The Rings of Power portrays his Denethor replacement after Peter Jackson’s movies changed his character

Includes spoilers for the future events of The Rings of Power, based on Tolkien lore.

One character in Prime Video The rings of power fulfills a very similar role to Denethor in the return of the king Serve as a reminder of how Peter Jackson’s trilogy changed the Steward of Gondor from the books. The TV prequel takes place thousands of years earlier The Lord of the RingsSet in the second era of Middle-earth. Although the world is significantly different in this period, the characters still fulfill similar archetypes to those in the original novels as the world falls victim to Sauron’s ascension.

The rings of power has received detailed responses due to its handling of Tolkien’s source material. The show condenses much of that Lord of the Rings Timeline, organizing events to fit the television medium. In addition, there are some original characters and events that stretch beyond the boundaries of Tolkien’s writings. But While Peter Jackson’s film trilogy is seen as the definitive Tolkien adaptation, there are reasons why The rings of power Nails elements of the books that the movies changed or left out. In this regard, the Númenor plot line has a lot to break down.

Ar-Pharazôn’s Rings of Power Season 3 story will mirror Denethor’s book fall

Ar-Pharazôn & Denethor both suffer their ruin at the hands of Sauron’s manipulation

Movie fans will remember Denethor as the father of Boromir and Faramir, who set himself alight and ran off the wall of Minas Tirith, falling to his death. Denethor is shown to give up early in the battle, admitting defeat to Sauron as he deals with the crisis of believing that he sent Faramir to his death. But The film leaves out a significant part of Denethor’s downfall, which is that he communicated with Sauron through a palantiriManipulated by the Dark Lord to think victory is unobtainable and to distrust Gandalf. This almost leads to the destruction of Gondor.

Ar-Pharazôn will suffer a similar fate in Rings of power FutureAs he was eventually manipulated by Sauron in the Second Age. At first Ar-Pharazon leads his army against Sauron in Mardor, causes Sauron to surrender with kindness, and allows himself to be taken prisoner on Numinor. While there, he corrupts Ar-Pharazôn further, appealing to his desire for praise and affirmation, and to his jealousy of the immortality of the elves. He convinces Ar-Pharazôn to sail his navy against Valinor, which causes the destruction of Númenor.

In both cases, there are characters who lead a powerful human civilization, placing them in natural positions of strength. But Both Denethor and Ar-Pharazôn succumb to the weakness of humanity’s desire for power, allowing Sauron to manipulate them to be willing. In the case of Gondor, the day is saved by the likes of Gandalf and Aragorn. Númenor won’t be so lucky, as the show has already shown the early stages of protagonists like Miriel being fleshed out, leaving room for Ar-Pharazôn to become king in the first place.

Ar-Pharazôn could be manipulated by Sauron through Númenor’s Palaníri

The trailer showed Ar-Pharazôn using the Palaníri

An interesting element factored in The rings of power What is not present in Tolkien’s legendarium is the palantiri. In Episode 3, this was used to highlight Míriel’s allegiance with the Valar, which caused a rift between her and the people of Númenor. Ar-Pharazôn states that no true leader of Númenor would use a palantiri, suggesting that it would betray the independence of their people. However, he doesn’t seem like the type of character who would deny power when he has the opportunity to use it.

The Palantíri could serve as a vessel for the relationship of Ar-Pharazôn and Sauron to form. Much like how Sauron manipulates Celebrimbor in season 2, he will eventually do the same to Ar-Pharazôn, making the Palantíri the perfect plot device to tie their stories together, especially as Sauron was already in Númenor and was imprisoned there in season 1 This can be a method for The rings of power To avoid repetition.

Why Peter Jackson’s movies removed Denethor’s Palaníri

The LOTR trilogy makes Denethor more of a villain

Denethor’s character is one that undergoes some of the biggest changes in the adaptation of Tolkien’s books to Peter Jackson’s films, leaving out a significant part of his story. Denethor is essentially a villainous character in the movies, made to seem cruel and evil on his own account. In Tolkien Return of the King, Denethor’s fall is one of tragedy, as he falls victim to the work of Sauron.

Changing Denethor to be more of an antagonist benefits the simplification of Gondor’s power transfer at the end of the film. Leading audiences to understand the political landscape of the kingdom and the responsibilities of the steward in the absence of the king is already a task that needs to maintain the movie’s pace for exposition. Making Denethor less sympathetic allows for a smoother transition to making Aragorn kingAnd allows Faramir to be a more engaging character. The rings of power Ar-Pharazôn could encompass more of Denethor’s book character elements.