With The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power taking place mid-way through the Second Age of Middle-earth, Isildur's introduction into the story is far sooner than in Tolkien's lore. But being a show that needs to condense a plethora of details into something watchable, it's an understandable change. And so, with Isildur's sudden involvement in the tale, The Rings of Power has the chance to portray him as the person he really is -- a villain.
Whether it be from the original novels or Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, most know that Isildur will eventually defeat Sauron on the slopes of Mount Doom and take the One Ring for himself. However, this isn't the first time Isildur makes morally questionable decisions. For his entire life, he was a maverick who wanted the spotlight; and it all leads to the eventual downfall of his people.
Isildur Loved Middle-earth's Spotlight
To Isildur's credit, he never sides with Sauron throughout his entire tale, even though most of his people eventually joined the Dark Lord. And because of this, he got his first taste of fame after stealing from the traitorous Men of Númenor, as he managed to take a sapling from the Númenóreans' special White Tree that Sauron planned to destroy. This White Tree was once gifted by the Elves and stood as a symbol of Men, so Isildur was greatly praised for managing to sneak in and save a piece.
For his victory, Isildur later ruled much of Gondor and had the capital city of Osgiliath (foolishly) built on the very border of Mordor. And his overconfidence soon cost the lives of his people when Sauron's forces attacked Osgiliath, which forced Isildur to flee with his wife and children and leave his city in ruin. In his frustration, Isildur then cursed the Men of the Mountain for breaking their oath and not aiding him in battle -- a curse that Aragorn later removes in The Lord of the Rings.
The Battle Against Sauron
With the formation of The Last Alliance, Isildur's father, Elendil, led the forces of Men into battle. And fighting beside him was Gil-galad, who bore the prestigious title of High King of the Elves in the West. Together, these two kings fought Sauron at Mount Doom and managed to weaken the Dark Lord to the brink of death. But just before Sauron reached the breaking point, they were defeated and slain by his hand.
It was here that Isildur grabbed his father's sword and cut off Sauron's finger, breaking his bond with the One Ring and destroying his body. Isildur happily embraced his status as the one who defeated the Dark Lord, but he only dealt the final blow after Elendil and Gil-galad's hard work. Then, of course, Isildur kept the One Ring and his greed kick-started the events of The Lord of the Rings.
So while there are plenty of heroic quantities to Isildur, he's far from the hero he believed himself to be. And The Rings of Power can finally show this. Instead of setting him up as the destroyer of Sauron, he should be shown to be the hot-headed maverick who makes foolish decisions out of his need for fame and fortune.
Season 1 of The Rings of Power is streaming now on Prime Video.