The Rings of Power: Is Arondir in Season 2?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season marketing campaign emphasizes several of its returning characters – but Arondir ain’t one of them! So, is Arondir in Rings of Power Season 2 or not?

Related: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Who Plays Sauron in Season 2?

Is Arondir in The Rings of Power Season 2?

Yes, Arondir is back fighting the good fight in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2. He’s still played by the same actor, Ismael Cruz Córdova, too. This won’t come as a huge surprise to anyone who’s already devoured every available scrap of Rings of Power Season 2 pre-release footage. While Arondir isn’t a dominant presence in the second season’s trailers, he’s not entirely absent from them, either. What’s more, the Elven warrior appears in more than one of the official stills that have gradually found their way online. So, if you were worried Arondir wouldn’t return in The Rings of Power Season 2, fret not: he definitely does.

Related: The Rings of Power Still Can’t Bind the Perfect Lord of the Rings Adaptation With Season 2 (Review)

He’s lost his love interest, though. Nazanin Boniadi – who portrayed Arondir’s human other half, Bronwyn, in The Rings of Power Season 1 – won’t be reprising her role in Season 2. The news broke in May 2024, with Boniadi quickly clarifying on Instagram that not only did she choose to leave the show, but this choice “was unrelated to [her] subsequent decision to prioritize [her] advocacy.” Either way, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay opted not to replace Boniadi with another actor, leaving fans to guess how Season 2 will address her exit (and its effect on Arondir).

Arondir Actor Teases His Character’s Season 2 Arc

While the specifics of Arondir’s love life remain a closely guarded secret, Ismael Cruz Córdova was somewhat more forthcoming about his character’s overall Season 2 arc in a recent interview. Chatting with TVLine on the Gotham TV Awards red carpet, Cruz hinted that Arondir might embrace his less heroic side this time around.

Related: Who Is Adar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

“When the first season ended, there was a lot of darkness that had set into Middle-earth,” he explained. “Sauron was there. So, that darkness is there [in Season 2]. We hit the ground running with how that spread through Middle-earth. And as we know, my character has all the feels, [he’s] very brooding. So that darkness has reached him, and the complexity of those heavy emotions. It’s just grappling with all of that, how his world has completely changed.”

Cruz also acknowledged Boniadi’s departure, reflecting positively on their experiences together during the Season 1 shoot. “Working with Nazanin was such a wonderful experience,” he said. “I think we did such incredible work together and we still have a wonderful friendship. So, I feel like I have her blessing [to continue Arondir’s story] and I feel like I have her with me, because I learned so much from her. I just wish her the best in her current and future endeavors.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 debuts on Prime Video on Aug. 29. 2024.