Robert Aramayo will take on a second role in the third season of Amazon Prime Video's "The Rings of Power," playing Elros, the twin brother of Elrond, the character the actor has portrayed since the fantasy series began.
Elros has so far appeared only in a painting depicting Númenor, and there was little hope he would appear in person on screen. That is about to change. According to the report, the new season will show the era in which Elrond's twin brother chose to live as a mortal.
"The Rings of Power," which premiered on Prime Video in 2022, is set thousands of years before the events of "The Lord of the Rings" and draws on the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's novels for material not covered in Peter Jackson's film trilogy.
Aramayo has played Elrond since the series' debut, a role previously portrayed by Hugo Weaving in Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" films. Although this younger version of the character differs from Weaving's, qualities such as wisdom and compassion have carried through in Aramayo's performance.
Who Is Elros?
Viewers who know only the "Lord of the Rings" films may not realise that Elrond had a twin brother. The two elves were born during the First Age, a time when the dark lord Morgoth had become a threat the Children of Ilúvatar could not face alone.
Their parents, Eärendil and Elwing, were forbidden from returning to Valinor, the undying lands of the Valar, but sacrificed everything to carry a Silmaril, one of three sacred jewels, to the Valar to beg for their help.
A Choice Between Elves and Men
The Valar were moved by Eärendil and Elwing's determination to save Middle-earth and agreed to intervene against Morgoth. They also rewarded the couple with a rare gift: Eärendil, Elwing and their descendants would be allowed to choose whether to be counted among the Elves or among Men.
Elrond chose to keep his immortality. Elros chose the path of mortality.
Founder of Númenor
Elros was also given the island kingdom of Númenor to rule. He founded it and reigned for 500 years before the throne passed down through the generations that followed him.
Descendants of Elros include Míriel, Ar-Pharazôn, Elendil and Isildur, which means Aragorn also counts Elros among his ancestors.
What Season 3 Might Show
The report noted that the flashback may not dwell much on Morgoth or the Valar, but Elros's appearance suggests viewers will get a look at what the island kingdom was like in its early days, and at how the king felt about duty, the distance from his brother, and his own choice of mortality.
It described the scene as a valuable glimpse at something never before shown in live action, adding that expectations for the moment are high.
