The Rings of Power Season 3 Leaps Five Years Forward With a Defecting Orc at Its Heart

A Time Jump and a Soft Reboot

Prime Video’s *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* returns for Season 3 on November 11, set five years after Season 2, according to a set report published by IGN. Co-showrunner Patrick McKay described the leap as “turning the page on the show” and a potential entry point for new viewers. The story resumes after Sauron dropped his disguise, prompting Elven retreat as his armies overran Middle-earth.

McKay said the creative team wants to drop viewers directly into the action, likening the approach to time jumps in *Battlestar Galactica* and *Halt and Catch Fire*. Because the series draws on Tolkien’s appendices and background lore rather than adapting a single novel, the showrunners have room to introduce original characters.

The Orc With an Arc

Season 3 introduces Marnûkh, an Orc who arrives in Rivendell claiming to have defected from Sauron’s army and offering to help the Elves. McKay told IGN that Marnûkh claims knowledge of Sauron’s strategy and reveals that Sauron is trying to make the One Ring. If Sauron succeeds, McKay said, the Ring would render Orcs permanently subservient, foreclosing rebellions like the one led by Adar.

Adar, an Elf corrupted by Morgoth into one of the first Orcs, was killed in the Season 2 finale, *Shadow and Flame*, by Orcs loyal to Sauron. Marnûkh continues the series’ shift toward portraying Orcs as individuals with personal motives. The production has nicknamed him “the Orc with an arc.”

IGN was the only outlet on set while scenes were filmed with Marnûkh escorted by Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, and Arondir, played by Ismael Cruz Cordova. Director Sanaa Hamri said audiences should feel uncertain about him at first. Actor Adam Young, who plays Marnûkh, said his performance centers on whether the character is good, bad, or something in between. McKay compared the uneasy trio to Frodo, Sam and Gollum, noting that Arondir’s distrust is rooted in losing someone he loved to Orcs.

Production and Prosthetics

Filming was underway in England in August 2025, with units at Windsor Great Park, Frensham, and Shepperton Studios. McKay said four units were operating simultaneously.

Prosthetics designer Barrie Gower said Marnûkh required a bespoke silicon-gel makeup built from a 3D scan and clay maquette of Young, designed to be thin enough for facial expression to show through. Young’s credits include *The Witcher: Blood Origin*, *Masters of the Air*, and *EastEnders*. He said he studied Tolkien’s legendarium after casting despite not previously reading the books. Gower’s team also maintains a catalog of Orc designs created after Season 2, when nearly 1,700 distinct makeup designs were made for the Siege of Eregion.

Confirmed Versus Unknown

Confirmed: the November 11 premiere; the five-year time jump; Marnûkh as a defecting Orc; Clark and Cordova returning as Galadriel and Arondir; Adar’s death in the Season 2 finale.

Not addressed in the report: the full Season 3 cast, episode count, release schedule beyond the premiere, specific plot twists involving Marnûkh’s loyalties, and whether Amazon or Prime Video has issued a separate announcement.

How to Check the Original Report

The details above come from an IGN set visit report. Readers can review the original article and additional quotes from McKay, Hamri, Young, and Gower here: https://www.ign.com/articles/rings-of-power-season-3-time-jump-orc-arc