The latest on-screen adventure into Middle-Earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, takes viewers back thousands of years prior to Tolkien’s epic stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Set in the Second Age of Middle-Earth, The Rings of Power is a story that is largely disconnected from the stories that have been seen on film before. However, that does not mean that there is not any connective tissue between the major stories of Middle-Earth’s Second and Third ages.
There are several key characters in The Rings of Power that also appeared on-screen in the Lord of the Rings films in the early 2000s and in the Hobbit films of the 2010s. Some of these characters were only briefly seen or referenced as legends, while others played key roles in the events of the War of the Ring. Since The Rings of Power is produced by a different studio than the previous films, it technically cannot connect directly to those specific adaptations. With that, each of the actors that played these characters originally have been recast for the Prime Video series. Here is every returning character from the Lord of the Rings movies in The Rings of Power:
Galadriel
One of the most notable returning characters is that of Galadriel. By the time of the Third Age in The Lord of the Rings, Galadriel is one of the oldest and wisest elves in Middle-Earth, where she resided as a ruler of the woods of Lothlórien alongside her husband, Celeborn. Considering the Elves in Middle-Earth are immortal and do not age past maturity, it makes sense that Galadriel would still be around throughout the much earlier events of The Rings of Power. In fact, she has already been alive for quite some time in the series, as she was born before even the First Age of Middle-Earth and was witness to the light of Telperion and Laurelin, the Two Trees of Valinor. Galadriel was played in the original films by the legendary Cate Blanchett, but in The Rings of Power the role was given to Morfydd Clark.
Galadriel is one of the lead characters in The Rings of Power. At the time of the show’s events, she is not yet the revered Elven leader she will become. While she does hold some renown in the Elven kingdoms of Middle-Earth, she is keener on tracking down the lingering evil in the world than she is on becoming a beloved figure in the Elven society. She’s a much more adventurous character in this series than she was in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, where she was depicted as a much more benevolent figure. Over the course of The Rings of Power’s planned several seasons, viewers will likely see Clark’s Galadriel develop and grow more closely to the regality of Blanchett’s, bridging some of the gap between the two iterations.
Elrond
Elrond is one of the most recognizable Elven characters from the Lord of the Rings films, where the character was played by Hugo Weaving. He is known for residing as the Lord of Rivendell, the Elven city, which is a stop for both Frodo and Bilbo Baggins on their respective journeys. Relatively speaking, Elrond is a much younger Elf than Galadriel, as he was born late in the First Age of Middle-Earth. In The Rings of Power, he is portrayed by Robert Aramayo, who fantasy junkies will recognize as the actor that played a young Ned Stark in the later seasons of Game of Thrones.
Elrond and Galadriel have a long history of friendship in the world of Middle-Earth. They are seen together on numerous occasions throughout the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films, and The Rings of Power is further establishing that friendship and the trials that have strengthened it over the years. Elrond is a key figure in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, which defeated Sauron on the slopes of Mount Doom at the end of the Second Age. Those events are depicted in the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring, and they are more than likely what The Rings of Power will build to in its later seasons.
Sauron
New Line Cinema
Speaking of Sauron, the chief villain of the entire Lord of the Rings saga will also be the central antagonist of The Rings of Power. Though it is yet unclear how the show will utilize the character, it is certain that the Dark Lord will become a more present figure in the series as it progresses. There were a few mentions of Sauron in the first few episodes of the series, and he was briefly glimpsed in a flashback, but he has yet to show up in the main events of the show as of yet, either in his evilest form or potential spoiler ahead under the guise of his deceiving name of Annatar.
Sauron’s appearance in The Rings of Power is not a matter of if, but a question of when. In The Lord of the Rings, Sauron was a looming evil that could not take on a physical form, instead watching over Middle-Earth with his great flaming eye atop the tower Barad-dûr. However, he is likely to be a much more active and physical threat in The Rings of Power. In the First Age of Middle-Earth, Sauron was a lieutenant of Morgoth, the first Dark Lord of Middle-Earth, but following the defeat of Morgoth and the beginning of the Second Age, he disappeared. The events of The Rings of Power will show the re-emergence of Sauron’s evil as he attempts to take over and corrupt the heart of Middle-Earth.
Isildur
Prime Video
Isildur is a character that is only seen in flashbacks in the Lord of the Rings films. He was the son of the King of Men, and he can primarily be seen in the opening prologue to Fellowship of the Ring, where he is portrayed by the actor Harry Sinclair. During that prologue, it is Isildur who cuts the One Ring from the hand of Sauron, but then fails to destroy it in the fire of Mount Doom. Isildur was one of the greatest Kings of Men in Middle-Earth, and his family line would continue all the way to Aragorn, one of the central protagonists of The Lord of the Rings, who reclaimed the Throne of Gondor after the defeat of Sauron and the beginning of the Fourth Age.
Isildur is played by Maxim Baldry in The Rings of Power, and he is likely to be one of the most central characters in the series as it continues through its story. The show will depict Isildur as a prince of Númenor, the island kingdom of Men that was a thriving seafaring society and trade hub throughout much of the Second Age. It is during the climactic events of the Second Age (events that are being shown in The Rings of Power) that Isildur grows into a great leader among men, leading to his eventual blow against Sauron during the final battle of the age and his placement as the King of Arnor and Gondor.
Elendil
Just as Isildur was a key figure in the battle against Sauron in the Second Age, so was his father Elendil. Elendil was also seen in the flashback prologue at the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring. He is portrayed by the actor Peter McKenzie in that sequence, but in The Rings of Power he is played by the British actor Lloyd Owen. Alongside his sons Isildur and Anárion, Elendil will be one of the key figures from the race of Men in the series.
Elendil was a great leader of men and one of the first to rule as a High King of Men in the realm of Middle-Earth. He became a legendary figure in the history of Middle-Earth. In the Lord of the Rings films, he is one of the two figures depicted in the giant stone statues of the Argonath, which Aragorn and the Fellowship pass between while rowing along the river Anduin during their quest. The other figure depicted in the films’ Argonath is his son Isildur. However, Tolkien’s original books depict the two statues as Elendil’s sons, Isildur and Anárion.
Gil-Galad
The high elven king Gil-Galad has already been a central figure in the first few episodes of The Rings of Power, where he is played by Benjamin Walker. Gil-Galad is very briefly seen in a few shots throughout the Fellowship of the Ring prologue, though very little attention is given to the character. In the extended edition of the film, there are a couple of shots that do specifically highlight the character, but he is not given any speaking lines or references to his place among the Elves. In these brief appearances, he is portrayed by Australian actor Mark Furguson.
Thankfully, Gil-Galad will likely be given much more to do throughout the Rings of Power series. He is the High King of the Elves who rules over the multiple Elven Kingdoms of Middle-Earth, though he primarily resides in the Eastern city of Lindon. Without getting into too much detail, in fear of spoiling future seasons of the show, Gil-Galad is yet another key figure in the climactic events of the end of the Second Age and the Alliance of Elves and Men. Just like Galadriel, Gil-Galad has lived a very long life and also pre-dates the First Age. Despite their seeming depiction to the contrary in the show, Galadriel is actually older than Gil-Galad by about a century.
Others Who May Appear:
Although they have not been officially confirmed to appear in The Rings of Power yet, there are a few other characters seen in the Lord of the Rings films that could very well appear in the series. One of which is the Elf Celeborn. Most people will recognize Celeborn as Galadriel’s husband, whom she rules over Lothlórien alongside in the film. In the lore of Middle-Earth, Galadriel and Celeborn fell in love and were married sometime in the First Age. Considering that, Galadriel and Celeborn would already be long-wedded during the events of The Rings of Power. Though he has yet to appear, there’s a good chance that the future Lord of Lothlórien will show up sooner rather than later on the show.
Another key group of figures that are sure to appear in The Rings of Power at some point are the Nazgûl or Ringwraiths. The Nazgûl were kings of men that were deceived by Sauron, who gave the nine of them rings that would ultimately bend them to his will, turning them into the wraiths they are primarily known as. The chief of the Nazgûl is the Witch King of Angmar. Of the nine wraiths, three are believed to have once been Númenóreans and one was once an Easterling, though their specific identities are unknown. The Ringwraiths are some of Sauron’s leading forces throughout his takeover during the Second Age, so it would be strange to not have them included in this series. Plus, considering the show’s title, viewers will probably get to see Sauron gift the rings to these men and then witness their transformation into the Nazgûl, which could make for a few exciting plot twists as characters fans are introduced to in the show could eventually be corrupted into the iconic wraiths.
