“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is back for Season 2, and this time around there are a number of new characters to keep straight. With Sauron revealed to be Halbrand at the end of Season 1, the chess pieces are now fully in the open and the Dark Lord is masquerading as yet another new character this season in order to try and forge the titular rings. We’ve also got drama with the dwarves, in-fighting amongst the elves and that guy who most definitely is Gandalf is wandering the desert with a harfoot.
Absent in Season 2 is Nazanin Boniadi who played Bronwyn, who exited the show. But new to the cast are Ciaran Hinds, Rory Kinnear and plenty more filling out this prequel series that tackles J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age. Check out our complete “Rings of Power” Season 2 cast and character guide below.
Morfydd Clark as Galadriel (Elf)
Galadriel is a legendary elven commander at the time that we meet her in the series, and she spent all of Season 1 hunting down Sauron only to discover in the finale that her new BFF Halbrand was Sauron all along. Now she’s trying to undo the influence Sauron put over the new rings he had created by Celebrimbor. Galadriel is played in the show by Morfydd Clark, a Welsh actress who starred in the 2020 horror film “Saint Maud,” 2019’s “Crawl” and HBO’s “His Dark Materials” series. In the Peter Jackson films, the older version of Galadriel is played by Cate Blanchett.
Charlie Vickers as Sauron (Dark Lord)
First introduced in Season 1 as Halbrand, a human shipwreck survivor, this character was later revealed to actually be Sauron. He took on a new body after suffering a mutiny at the hands of his orcs. Vickers previously starred in “Medici.”
Sam Hazeldine as Adar (Elf)
The villain Adar was recast for Season 2, with Sam Hazeldine taking over the role from Joseph Malwe. Adar is an elf who is leading the orcs, but we learn in Season 2 that he has a history with Sauron. Hazeldine starred in “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Peaky Blinders” and “The Sandman.”
Robert Aramayo as Elrond (Elf)
The other major character you know from the Peter Jackson movies, Elrond is but a young architect and politician in “The Rings of Power.” He is close friends with Galadriel, but believes the rings that Celebrimbor created should be destroyed and urges his eleven friends to do so. Aramayo is best known for playing young Ned Stark in “Game of Thrones,” and also had roles in Netflix’s “Mindhunter,” “The King’s Man” and “The Empty Man.” Elrond is played in the Peter Jackson films by Hugo Weaving.
Benjamin Walker as Gil-galad (Elf)
Gil-galad is the High King of the Elves, with the character expanded upon from a poem recited in “The Lord of the Rings” called “The Fall of Gil-galad.” In Season 2, he’s stressing out over the fact that his kingdom is dying and sees the rings as a way to turn their fortune around. Walker is best known for starring in “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and also had roles in films “In the Heart of the Sea” and “The Ice Road.” He also appeared on Broadway in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” and “American Psycho.”
Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir (Elf)
Arondir is an elf who was stationed in The Southlands to keep an eye on humans whose ancestors supported Sauron. Córdova is best known for his roles in the films “Miss Bala” and “Mary Queen of Scots” and TV series “The Undoing,” “Ray Donovan” and “Berlin Station.”
Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor (Elf)
Celebrimbor is a celebrated elven smith who forges the rings at Sauron’s urging. Edwards is probably best known for playing Martin Cherteris in “The Crown,” and his work also includes “The Terror,” “Sherlock” and “Downton Abbey.”
Ben Daniels as Círdan (Elf)
Círdan is Master of the Grey Havens and one of the wisest and oldest living elves. He’s played by Ben Daniels, a lauded stage actor who also appeared in “House of Cards,” “The Crown,” “Interview With the Vampire” and “Rogue One.”
Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil is a fan-favorite character from the books who never made it into Peter Jackson’s trilogy. He’s a mysterious being who lived for almost the entire history of the world. Rory Kinnear is known for the James Bond franchise, “Men,” “Black Mirror” and “Penny Dreadful.”
Ciarán Hinds as Dark Wizard
Ciarán Hinds plays a mysterious Dark Wizard who has eyes on The Stranger, afraid of what might happen if he remembers/realizes his full power potential. He’s giving Saruman. Hinds is a veteran actor whose credits include “Munich,” “Rome” and “There Will Be Blood” and he played Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”
Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo (Human)
Theo is Bornwyn’s son who happened upon Sauron’s sword in Season 1. This is Muhafidin’s first major role.
Lloyd Owen as Elendil (Human)
Elendil is a human of Numenor and the father of Isildur, who eventually takes the One Ring from Sauron. He’s played by Lloyd Owen, who starred in “Apollo 18” and “Miss Potter.”
Maxim Baldry as Isildur
In “Rings of Power,” Isildur is a young man living in Numenor. But in Tolkien’s lore, he eventually fights alongside his father in the battle against Sauron (the one seen in the prologue for “Fellowship of the Ring”) and keeps the One Ring for himself instead of destroying it.
Daniel Weyman as The Stranger (Race Unknown)
The Stranger, as he’s called, is a mysterious figure who fell from the sky and made contact with the Harftoots. Now he’s on a journey with two of them. He’s almost certainly Gandalf, but the show hasn’t confirmed his identity. Weyman starred in “Gentleman Jack” and voiced Rick Madoc in Netflix’s “The Sandman.”
Owain Arthur as Durin IV and Sophia Nomvete as Disa (Dwarves)
Durin IV is a dwarven prince who lives in Khazad-dûm and who is also an old friend of Elrond’s. Disa is Durin’s wife who wields strong influence in Khazad-dûm. Nomvete previously starred in “Swashbuckle” while Arthur starred in “The One and Only Ivan,” “A Confession” and “Casualty.”
Markella Kavenagh as Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot (Harfoot)
Nori is one of the Harfoots, a race that’s something of a precursor to Hobbits (Tolkien said Hobbits didn’t exist during the Second Age). Nori is an adventurous young girl who decides to travel with The Stranger to find his purpose. Kavenagh also starred in “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “True History of the Kelly Gang” and the film “My First Summer.”
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