Amazon's 'The Rings Of Power' Debuts New Character

Dark Wizard

Image Source: That Park Place

Season two of The Rings of Power has begun, and it continues to divide fans, though the reception critically seems to be better than that of season one

Much of the first season’s cast has returned, and in true second season fashion, new characters are introduced as well (and in this case, new faces to old characters). This includes the reveal of Ciarán Hinds’ new character.

Ciarán Hinds will be familiar to HBO and Harry Potter fans alike. Hinds regularly appeared in blockbuster HBO shows,  like Rome and Game of Thrones, and numerous other works like In Bruges. He made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two as Dumbledore’s brother Aberforth. Now, he wades into Tolkien lore and joins The Rings of Power as a credited “dark wizard.”

This billing has thrown fans for a loop and led to much speculation on the internet. Accordingly, he’s a dark wizard who has a fanatical group of magic-wielding people doing his bidding. We met three of these cultists in season one when the Stranger encountered them when they thought he was Sauron. Now, fan division and in-fighting aside, Ciarán Hinds’ character presents some interesting potential in the plot.

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Tolkien lore claims there were other wizards than just Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast. There were supposedly two other wizards, classified as blue, that were sent to the east, in a region of Middle-earth known as the Rhun. That’s where the Stranger and his harfoot companions find themselves in season two. In an earlier accounting by Tolkien himself, the two blues were sent to the east to combat Sauron’s influence, but they failed and started cults of magic. Hinds’ character seems to fit that bill. However, later, Tolkien seemed to change his mind and say that the blues were actually successful to some degree in weakening and combating Sauron’s influence.

Daniel Weyman’s character in The Stranger seems to be unsure of his purpose, as there are scenes in the previews where he supposedly talks to Tom Bombadil and asks if his purpose is to fight against Sauron’s purpose. Could he be a manifestation of Tolkien’s retconned blue wizards? It remains to be seen.

The Rings of Power season two has three episodes available already, with more arriving each Thursday on Amazon Prime Video.

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