Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show may redefine one mysterious character

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is overflowing with interesting characters — most of whom had been in Middle-earth long before Frodo came into possession of the One Ring. While Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films bring most of the series’ important characters to life in a faithful and well-realized manner, even a cinematic venture of that size didn’t make time for all of the series’ memorable figures.

Fortunately, Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series can give some of the more minor characters from Middle-earth a chance in the limelight.

The Theory — Some Lord of the Rings fans believe that the upcoming Amazon series could finally shine a light on Celeborn, the partner of Galadriel (an important figure played by Cate Blanchett in the films). It’s already said that Galadriel will play a major role in the Amazon series; if Galadriel’s on screen, then there’s no reason to believe Celeborn won’t be by her side.

That’s a good thing, since Celeborn has the potential to be a much more interesting character in this series than Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films made him out to be.

Celeborn in the Second Age — Unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which takes place during the Third Age of Middle-earth, Amazon’s upcoming series takes place during the Second Age. That was the period in which the Rings of Power were first forged, the fabled island kingdom of Númenor sunk beneath the sea, and Sauron was defeated during the War of the Last Alliance. That last event is depicted briefly during the opening prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, but for the most part the major events of the Second Age have yet to be staged on screen.

Celeborn, for his part, spent much of the Second Age in Eregion, an Elven realm ruled by Celebrimbor, who was tricked by Sauron into forging the Rings of Power. When war broke out between Sauron and the Elves, Celeborn fought against Sauron’s forces. While he and Elrond were ultimately unsuccessful in preventing Sauron from destroying Eregion, they did lead a force of survivors to safety, away from the kingdom.

Assuming that Amazon’s Lord of the Rings does begin by depicting the initial forging of the Rings of Power, then Celeborn could emerge as a major political figure in the series, given his prolonged presence in Eregion. While not much is known about Celeborn’s movements after his escape from Eregion, Galadriel spent the rest of the Second Age secretly guarding a Ring of Power, which makes it feel like an important period in the lives of both characters.

The Inverse Analysis — Celeborn was a mysterious character in Tolkien’s books, and not much is known about his actions throughout the Second Age. However, he and Galadriel proved successful in protecting their kingdom and holding off Sauron’s forces throughout the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which suggests that he was a skilled military strategist and combatant.

With that in mind, Celeborn’s presence in Middle-earth during the Second Age — and especially in an Elven realm where many important events took place — could make him an ideal choice to serve as a major figure in the Amazon series. Let’s face it: as the husband of Galadriel, one of the most interesting and intelligent characters in all of Tolkien lore, Celeborn is worth exploring further.

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series does not yet have a release date.