella Kavenagh) is a small ripple in a larger pond but no less powerful. She craves adventure, and it literally lands in her lap when The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) shoots out of the sky. Staying on the trail and not walking alone, she decides to help him, feeling that The Stranger came to her for a reason. She shows her strength and unbending will while teaching and caring for him while the rest of the Harfoots judge her. He endangers the encampment with his untamed power, but Nori shows him kindness and never turns her back on him. After another burst of dangerous, uncontrolled power, The Stranger leaves, but still, Nori tries to throw the Mystics off his trail. Things turn deadly but result in the return of The Stranger’s memories. Nori departs with The Stranger to embark on the adventure she always dreamed of.

There’s no mistaking that Nori has the same adventure streak as Bilbo and Frodo. Nori isn’t content exploring the old farm and picking berries. She yearns to leave the bubble the Harfoots have established over centuries for bigger adventures across Middle-Earth. However, despite her willfulness, helping The Stranger is definitely out of her depth.

8 Queen Míriel

Played by Cynthia Addai-Robinson

The bubble that Queen Regent Míriel has successfully created on Númenór bursts once Elendil rescues and brings home Galadriel and Halband. Years prior, the island’s inhabitants threw her father, Tar-Palantir, off the throne and appointed her the rightful ruler. Númenór’s ancestors helped the Elves against Morgoth and, in return, the Valar granted them the island. However, over time, Númenór began to turn away the Elves. Tar-Palantir was usurped for his loyalty to the Elves, and Míriel was put in his place for bringing order and peace to Númenór and forsaking the beliefs of The Faithful. When Galadriel arrives, Míriel perfectly plays the dutiful ruler, upholding her kingdom’s ideals and standing firm against the Elf’s demands. However, Míriel has kept her faithfulness a secret for as long as she’s kept her father’s ailing health hidden. She believes the Valar are watchful, and if Númenór takes one wrong step, the events she’s seen in the palantíri will come to pass. When the White Tree bleeds petals, she knows she has to stand with Galadriel and send aid to the Southlands, but as her father warns, nothing but darkness awaits her.

It might seem as if Míriel knows how to govern Númenór while keeping her true beliefs separate, but she doesn’t. Her father’s ominous ramblings and the palantíri’s predictions guide her reasoning. For a time, though, her beliefs and the ideals of Númenór coincide. The island has come to despise Elves and wants Galadriel to leave immediately. Míriel wants her gone as soon as possible, too, but only because the palantíri’s vision starts with her arrival. However, Míriel’s biggest fault is that she’s too willing to let visions and signs rule her decisions. Soon, she starts to believe that Galadriel isn’t the start of the downfall of Númenór but its salvation. If she helps the Elf, maybe the island won’t be drowned. Sadly, she should’ve done the opposite.

7 Durin

Played by Owain Arthur

Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) is like Khazad-dûm itself. Underneath his tough exterior is a treasure to behold: loyal friendship. However, if a friendship is snubbed, he doesn’t take a minute to forsake it. Durin isn’t like many dwarves but is stubborn and can carry a grudge, especially towards his one-time friend Elrond, who arrives suspiciously. Offended that Elrond shirked their friendship for 20 years, Durin makes the Elf grovel. However, Durin realizes they both seem to have their own secrets; his involves a newly uncovered ore more precious than gold, Mithril. Once Elrond discovers the secret, a defensive Durin claims the Elf only returned to secure the ore. Without Elrond’s seeming treachery, Durin has enough to contend with, as mining for Mithril is perilous and nearly kills him and other miners. Things get even more complicated for him when he learns that Mithril can save the Elves and, more importantly, Elrond.

In Season 1 of Rings of Power, Durin is caught between a rock and a hard place. His unusual friendship with Elrond does not do him any favors. He wants to be loyal to Elrond, but he wants to make his father, the King, proud. Durin tries to find a middle ground but ends up stripped of his princely duties once he angers his father one too many times. Mithril and secret agendas aside, Durin and Elrond’s friendship is a great reminder that anyone can form a fellowship with each other, even Elves and Dwarves.

6 Arondir

Played by Ismael Cruz Córdova

Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), another non-canonical character, is an Elf stationed at the watch tower, Ostirith, who does not discriminate against the people of Tirharad. He has watched over them for nearly 80 years and thinks that some of them, especially Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), should not be seen for who their ancestors were during the Great War. However, his willingness to help Bronwyn leads to his capture by the orcs, who make him dig a trench with the other Elves. After a rebellion turns sour, he is brought to Adar, who frees him in exchange for informing the group at Ostirith to leave or bend the knee. He stands with Bronwyn in the fight against Adar and the orcs and is instrumental in their victory.

Arondir sees the good in people, even when they do not see it in themselves. He protectively watched the people of Tirharad for many decades while his fellow Elves looked upon the town with suspicion and disdain. The Elvish warrior does not believe the village’s people should be condemned just for what their ancestors did. Arondir also doesn’t see a problem with falling in love with Bronwyn, even though relationships between Elves and Men rarely happen and are frowned upon. His love for her is strong enough to survive, and he supports her in everything she decides after Adar’s proposition.

5 Bronwyn

Played by Nazanin Boniadi

Bronwyn walked so Lord of the Rings characters like Eowyn could run. There’s something special about her from the start, as she welcomes Arondir’s company after some of the townsfolk voiced their hatred for his kind. Bronwyn proves she’s not like her ancestors by trying to protect Tirharad from whatever decimated Hordern. She also proves she is ready to lead the village to safety after bravely slaying an especially hard-to-kill orc digging under her home. At Ostirith, she and Arondir rally her fellow villagers to stand and fight; most do, except those whom Waldreg gets to swear allegiance to Adar. Bronwyn is at the front lines of the battle to protect her village, its people, and her son, Theo. She nearly dies, but her bravery gets her through it. Bronwyn is strong enough to survive. Thankfully for her, the burden of leading the Southlands is lifted from her when Míriel introduces her to Halbrand, the King they were promised.

Despite being questioned and underestimated time after time, Bronwyn is one of the strongest, bravest women in Rings of Power. The hardships of living in Tirharad haven’t dried up her soul; quite the opposite. Her softer side comes out just as frequently as her fire and bravery. She can share romantic moments with Arondir one minute and switch into a warrior in the thick of a battle the next. Despite all that, she is one of the many characters in the series who embody hope.

4 Elrond

Played by Robert Aramayo

Despite being an outsider in Lindon, Elrond’s pure light is just as bright as Mithril. He takes his job as the High King’s herald seriously, pouring over every word of the speeches he writes, and craves to be a leading figure among the Elves, but he is not welcome at council meetings. Still, he is loyal to his people and goes without question when Gil-galad instructs him to work with Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) on a special project. He visits Durin to ask for collaboration, but the Prince suspects Elrond and the Elves want more than just aid in building a mighty forge. Elrond doesn’t know it, but Gil-galad used him to get close to the Dwarves so that the Elves could secure Mithril to save their kind, which almost ruins his friendship with Durin. Thankfully, Elrond does not lose his friend and, later, proves to be even more worthy of Galadriel’s friendship.

Like many characters in Rings of Power, Elrond is loyal to those he loves, and it’s incredibly endearing. Being half-elven and an outsider among the Elves, Elrond forged friendships with the most unlikely people and other outcasts. His friendship with Durin might have paused for 20 years, but at least no time in the world could’ve made him forget their bond. He also loves Galadriel and understands her, unlike anyone else. Elrond stands with her, at least in spirit, when no one else will, and he’s like a balm on her scorched skin when they reunite following the battle for the Southlands. However, Gil-galad uses Elrond’s pure intentions and loyalty against him. Elrond is caught in a battle of loyalties once he makes his oath to Durin about the secret of the Mithril. Somehow, he manages to keep his oath while still helping his people from fading. It proves Elrond is already an honorable leader.

3 Adar

Played by Joseph Mawle

Adar (Joseph Mawle) (Sindarin for “father”) is a mysterious, non-canonical character, but it’s clear from the start that he’s the revered patriarch of the orcs who settle and cause havoc in the Southlands. He instructs his children to dig a tunnel system, first thought to be a way for them to travel by day, but it’s a waterway leading to Mount Doom. Adar’s big plans for the Southlands are clouded, but his priority is finding the sword hilt that Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) finds. He puts the people of Tirharad in an impossible position, and when some don’t, he and the orcs seize Ostirith and the town. A bloody battle commences, but when Adar gets the sword hilt, Galadriel and Halbrand intercept him. Galadriel has heard of Elves like him, whom Morgoth “tortured” and “twisted” into “a new and ruined form of life.” Adar is one of the first orcs, the Moriondor or Sons of the Dark, but he prefers “Uruk.” Soon, his plan to make a land for his children becomes a reality.

Initially, viewers are meant to believe Adar is Sauron, but he never confirms it, even to the Southlanders who pledge allegiance to him. The mystery that surrounds him is gripping and intriguing. Adar isn’t like most villains; he’s quiet and reflective, which is puzzling and unsettling. All the while, his actions are conflicting. He shows Arondir a sort of mercy just as he shows mercy to the dying orc. Adar will stop at nothing to give his children a place of their own but, at the same time, he doesn’t shirk his roots. He plants some Alfirin seeds before the battle, an Elvish tradition before a war, just like Arondir and Bronwyn. One of the biggest things Rings of Power delves deeply into is the often frayed line between light and dark, and Adar treads that line. He thinks his intentions are honorable, but he will order his followers to kill anyone in their path.

2 Halbrand

Played by Charlie Vickers

Fate brings Halbrand and Galadriel together in the Sundering Seas. After surviving the Worm attack, Halbrand and Galadriel fight about Middle-Earth. His home, the Southlands, is ash, but he’s unwilling to help Galadriel rectify that. A storm nearly kills them, but Elendil rescues them and takes them to Númenór, where Halbrand wants to stay and be a blacksmith. Galadriel confronts him about being the king of the Southlands, but he claims he’s not, as his people stood with Morgoth. Despite his reluctance, Galadriel convinces him to fight for the Southlands. In the wake of the battle, Halbrand is gravely injured, but Galadriel takes him to Eregion to heal. Halbrand encounters Celebrimbor at his forge, and suddenly, they begin working together to make Mithril bend. Galadriel begins to wonder how Halbrand is more knowledgeable about the ore than the revered Elven smith and investigates his lineage. Once confronted, he reveals he is Sauron and pulls Galadriel into a vision where he impersonates her brother Finrod and tells her he has only ever wanted to heal Middle-Earth. Back on their raft, he asks her to be his queen and to bind him to the light. She vows never to stand by his side, and he throws her into the Glanduin, only to return to Mount Doom.

Halbrand is a complex character outside his true identity. Initially, he seems like a darker, more tortured Aragorn who is just as ready to shirk his lineage for honorable reasons. How could he allow himself to rule the Southlands after what his ancestors did with Morgoth when he himself bowed to darkness to survive? He wants to be left in peace in Númenór, where he can rebuild his life and repent, the same things Sauron wants. Despite deceiving Galadriel, Sauron never lied to her about who he was and what he’d done. When he reveals his identity, it’s hard not to want to believe many things he says. That he was made to do horrible things under Morgoth’s control. That he wanted Galadriel by his side to bind him to the light. That he wanted to cleanse and save Middle-Earth after all the destruction he’d caused. However, as had always been the case, a little bit of a lie lurked in the truth. Would he just use Galadriel, and does saving and ruling Middle-Earth mean he would have full dominion and enslave everyone? Regardless of his intentions, this is a side of Sauron we’ve never seen before. He is repentant and loyal, but his devilishness does slip through when he wants something like the guild crest or the creation of the Elven rings.

1 Galadriel

Played by Morfydd Clark

Galadriel grew up in Valinor and basked in the light of the Two Trees before Morgoth destroyed them. After the Great War, Galadriel takes up her brother Finrod’s mantle of finding and destroying Morgoth’s lieutenant, Sauron. For centuries, as the Commander of the Northern Armies, she scours Middle-Earth for any sign of him, leaving her company exhausted and with no other option but mutiny against her. They, along with Elrond and Gil-galad, fail to agree that darkness still lurks. Instead of returning to Valinor, Galadriel jumps ship and crosses paths with Halbrand, who saves her life and becomes her ally in her short exile on Númenór. Desperate to return to Middle-Earth to help the Southlands, she uses Halbrand’s lineage to get Míriel to send aid. During the battle, she and Halbrand capture Adar and interrogate him, but all her hard work in protecting Tirharad literally blows up in her face when Mount Doom blows. After the chaos, Galadriel is full of guilt and regret. Helping a dying Halbrand becomes her new goal, but she is skeptical of him once he begins helping Celebrimbor with the Mithril. Her worst nightmare emerges once Halbrand reveals his identity and asks her to join him. In the aftermath, she can only ensure the three Elven rings are safely made without Sauon’s corruption.

Galadriel lives by something Finrod told her as a child: “sometimes, to find the light, we must first touch the darkness.” Despite having honorable intentions, she discovers what happens when you touch it for too long. Galadriel first touches the darkness during her long quest to find Sauron, and somewhere along the way, it diminishes her light, and Galadriel loses herself to it, becoming the very thing she hunts. No longer does she fight for the right reasons. Her persistence, unwillingness to stop, and anger at being doubted drive her on. She is self-aware enough to be horrified that her company mutinied against her and that Elrond conspired with Gil-galad to exile her because they could no longer distinguish her from Sauron himself. Still, she does not stop and thinks that if she defeats Sauron, her light and the light of Middle-Earth will be restored. In her desperation, she hardly takes a moment to think, as Halbrand points out. If she had stopped and thought about Halbrand’s lineage and looked into it as soon as she found the king’s mark in the Hall of Lore, she would have discovered his identity before bringing him back to Middle-Earth. It’s as Gil-galad said. Despite Galadriel wanting light and peace in Middle-Earth, her quest for Sauron inadvertently kept him alive simultaneously.

Watch on Amazon

NEXT: The 10 Most Badass Women in Fantasy TV, From Buffy to Galadriel