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TL;DR:

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailer features Trystan Gravelle as Ar-Pharazon.
  • Ar-Pharazon is the last king of Númenor and could be a secondary villain in the show.
  • Fans may recognize Gravelle from A Discovery of Witches.
An image of Ar-Pharazon from 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' which is not adapting a single book. The image shows a man standing in front of a crowd and raising his arms.
Trystan Gravelle in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ | Courtesy of Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuts this September, and Prime Video is hyping up the series ahead of its release date. The latest trailer shows off the major places and characters that will appear in the prequel. Among them is Ar-Pharazon, a name diehard fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work may recognize. But who exactly is Ar-Pharazon, and how will he factor into The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?

Who is Ar-Pharazon in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?

Although Prime Video’s latest trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power doesn’t focus too heavily on Ar-Pharazon, Trystan Gravelle’s character can be seen in several clips. In the most notable, he’s standing in front of a crowd of people, which makes sense since he’s an important figure in Númenor.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings, Ar-Pharazon is the final king of Númenor. And with The Rings of Power set during the Second Age, the kingdom will play a prominent role in the prequel series. It seems the show will explore Ar-Pharazon’s rise to power, as well as the fall of his kingdom, over the course of its run.

As Inverse points out, Ar-Pharazon will open the series as Tar-Míriel’s (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) advisor. Robinson’s character is the queen regent of the kingdom when The Rings of Power begins, so there could be some political strife between her and Ar-Pharazon — assuming the show doesn’t take liberties with the source material.

As such, Ar-Pharazon promises to be a complex and fascinating character. And he’s played by an actor fantasy fans may recognize from another popular show.

Trystan Gravelle cast as Ar-Pharazon in the Prime Video series

Whatever The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power does with Ar-Pharazon, he’s sure to be an important character in the upcoming show. And Trystan Gravelle, the actor who brings him to life, is already well known in certain fantasy circles. Most recently, he played Baldwin Montclair in A Discovery of Witches.

Needless to say, he’s no stranger to the genre. And he’s certainly got plenty of experience when it comes to television. Gravelle also appeared in Exile, The Terror, The Aliens, and Mr. Selfridge.

The Rings of Power could give Gravelle a chance to flex his acting muscles as well, especially if it makes Ar-Pharazon a secondary villain.

Who is the main villain of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?

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With Trystan Gravelle’s Ar-Pharazon in a position to cause political problems in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, he could very well serve as a minor villain in the series. Although he’s not likely to be the Big Bad of the show — that honor will probably go to Sauron again — it sounds like he could serve as an antagonist. If he’s plotting to steal the throne, his character could even resemble Game of Thrones’ Peter Baelish (Aidan Gillen).

We’ll have to wait and see how The Rings of Power sets up its power dynamics. Fortunately, the series will arrive on Prime Video soon.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuts on Sept. 2, 2022.

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