Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is undoubtedly a visually stunning show, benefiting from strong performances and Bear McCreary’s rousing score. However, it has often faced criticism from diehard Tolkien fans who have pointed out several deviations the series has taken from the canon storyline. And they are not wrong to criticise the showrunners, Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne. One of the criticisms concerns the absence of a key character from the show: Celeborn.
Two seasons of The Rings of Power have passed, and yet we have not seen Celeborn. Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel briefly mentions him in Season 1, stating that she was married to Celeborn before the events of the series but that her husband died. However, that is clearly not the case, as we see Celeborn (played by Marton Csokas) in The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), which takes place after the events of The Rings of Power. This means that Celeborn is not dead, and he must return at some point in Season 3.
Season 2 brought out a more vulnerable and tormented side of Galadriel, which is understandable given her previous encounter with Halbrand, who was ultimately revealed to be Sauron in the Season 1 finale. However, she never mentions Celeborn, which is quite surprising. Showrunners McKay and Payne need to understand that they cannot simply omit Celeborn from the show, especially considering their plans to extend the series to five seasons. At some point, they will have to address the character.
The addition of Celeborn in Season 3 may introduce another important character to the show’s fanbase: Celebrían, the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn. Celebrían did not appear in Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations, giving the showrunners a great opportunity to introduce her in Season 3 or perhaps in later seasons. She is also a significant part of the LOTR canon, as she is Elrond’s wife. Let’s see what happens.
Stream all episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video. Stay tuned for more updates.