{"id":576626,"date":"2026-07-31T05:12:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/576626\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T05:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T05:12:16","slug":"meet-marnukh-rings-of-power-showrunners-talk-orc-with-an-arc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/576626\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Marn\u00fbkh: Rings of Power Showrunners Talk Orc with an Arc"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\u26a1
\n\t\t\t\tQuick Take<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three\u2019s showrunners and cast explained new character Marn\u00fbkh, an orc with an arc.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

If there was one character that was close to my heart in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power\u2018s first two seasons, it was that of the Orc (Uruk) Father, Adar.<\/a> Adar knew that every one of his children \u201chas a name, a heart\u2026 Are creations of the One, Master of the Secret Fire, the same as you. As worthy of the breath of life, and just as worthy of\u00a0a home.\u201d And although his execution lacked a little bit to be desired, Adar\u2019s aim to create a life for his orc children, one where they could thrive and be seen as just as important as any other race, was a truly noble one<\/a>. Alas, Sauron, the Great Deceiver, turned Adar\u2019s softest parts against him, convincing his children to slay their own father. \u201cThey are not children anymore,\u201d Sauron told Adar as he lay dying. But is that so? Are the orcs now definitively orcs, or are they Uruk<\/a>? For me, it has been a central question of The Rings of Power. And now, a new \u201corc with an arc\u201d has come to the forefront of the narrative, ready to test the question of nature vs. nurture one more time. At SDCC, I spoke with The Rings of Power\u2018s showrunners and cast about Marn\u00fbkh, the latest and greatest hope for Uruk Nation<\/a>. Here\u2019s what I learned about his new orc with an arc.<\/p>\n

\"Marnu\u0302khPrime Video<\/p>\n

At The Rings of Power season three\u2019s San Diego Comic-Con panel, it was revealed that Marn\u00fbkh, played by Adam Young, \u201cclaims that he has turned his back against Sauron and he wants to now help the elves defeat the Dark Lord. But can you trust an orc?\u201d That is THE quandary. And it\u2019s not an easy one to come to a conclusion on, share The Rings of Power showrunners, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, when I ask after Marn\u00fbkh in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three.<\/p>\n

And it turns out Marn\u00fbkh, himself, doesn\u2019t make it any easier. Payne revealed more about the orc with and arc in The Rings of Power, \u201cMarn\u00fbkh and [actor]Adam Young bring such a wonderful quality to this orc character, where part of you thinks, \u2018Oh, he\u2019s sort of sweet and funny, and there\u2019s something sensitive to him.\u2019 And even dare I say, poetic and soulful about him. But then, also, he\u2019s constantly sort of undercutting things, and there\u2019s part of him that\u2019s gross and frightening. And so he constantly keeps everyone guessing.\u201d Listen, who among us isn\u2019t sometimes sweet and funny and sometimes gross and frightening? It sounds to us like Marn\u00fbkh is just a multi-faceted character trying his best to be more than what fate has decided for him on The Rings of Power season three.<\/p>\n

\"Marnu\u0302khPrime Video<\/p>\n

But what will Marn\u00fbkh\u2019s relationships with the other characters in his orc-arc, Galadriel and Arondir, look like this season on The Rings of Power. Payne notes of Galadriel meeting Marn\u00fbkh, \u201cIt puts Galadriel in a really interesting place, because as we\u2019ve seen in previous seasons, she despises the orcs and she\u2019s fought against them for years and years and years because they\u2019ve taken everything from her that she loves. But now in this season, she\u2019s in a position where she has to decide if she can trust an orc or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Galadriel went on something of a journey with Adar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two<\/a>. And though she doesn\u2019t ever quite apologize for slaying many of his children on her quest for vengeance, she does appear to come around to the idea that orcs\/Uruk may have a purpose for existing beyond just evil, and potentially a heart worth saving, by the end of The Rings of Power season two. But does she remember those times with Adar after so many years of war against Sauron and the Orcs?<\/p>\n

\"Arondir,Prime Video<\/p>\n

McKay laughs when I ask that very question, \u201cWell, I think Marn\u00fbkh is hoping she does.\u201d When I follow up wondering if Marn\u00fbkh remembers Adar, I don\u2019t receive a clear answer. So we\u2019ll have to wait and see.<\/p>\n

Of course, Galadriel isn\u2019t the only elf that Marn\u00fbkh will have to win over in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three. The trio becomes complete with Arondir. At the SDCC panel, Arondir\u2019s actor, Ismael Cruz C\u00f3rdova, shared about Arondir and Marn\u00fbkh, \u201cWe have this relationship, this odd couple relationship, we don\u2019t trust each other, we don\u2019t like each other. He stinks.\u201d But despite everything, Cruz C\u00f3rdova shares with me that Arondir wants to trust the orcs.<\/p>\n

The Orcs, The Ents, and the Question of Peace on THE RINGS OF POWER<\/a><\/p>\n

Cruz C\u00f3rdova reveals, \u201cI think Arondir has been surrounded by darkness from minute 1, second 27, of the first episode of The Rings of Power. And he hasn\u2019t been able to really have a lot of redemption from that. And I think that experience of leaning into that darkness and being curious about that darkness is at the core of who he is. That deep curiosity of \u2018What\u2019s at the other side, what is my purpose? Who are the ones that I can trust?\u2019 But also, I think he wrestles with not liking orcs because I think he sees them\u2026 I think he sees them as one of his own. I think he sees orcs as victims. I think his vendetta with Adar was because I respected him in a certain way. And then he still turned around and killed the love of my life. So I think it\u2019s a very emotional knee-jerk reaction and it\u2019s understandable, but I don\u2019t think he\u2019s completely has given himself to that darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ArondirPrime Video<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve said it once, and we\u2019ll say it again: Arondir is the most elfy elf of all<\/a>. And his ability to see beyond the hard lines drawn in the sand to the common origin of orcs and elves, and the way the orcs could not help but become what they were, is truly so beautiful. For Arondir and Marn\u00fbkh, this understanding could be a key to both their healing, if they can find a way to fully trust one another. Cruz C\u00f3rdova concludes, \u201cThere\u2019s a softness and openness and different colors that we placed in this story this time around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever happens between Marn\u00fbkh, Arondir, and Galadriel, we know this is one The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three storyline that we\u2019ll be seated for.<\/p>\n

The Rings of Power season three premieres on Prime Video on November 11<\/a>. The full release schedule can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u26a1 Quick Take The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season three\u2019s showrunners and cast explained…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":576627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[243300,93,61,60,243301,243302,193237,282],"class_list":["post-576626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-arondir","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-marnukh","tag-orcs","tag-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}