Familiar faces are coming to Middle-earth, but before setting foot in Hobbiton and Minas Tirith, these Elves and rangers appeared in other famous fantasy worlds. After an almost eight-year wait, audiences are finally returning to Middle-earth in Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
The highly anticipated series takes place thousands of years before the events of the beloved 2000s film franchise, but that doesn't mean there won't be familiar names and faces. Whether audiences are newcomers to The Lord of the Rings or Silmarillion scholars, chances are they will recognize a number of The Rings of Power's denizens from their appearances in other massive fantasy and sci-fi franchises.
10 Maxim Baldry And Lenny Henry Had A Date With The Doctor
Maxim Baldry stars as a young Isildur in The Rings of Power. Isildur is one of the show's many characters that fans may recognize fromThe Lord of the Rings films. However, the Amazon series sees Isildur as a young sailor who is still far from his destiny of becoming king. Lenny Henry's character appears exclusively in the television show where he plays Sadoc Burrow, the leader of the Harfoot tribe.
Both Baldry and Henry recently appeared on the twelfth season of Doctor Who. Baldry, as the historical figure Dr. John Polidori, who encounters the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) when she travels to 1816. Henry played the more modern Daniel Barton, a tech-obsessed CEO who appeared in the two-part "Spyall" special.
9 His Dark Materials Put Morfydd Clark In Another World
Morfydd Clark stars in The Rings of Power as Galadriel. Clark's Galadriel is a fierce warrior and not yet the serene Elven queen fans are familiar with from The Lord of the Rings film franchise.
Before traveling to Middle-earth, Morfydd appeared in the first season of HBO's His Dark Material series. Morfydd played Sister Clara, a nurse who helped imprison children in an ominous Arctic camp. Morfydd has traded in her villainous traits from that show for the pointed ears of The Rings of Power's Elven protagonist.
8 Ismael Cruz Cordova First Traveled To A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Ismael Cruz Cordova can be seen playing Arondir in The Rings of Power. Arondir is a noble Elven warrior who has committed the taboo of falling in love with a mortal woman.
Cordova can be spotted in the first season of the hit Star Wars series The Mandalorian. The actor appears in "Chapter 6: The Prisoner" as Qin, a mercenary jailed on a prison ship. Cordova may be hard to recognize, as the character of Qin is a Twi'lek alien, a species characterized by long cranial appendages and purple skin.
7 Thusitha Jayasundera Was A Human Before She Was A Harfoot
Thusitha Jayasundera appeared in seasons two and three of AMC's artificial intelligence drama Humans. The series took place in a world where humanoid robots are commonplace, and some have gained independent consciousness. Jayasundera portrayed Neha Patel in the series, a prosecutor bent on bringing a murderous android to justice.
Jayasundera has traded in robes for fury feet, and she can now be seen on The Rings Of Power as a Harfoot named Malva. Harfoots are one of the early races of Hobbits, and Rings sees them searching for their future homeland.
6 Cynthia Addai-Robinson Sowed Chaos In The Arrowverse Before Her Rings Reign
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Cynthia Addai-Robinson portrays Queen Regent Míriel on Amazon's The Rings of Power. Míriel is the temporary ruler of the island kingdom of Númenor, a powerful faction in Rings lore. However, her rule is beset with political strife, and Míriel struggles to hold on to power while navigating the scheming factions in her royal court.
Before traveling to Númenor, Addai-Robinson played the ruthless Amanda Waller on CW's Arrow. Amanda Waller, aka Mockingbird, is best known as the spy who assembled the infamous Suicide Squad. Waller, as played by Addai-Robinson, appeared over several seasons of Arrow.
5 Benjamin Walker Wielded Super Powers Before Wearing A Crown
Audiences may recognize Benjamin Walker from season three of Netflix's Jessica Jones. Walker appeared as Erik Gelden, a human with empathic powers which he used to target and blackmail criminals. Like Jones, Gelden operated in moral gray areas, and his affiliations often conflicted.
In contrast, Walker plays one of the Second Age's most respected authorities in The Rings of Power. As High King Gil-galad, Walker brings to life the fated Elven ruler bent on seeking out and destroying what remains of the Dark Lord Sauron.
4 Counterpart Had Nazanin Boniadi Seeing Double
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Nazanin Boniadi is no stranger to alternate worlds. Boniadi starred in Starz's Counterpart, a series that took place on an Earth that makes contact with a near-identical parallel universe. Boniadi began the series pulling double-duty, playing two versions of the same character.
In The Rings of Power, Boniadi can be seen as Bronwyn, a human healer. Bronwyn finds herself torn between two metaphorical worlds when she falls in love with Arondir, an Elf. In addition to her forbidden romance, Bronwyn is a single mother to her son Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin).
3 Charles Edwards First Forged Into The Arctic
Charles Edwards can be seen on The Rings of Power as the Elven ruler and craftsman Celebrimbor. Celebrimbor is one of the few Elves who creates an alliance with the Dwarves. His friendship with the Dwarven metal forgers has powerful consequences for the future of Middle-earth.
Before journeying to Khazad-dûm in Rings, Edwards played a character that went on a fateful journey to the Arctic. Edwards featured in AMC's The Terror, which followed a group of doomed English explorers as they forged into the icy North. Edwards' character Dr. McDonald is faced with more than just the elements, as monstrous and spiritual entities beset the group.
2 Games Of Thrones Claimed Robert Aramayo and Joseph Mawle First
House Stark is coming to Middle-earth! Before starring in The Rings of Power as the younger version of famed council-holder Elrond, Robert Aramayo played a different future king. Fans may recognize Aramayo from Westeros, who portrayed a young Ned Stark in seasons six and seven.
Joining him from Game of Thrones is Joseph Mawle, who held the role of the mysterious Benjen Stark, brother to Ned Stark. In The Rings Of Power, Mawle plays another enigmatic character. Mawle appears as Adar, a fallen Elf who commands a large orc army.
1 Peter Mullan Was King Of Westworld
Peter Mullan is a veteran actor with many iconic performances under his belt. In The Rings of Power, he appears as the legendary Dwarven King Durin III, wielder of one of the titular rings of power.
Eagle-eyed fans may look beyond the Dwarven beard and prosthetics to recognize him as Westworld's James Delos. The Delos family patriarch was the original creator of the android-staffed theme park. Mullan's terminally ill Delos was determined to use the park to unlock the secrets of his own immortality.