A Nazgnagôl in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”Credit: Ben Rothstein / Prime
Somebody call Éowyn, because The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powermay have just unveiled the Witch-king of Angmar.
The first four episodes of The Rings of Power Season 3 introduced new key players in the battle between good and evil in Middle-earth. Among them are the Nazgnagôl, or Ring-servants, human men who have received a ring of power from Sauron (Charlie Vickers). The rings will eventually corrupt their spirits, turning them into the undead Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.
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The most powerful of the Nazgûl is the Witch-king of Angmar, head of the Ringwraiths. Like most of the Black Riders, the Witch-king of Angmar’s origins are unknown. His second-in-command, Khamûl the Easterling (Zubin Varla), is the only Nazgûl to be named in Tolkien’s legendarium. Tolkien also wrote that three Númenóreans became Ringwraiths, although he leaves any further details out. That means The Rings of Powerhas a lot of leeway when it comes to crafting backstories for any of the Nazgûl, including the Witch-king himself. In Season 3, episode 2, The Rings of Powerappears to put that backstory in motion, heavily hinting that the Witch-king is none other than Southlander Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin).
How could Theo be the Witch-king of Angmar?
Introduced in Season 1, Theo has always had a complicated relationship to the darkness of Middle-earth. Look no further than his discovery of and fascination with the broken orc sword hilt that eventually triggered the eruption of Mount Doom.
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Theo’s connection to darkness only grows in Season 3, when he and the Middle-earth men of Pelargir, grown sick of Númenórean rule, take Sauron up on his offer to receive a ring of power. Sauron forces the men to fight to the death to decide who will bear the ring, but once he notices the scar from the dark blade on Theo’s arm, he steps in to kill his final competitor and gift Theo the ring.
Thanks to the sword mark and some good old-fashioned black magic, Sauron learns that Theo and his long-dead father are the latest in a line of an ancient noble house that once swore to serve Mordor. According to him, that stewardship came with “certain powers” passed from father to son.
Naturally, that revelation is a lot for Theo to take in, as is Sauron’s claim that his late mother Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) killed his father upon learning of his ties to Mordor. As Theo struggles to process his family history, Sauron tells him: “You have it in you to be a conqueror. A sorcerer. A king.”
The pairing of “sorcerer” and “king” all but screams “Witch-king” to Tolkien fans in the know. That wording can’t be a coincidence, especially since, as soon as Theo pops the ring on, he’s on track to becoming a Nazgûl. That means Theo is one of eight potential candidates to become the Witch-king of Angmar. (Remember, Khamûl is second-in-command to the Witch-king, taking him off the board.) He seems an especially likely candidate given Sauron’s whole speech about Theo’s mysterious inheritance, and again, the deliberate use of “sorcerer” and “king” in quick succession.
Of course, there’s always a chance that this is just Sauron doing what he does best, which is deceive. Maybe he’s just spinning a tale to seduce Theo fully over to the dark side. Yet the wording is too purposeful for this to be a total fake-out. The Rings of Powerhas also invested so much time in Theo and his ties to Middle-earth’s darkness. For the Witch-king to be anyone else at this point would feel far less earned.
Plus, The Rings of Powerhas pulled a comparable move before when it came to heralding the arrival of a classic Lord of the Ringscharacter. In Season 1, it used a Lord of the Ringsfilm quote to imply that the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) is Gandalf, before revealing it outright in the following season. Chances are, the “sorcerer” and “king” lines are similar examples of not-so-subtle foreshadowing, and if Theo doesn’t wind up the Witch-king of Angmar, I’ll eat my hat. Or rather, my very pointy, very fashionable Nazgnagôl helmet.
<a href="https://zdcs.link/9ywoor?pageview_type=Standard&template=article&module=content_body&element=offer&item=text-link&element_label=The%20Lord%20of%20the%20Rings%3A%20The%20Rings%20of%20Power%20Season%203%20is%20now%20streaming%20on%20Prime%20Video%2C%20with%20new%20episodes%20Wednesdays.&object_type=article&object_uuid=03lYZ9J5rdvTc0YVRpFuL9c&short_url=9ywoor&u=https%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fentertainment%2Fthe-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-theo-witch-king-of-angmar” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerSeason 3 is now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes Wednesdays.Recommended deals for you
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Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
