The Rings of Power season 1 primarily followed Galadriel in her trip to Númenor and her introduction and eventual falling out with Halbrand, or Sauron. Similarly, season 2’s main protagonist was Celebrimbor, who spent the majority of the eight episodes contending with Sauron as they worked together to forge the rings of Dwarves and Men. With Celebrimbor’s death in The Rings of Power season 2 ending and season 3 open to a variety of new plotlines, it will be interesting to see who takes on the role of the show’s new center of attention. There are plenty of outstanding options.

8Pharazôn

Ar-Pharazôn Is Next In Line For Sauron’s Manipulation

Pharazôn wouldn’t be as sympathetic as Celebrimbor, but examining how his choices led to one of Arda’s greatest disasters would be fascinating.

Ar-Pharazôn, who recently usurped the kingdom of Númenor and made himself quite the villain, is an unlikely but interesting character to potentially take center stage in The Rings of Power season 3. So far, the TV series has followed the format of examining leads who have been corrupted by Sauron, meaning there’s practically no one better than the man who’s going to be deceived into causing a cataclysmic event that will destroy his entire kingdom. Pharazôn wouldn’t be as sympathetic as Celebrimbor, but examining how his choices led to one of Arda’s greatest disasters would be fascinating.

Currently, Númenor has been divided in the aftermath of Tar-Palantir’s death, with many deciding to support Pharazôn. He represents a faction of Númenóreans who are ungrateful for the extended lifespans granted to them by the Valar, instead believing themselves worthy of immortality like the Elves. Sauron will play into this, forcing his enemies to wage war on each other, potentially leading to the Downfall of Númenor as soon as season 3. Seeing Pharazôn as a main character making every mistake and succumbing to every bit of Sauron’s manipulation could take the show to a darkly fascinating place.

7Elrond

Season 2 Set Up Rivendell As A Future Elven Settlement

If The Rings of Power doesn’t want to repeat season 2’s death and destruction as the central narrative, Elrond would be a fascinating character to take shape as the lead protagonist. He’s been one of the most important leads in the show in both seasons, but season 2 saw him undergo a significant arc of growth and acceptance for his friends and allies, teaching him to be more trusting. With the Elves ending up in the valley that would become Rivendell, season 3 could be the perfect time to show Elrond’s transition to the character audiences know from the films.

Elrond is an immortal being, but he’s crucially a much younger and more naive version of the character seen in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Focusing on Elrond’s growth as a leader as he lays the foundation for Rivendell and the future of his people could be fascinating. If The Rings of Power postpones the Sauron-Númenor conflict to season 4, still focusing on the war between Orcs and Elves as the Dark Lord advances his forces beyond Eregion, Elrond could be the perfect main protagonist.

6Durin IV

The New King Durin Will Fight For His Throne

With the death of King Durin III and the Dwarves’ relative absence from this period in Tolkien’s history, creating storylines for them may be challenging going forward. The alliance between Elves and Dwarves prospered in season 2, as the latter arrived at Eregion to save the day despite being a bit late. But The Rings of Power will have to demonstrate how the Dwarves end up declining to participate in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, likely due to the rings causing immense greed among their leadership to the point of self-destruction.

Durin’s reign will be contested by relatives and threats from other Dwarves, creating a Game of Thrones -like narrative

Durin IV is now king, and while he likely won’t have any direct relationship with Sauron, season 3 could demonstrate how the already distributed Dwarven rings continue to cause the self-implosion of their race. The season 2 ending has already implied Durin’s reign will be contested by relatives and threats from other Dwarves, creating a Game of Thrones-like narrative going forward that could likely only result in the deterioration of Khazad-dûm.

5Isildur

Isildur Will Return To A Different Númenor

Isildur is a hugely important character in Tolkien lore and one who’s barely been explored so far in the TV series so far. He saw some minor growth in season 2, but it’s still hard to believe that he’s the same character who will one day rise up and kill Sauron in battle. With Isildur returning to Númenor during the upcoming period of civil strife, he’ll have ample time to mature and become a future leader of Gondor, along with his father and brother.

Isildur could be a compelling character to follow going forward, as he’ll be the only protagonist in the thick of the conflict in Númenor who actually survives the Downfall. He’ll surely support Míriel in trying to keep power in Númenor out of the hands of Pharazôn and Sauron by proxy, and he’ll also be crucial in bringing Eärien back to the side of the good guys before everything self-implodes. Now that she realizes he’s alive, her motivation for supporting Pharazôn in the first place will be null.

4Gandalf

The Stranger Finally Has A Name

Now that he’s finally been named, Gandalf is another character in The Rings of Power whose narrative for the next three seasons is a massive question mark. Lord of the Rings fans know he’s instrumental in guiding the world of Men in the War of the Ring, but he isn’t known for taking any role in the War of the Last Alliance. With that in mind, the TV series has still established Gandalf’s purpose in Middle-earth to be to defeat Sauron.

With the plot of The Rings of Power in mind, being directly sent by the Valar to contend with Sauron makes Gandalf the most important protagonist in the show. It seems like he still has some business to attend to in Rhûn, defeating the Dark Wizard. However, it’s most likely that his role in future seasons will be to unite the realms of Elves and Men, bringing the likes of Gil-galad and Elendil together to defeat Sauron, as he does with Aragorn in the Third Age.

3Sauron

Sauron’s Forces Are Still In Eriador

While Celebrimbor was the main protagonist in season 2, Sauron was undoubtedly one of the most central and compelling characters. Charlie Vickers’ portrayal of Annatar brought esteem and widespread curiosity to the character in a way that wasn’t present with the original Lord of the Rings films, and the TV adaptation will likely want to continue examining him with similar prominence. Given the lore, Sauron seems to have two options: continue leading his forces to Eriador or return to Mordor and establish his foothold.

With Adar gone, there’s really no opposition for Sauron in Mordor, and while watching him return there to play city-builder sounds like fun, it may be more engaging to see him continue to contend with the Elves and Númenóreans directly. Continuing his conquest seems like the best way to provoke Númenor into attacking him in Middle-earth, which will be pivotal to their eventual downfall. If Sauron continues his invasion of Eriador, this could allow for a continuation of season 2’s successful dynamics between him and the Elves, though now from his perspective as a leader of Orcs.

2Elendil

The Last Alliance Needs To Start Forming Soon

Like with Isildur, Elendil is a massively important Tolkien character who needs to start seeing more screen time going forward. He was barely in season 2, meaning the upcoming seasons will be The Rings of Power’s opportunity to sell him as one of the Second Age’s greatest heroes, a Númenórean strong enough to contend with Sauron in a sword fight for the show’s eventual climax. With Elendil leaving the Númenórean capital to find his son and rally forces, Pharazôn could take over as season 3’s main antagonist.

Knowing that the Downfall of Númenor is coming makes Elendil’s mission over the next season somewhat fruitless, but his defeat will still be crucial to the story. Elendil needs to lose in Númenor to establish powerful human settlements in Middle-earth, preparing for the Last Alliance and the foundation of Gondor. Over the next few seasons, his narrative will be vital to establishing the Middle-earth audiences recognize from the films and Lord of the Rings books.

1Míriel

Míriel Will Try Her Best To Prevent The Downfall of Númenor

Míriel is the perfect contender to be the lead protagonist in The Rings of Power season 3 if the Downfall of Númenor becomes the central plotline for the season. She’s been left behind in Númenor to politically contend with Ar-Pharazôn, who will be manipulated by Sauron going forward, putting her in a similar situation as Celebrimbor, though with an altered dynamic. Her most significant threat isn’t Sauron himself, but a man who’s taken power from her and is quickly succumbing to the will of Sauron.

In the books, Ar-Pharazôn forces Míriel into marriage, which could be in the cards now that Elendil is out of the picture. With her eventual death in the Downfall, The Rings of Power season 3 could set up Míriel to be a phenomenal tragic hero, transforming her from a relatively interesting supporting character to one of the show’s most unforgettable protagonists as she desperately tries to hold her kingdom together until it’s totally destroyed.