The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ended Season 1 with staggering implications. The Southlands have fallen, with Mordor rising from their ashes. Southlanders and Numenorians alike faced devastating losses in the battle, and Charlie Vickers’ Halbrand is revealed to be Sauron (we called it, by the way). All signs — and, well, series canon — point to that darkness only spreading in Season 2. But that doesn’t mean we won’t meet some new friends along the way.
The next installment of the fantasy epic will introduce Estrid, a new character played by Nia Towle. At first glance, Estrid may seem like just another human joining the fray as Middle-earth fights to survive the impending war. But IGN was able to exclusively reveal first-look images at our inaugural IGN Live event, and she sure is getting cozy with Isildur in one of them!
Who Is Estrid?
Estrid first meets up with Isildur (Maxim Baldry) and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) at the beginning of Season 2. She pairs up with the two after Isildur heals from his injuries and Arondir and the rest of the Southlanders continue to plan for their trip to Pelargir to further themselves from Mount Doom.
Isildur immediately trusts the young woman (don’t worry, we’ll get to that cozy photo in a minute). Arondir, on the other hand, believes she’s hiding something and is much slower to believe that Estrid can be trusted.
Nia Towle, who recently starred in Netflix’s Persuasion, is mostly known for her work on stage (including Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane — one of his most prized stories). You also may have seen her briefly in Rocketman!
Could Estrid Be Isildur’s Wife?
Ok! Onto the cozy photo as promised. Based on these images, it sure seems like we may have just been introduced to Isildur’s wife! Characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work are most certainly capable of having multiple love interests throughout their respective stories, of course, but Isildur’s wife has never been named in Tolkien’s stories and it sure seems possible — likely, even — that we’ll be seeing the beginning of their romance in Season 2!
Based on existing lore, we know that the fall of Numenor is in our future. And that same lore also tells us that Isildur has a wife and his first son, Elendur, before that fall comes. Given that the clock seems to be ticking for all of the realms, now seems as good a time as any to get that boy married up!
How Will Isildur and Arondir Come Together in Season 2?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a huge ensemble that truly showcases a “something for everyone” mentality. Love the coziness of Hobbits? Here are some Harfoots bandying about on misadventures with a wizard who is Definitely Not Gandalf™. Looking for bromance? Look no further than Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur). Want some hard-hitting action? The humans (and a lone elf) came out swinging in Season 1, and we can probably expect the same to continue in Season 2 as the Southlanders fight for survival amidst the downfall of their homeland.
The vastness of said ensemble means that characters like Isildur and Arondir didn’t really interact much in Season 1, despite ultimately fighting in the same earth-shattering battle. Which begs the question: how will the two come together in Season 2?
Is it Arondir who finds Isildur and nurses him back to health? Does Isildur make it out on his own and stumble upon the remaining Southlanders? The images we revealed today certainly make it seem like they’ll be spending a decent amount of time together this year, which seems to mean that, for one reason or another, Isildur does not return to Numenor with his people. Is he joining the trek to Pelargir? The trailer gives no real hint on the matter. We do see the two of them together, but it’s Arondir flipping into frame to save the day.
Speaking of saving the day — equally interesting is the question of what the hell Arondir is saving Isildur from in these images. Is quicksand a longstanding problem in Middle-earth? Are we about to run into some new creatures?
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will finally be back on our TV screens on August 29. Guess we’ll just have to speculate wildly until then! If you missed the first season, you can watch all of it now on Prime Video! Also sorry about the Sauron spoiler I guess. But it’s been two years!
