The Rings Of Power Season 3's Númenor Storyline Is About To Get Much Darker

EXCLUSIVE: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 is about to turn up the heat in Númenor.

Created by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, the Lord of the Rings series is set to continue its exploration of the Second Age of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth next month, bringing together stories across the vast fantasy world. The fictional island kingdom of Númenor – and the political upheaval within it – will return as a central focus in The Rings of Power season 3, with tension only set to grow.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan, McKay and several key cast members comment on what's to come for Númenor in The Rings of Power's third outing, teasing that a civil war is on the horizon. According to the co-creator, season 3 takes legendary Tolkien figures and puts them in an increasingly fractious environment. Check out McKa's comment below:

I'll throw one more quick one in there. I think this season, we also really felt that we wanted to deepen the Númenor story. That's a tense, political world. There's Civil War brewing, there's factionalism, and there are huge, iconic characters from the lore: Pharazôn, Míriel, Elendil, Isildur, and his brother Anárion, played by Andrew Richardson, who joins the show this season. That was a story that we really wanted to darken, and I think we're pretty happy with the results.

• Credit: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

• Image via MovieStillsDB

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• Image via MovieStillsDB

Crossan then asks the cast where season 3 finds their characters, and Maxim Baldry, who plays Isildur, reveals that he "starts with a big beard!" and that he "almost didn't recognize" himself. As for Númenor, Baldry teases an exciting journey ahead for Isildur in the city, explaining that his character's assassination attempt on the king kicks off a series of increasingly explosive events:

I think it's at an inflection point. Númenor is basically overrun by Pharazôn, and we are leading a militant campaign from the West where Míriel is, and Isildur basically tries to assassinate the king. I think that event potentially leads to civil war, so it's pretty intense from the get-go.

Míriel actor Cynthia Addai-Robinson teases that her character is stoking the flames of a rebellion in season 3. The upcoming episodes feature Míriel once again at odds with Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), and she is now growing her forces to reclaim power. As Addai-Robinson explains:

At the end of season 2, the very last image of Míriel is before Pharazôn in chains, so it's clear that he's really trying to banish her, push her out, and make sure that he can take his rightful place as leader of Númenor. At the beginning of season 3, she is essentially set up in this hideaway with the Faithful. And again, she's in the process of gathering the troops for revolution. There are many people who still view her as their leader, and she is very much trying to steer her people in the direction that she feels is the best course of action for Númenor. But, of course, Pharazôn is a very formidable opponent.

Lloyd Owen, who plays Elendil, Isildur's father, shares that audiences can expect to see him once more at Míriel's side in season 3, this time helping to prepare her forces to take back the city. Elendil also teases the arrival of the Faithful, a Númenórian faction, who remain loyal to the Valar. Check out his comment below:

As for Elendil, he's left for the West at the end of season 2. We see him there, but each one of us is in a little pod on our own, trying to make the right decision and time the revolution - or the rebellion, whichever way you like to look at it - correctly. I'm just trying to train everybody up in the West, which is the home of the Faithful, hoping to get the word out. I'm waiting to find out when we make our move, but reliant on Míriel because she's still my queen and my leader.

Following the end of The Rings of Power season 2, McKay and Payne are set to take season 3 in a new direction. The upcoming season takes place after a five-year time jump and could be considered something of a soft reboot. The new season doesn't include a Harfoot storyline this time around and instead focuses on Sauron's (Charlie Vickers) forging of the One Ring and his mission of conquering all of Middle-earth.

With a revolution brewing in Númenor, season 3 could be about to mark a major build-up as all of Middle-earth teeters on the brink of all-out war. Though reviews for The Rings of Power season 2 were generally positive from critics, the show has proven more divisive with audiences.

This darker turn for season 3 has the potential to win back those who have previously written the show off. McKay and Payne have confirmed that viewers don't have to have seen seasons 1 or 2 to understand season 3, making the new episodes more of an entry point for newcomers as the series gets closer to fulfilling its 5-season plan.

It remains to be seen how The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 fares with critics and audiences, but viewers can evidently expect Númenor to once more be at the center of the action. With a civil war brewing, this legendary city and its inhabitants could be in for an action-packed ride.