The Rings of Power season 3 will add another complex character to its stacked Middle-earth roster – but this isn't like anything we've seen in Tolkien's work.
As revealed by IGN, Adam Young will play Marnûkh, an orc who says he has defected from Sauron's army. Whether anyone believes him or not will soon become clear, but he finds himself being held captive by Galadriel and Arondir, who has his own grisly history with their kind.
But far from being a walking plot twist, Marnûkh was described on set as an "orc with an arc."
Yes, he was part of Sauron's army, but he will also aim to generate sympathy among viewers, a real departure from how the race has been depicted in the past. But is this just another trick from the Dark Lord? Perhaps not.
"I have a real soft spot for this Orc," director Sanaa Hamri said. "I think the audience is going to be really torn about Marnûkh."
On the complex motivations driving the character, Young teased, “We were working out early on what was his incentive? What's his purpose for being here? Is he good, is he bad?"
To help, Young – a self-confessed Tolkien newcomer – plunged into the books to tap into the rich world that lay ahead of him in The Rings of Power season 3.
“I’d actually never read the books and so I just [threw] myself into the Tolkien world and Silmarillion and all of that,” Young said. “It was really nice to just have a bit of time to actually jump into that and the language and the lore. It's huge."
The Rings of Power season 3 first reactions should hold off any doubt that the Prime Video series would falter in its later seasons. It's already being held up as the best season yet, with particular praise for Charlie Vickers' depiction of Sauron as he bids to forge the One Ring.
The Rings of Power season 3 begins streaming on Prime Video from November 11.
For more, we have a guide on new TV shows. Still getting to grips with Middle-earth? Here's how to watch the Lord of the Rings in order.
