The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has returned with all its glory and intriguing adventures, bringing new characters into Tolkien’s fantastical world of elves, dwarves, hobbits, and orcs. Set a thousand years before the events of Lord of the Rings, the series has already established its mark for its visual finesse, which is a treat for the eyes and senses, in addition to the outstanding performances.
As the series is continuing to make its way into the hearts of the fans, it’s being compared with its equally formidable counterpart, House of the Dragon, another interesting, albeit bloodier, prequel. Despite the marked differences in storylines and themes within a world that could only be forged by powerful imagination, it’s the presence of the impressive cast members that meld Tolkien and Martin’s worlds together.
We have already seen Sean Bean as both Boromir and Ned Stark suffering the same fate of early death before the progress of the plot. Yes, any astute observation would point out that two of the major stars of The Rings of Powers were also seen in Game of Thrones, even though they occupied comparatively lesser screen time. Here are the two cast members who could also be seen appearing in the HBO cult hit series.
Robert Aramayo
Aramayo plays the famous Elrond, one of the most powerful elves and the Lord of Rivendell who served the elf king Gil-Galad. Eons before collaborating with humans and fighting against Sauron’s armies, he was one of the most eminent figures in the realm of the elves known for his solid friendships with Galadriel (Morfydd Clarke) and Prince Durin (Owain Arthur).
In the series, he went with Celebrimbor to the realm of the dwarves, specifically the mountain kingdom of Khazad-dum, to get their assistance in building a tower with powerful furnaces that Celebrimbor wished to complete by spring. Thereafter, viewers are introduced to Elrond’s friendship with the dwarf prince, Durin.
In Lord of the Rings, Elrond plays an influential role in determining the ring’s fate by siding with the heroes to bring destruction to the realm of the evil Sauron. This is different from the series where the focus is on portraying him as the king’s trusted advisor, an intelligent and sensible figure of his realm who’s friends with the show’s protagonist Galadriel.
Elrond was not Aramayo’s only role in a fantasy series. The actor also appeared in the HBO series Game of Thrones as the younger Eddard Stark, the honorable Lord of Winterfell. In the series’ episode “Oathbreaker,” the Three-Eyed Raven took Bran to the Tower of Joy where he could see a young Ned (Robert Aramayo) fight and defeat Ser Arthur Dayne before proceeding to go inside the tower to his dying sister Lyanna. Aaramayo’s appearance, though short, was quite significant and central to the series plotline.
Joseph Mawle
The most mysterious villain of The Rings of Power certainly rings a bell for Game of Thrones fans. The fourth episode of the series finally unveiled the identity of Adar, the seeming leader of the orcs. It is still not known who he is exactly, even though the story implied that he might be the successor of Sauron.
Various theories have been formulated regarding Adar’s purpose and the centrality of his character’s role in the plotline of the series. It has been suggested that Adar is a fallen elf whose ancestry can be determined by his command over the Elvish language as shown in the series. The series finally showed him come face to face with Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) and threaten him about the world’s ending. Other theories associate him with the Dark Lord Sauron himself. The truth is yet to unfold, but it is certain that Adar is definitely going to be portrayed as a powerful antagonist rivaling Sauron in Jackson’s trilogy.
While Mawle does a wonderful job as the potentially evil Adar, his appearance allows the fans to revisit his role in Game of Thrones where he played the honorable Benjen Stark, Ned’s youngest sibling and a member of the Nightwatch. In the first season, he was Jon Snow’s (Kit Harrington) guide and mentor. He then appeared in season six when he saved Bran from an army of white walkers. Mawle’s role in the series did not occupy enough screen time, but he surely made a mark as a sympathetic and benevolent character, unlike Adar.