Summary
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 has dropped one of its characters, and this leaves an important Tolkien trope wide open. One of the risks of a TV show is that actors will have to depart for one reason or another, leaving a studio to have to either recast or write the character out. The latter option can mean quite an interruption for their story arc and impacts the arcs of other characters as well. This is precisely what seems to be happening withThe Rings of Powerseason 2, and since Tolkien’s works tend to involve specific character formulas, this will be an awkward problem to deal with.
Actor Nazanin Boniadi, who played Bronwyn inThe Rings of Powerseason 1, will not be returning for the upcoming installment. Boniadi had previously expressed a desire to focus on advocacy works but later clarified that this wasn’t why she stepped away from the role. Instead, the actor has implied that she has another project on the way, stating on herInstagramthat she is excited to share more details when she can. There is no sign thatBronwyn has been recast inRings of Powerseason 2, so the character has likely been written out of the show—but what about her and Arondir’s romance?
The Rings Of Power Cast & Character Descriptions
Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has known characters and brand new ones, all with familiar faces. Here’s where you know them from.
No Bronwyn In Rings Of Power Means No Elf-Human Romance In Season 2
The Elf-Human Romance Created Added Cohesiveness With LOTR
Bronwyn and Arondir had some definite heat going on between them inThe Rings of Powerseason 1, but Boniadi’s departure from the series will put the breaks on their romance. Ismael Cruz Córdova, who plays Arondir, will be in the upcoming episodes, so there will have to be some explanation about what has happened to the woman whom the elf had been so determined not to leave behind in the previous installment. Given the buildup of this relationship, this is a bit frustrating. However,asRings of Power’s resident elf-human romance, this change has further repercussions.
This is quite a slap to the face for Tolkien’s art since this mortal-immortal dynamic has a significant hand in the themes of Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien’s works often include an elf-human relationship. It’s a familiarLord of the Ringsdynamic, and since a Second Age story is a new frontier for a screen adaptation of Tolkien’s work,Rings of Powerneeds as much familiarity as possible.Arondir and Bronwyn were meant to fill this trope, but this storyline seems to be abandoned. This is quite a slap to the face for Tolkien’s art since this mortal-immortal dynamic has a significant hand in the themes ofLord of the Rings.
Arondir & Bronwyn Weren’t A Canon Love Story (But They Still Served A Common Tolkien Theme
Tolkien’s Elf-Human Romances Hold A Lot Of Weight In Lord Of The Rings
At first glance, Bronwyn’s absence fromThe Rings of Powerisn’t too big of a deal since she is an invention of the Prime Video series and not a character from Tolkien’s works. The same is true for Arondir, so their romance isn’t pivotal to the Second Age and its events. Additionally, there weren’t any notable human-elf romances during this period of Middle-earth’s history. Still, Bronwyn and Arondir’s romance was one ofRings of Power’s better additions since it incorporated some of the themes that are prevalent throughout Tolkien’s legendarium.
Fans ofPeter Jackson’sLord of the Ringsmovieswill be familiar with Aragorn and Arwen’s story, but they weren’t the first romance of this kind. The First Age of Middle-earth saw two tragic pairings of Elves and Men, Beren and Lúthien, and Tuor and Idril. The former isa couple based on Tolkien and his wife, Edith, who were raised under different religious denominations and were, therefore, barred from being together for a time. This autobiographical parallel repeats with the other elf-human pairings inThe Lord of the Rings, which means thatPrime Video had a responsibility to do Arondir and Bronwyn right.
Rings of Powerseason 2 will begin streaming on Prime Video on June 27, 2025.
Rings Of Power Bringing In A New Elf-Human Relationship Would Feel Clumsy
Rings Of Power Season 2 Has An Awkward Situation To Handle
Rings of Powerwas trying to do something good with Arondir and Bronwyn, but it looks like it’s going out the window. This means thatthe series will commence without an elf-human pairing, and while that’s disappointing, it’s better than the alternative. The only other options would be to either have Arondir fall in love with another human, which would be odd, or bring in new original elf and human characters to fall in love. Of course, after Bronwyn’s character was dropped, it would be glaringly apparent to audiences what the Prime Video series was trying to do.
Any method of introducing a new elf-human romance would feel clumsy and would makeThe Rings of Powerless immersive overall. The series may be better off moving on and leaving Tolkien’s relationship trope behind. While it’s a bit disappointing, it’s better than the series reaching too far to compensate for its lost character.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
