‘The Rings of Power’: Why Adar Actor Joseph Mawle Looks So Familiar
TL;DR:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced a mysterious villain named Adar.
- Viewers may recognize Adar actor Joseph Mawle from another fantasy franchise.
- Adar promises to be this season’s Big Bad, but he may not be around for long.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced the villain Adar (Joseph Mawle) in its recent episodes, revealing who’s behind all the Orc activity in the Southlands. And although we don’t know much about the character’s motivations, The Rings of Power Episode 4 offers more than a blurry silhouette. As such, viewers can get a good look at the actor who plays Adar in The Rings of Power — and they may recognize him from another popular fantasy series.
Who plays Adar in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’?
The Rings of Power Episode 4 reveals that Joseph Mawle is the actor behind the new villain Adar, who promises to become the Big Bad of the show’s first season. The previous chapter teased the mysterious Elf commanding the Orcs in the Southlands, but it didn’t give fans a good look at him — even after the Orcs took Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) to meet him.
However, Mawle gets to flex his acting muscles in the latest installment, depicting Adar’s relationship with the Orcs and sending an ominous message to the people of the Southlands. The 48-year-old English actor does a solid job of capturing a villain who believes his actions serve a greater purpose: “the creation of a new world.”
We’ll no doubt see more of Adar as The Rings of Power continues, and viewers may recognize the actor from other projects. Specifically, he’s appeared in another hit fantasy series.
Where you’ve seen Adar actor Joseph Mawle before
So, now that we know which actor plays Adar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, let’s dig into why he might look familiar.
Those watching The Rings of Power are likely to be fantasy fans, so many will recognize Joseph Mawle from another beloved franchise: Game of Thrones. Mawle plays Benjen Stark in the HBO series. Benjen is Ned Stark’s (Sean Bean) brother who saves Jon Snow’s (Kit Harington) life during season 7.
Clearly, Mawle’s no stranger to massive fantasy series, but Game of Thrones is far from the only project he has under his belt. Per IMDb, viewers may recognize him from series like Troy: Fall of a City, Ripper Street, The Tunnel, and Birdsong. He’s also held smaller roles in popular shows like Sense8 and Merlin.
The Rings of Power is likely to become one of Mawle’s biggest roles, especially if Adar sticks around. It looks like he’ll appear in several of season 1’s episodes, meaning he’s probably an important piece of Amazon’s story.
Joseph Mawle’s character promises to play an important part in ‘The Rings of Power’
IMDb lists actor Joseph Mawle as playing Adar in six of the eight episodes in The Rings of Power Season 1. So, viewers can count on seeing more of the character — and the man who plays him — before the first outing is through.
Adar promises to be an important piece of the prequel, even if he doesn’t turn out to be its Big Bad. Although some believe he’s Sauron in disguise, his conversation with Arondir suggests he’s simply an Elf who’s been drawn to the darkness. We’ll have to wait to learn more about the character’s true identity. But no matter who he is, he’s setting the stage for what’s to come.
If Adar isn’t Sauron, he’s still making progress for the Dark Lord. His Orcs are clearing the Southlands — a place that will one day become Mordor. So, he’s paving the way for Sauron’s first rise to power, making him an integral piece of The Rings of Power’s main story.
Whether he’ll remain a prominent part of the prequel beyond season 1 is anyone’s guess. The only way to find out is to keep watching.
New episodes of The Rings of Power debut on Fridays on Prime Video.
