'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power': Who is Maxim Baldry's Isildur? His decision to not destroy One Ring led to catastrophe
The magical world of ‘Lord of the Rings’ is set to take viewers on another enthralling journey with the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series, titled ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’. Set thousands of years before the events of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, the series primarily focuses on the second age of the Middle-Earth that was relatively peaceful. It will cover all the major events that took place during the aforementioned age. From the forging of rings to Sauron’s rise as the Dark Lord, every major event that happened during the Second Age will be shown in the series.
As we know, JRR Tolkien’s Middle-Earth saga is considered to be one of the greatest book franchises of all time and garnered universal acclaim. One of the main reasons for the book's success has been the characters that the books are built around. They are complex, and intriguing and give us a clear view of what is good and what is bad. One such character in the Middle-Earth saga is Isildur, the elder son of Elendil, and one of the few warriors who were able to defeat Sauron in Mordor.
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Apart from fighting Sauron, the aforementioned character is also known for possessing one of the rings owned by the Dark Lord himself. So, let’s dig a little deeper and get to know more about the character.
Who is Isildur?
Born in Numenor in the year SA 3209 of the Second Age, Isildur gave a glimpse about his personality when he was really young and stole a fruit from Nimloth the White Tree. Although he was severely injured during his escape, his sacrifice was not in vain and the line of the White Tree continued by way of the stolen fruit. However, Sauron’s influence was increasing in the region and he was doing anything and everything to drown the island. Eventually, he succeeded in doing that Isildur had to run away from the island along with his father when the island drowned.
They took the ships and started to embark on a journey to find a new home. Isildur landed in the south and established the realm of Gondor and the cities of Osgiliath, Minas Ithil, and Minas Anor. However, Sauron reached there to destroy the aforementioned places as well and managed to capture Minas Ithil and destroyed the White Tree Isildur had planted there. He, along with his family, escaped the city and sailed to Lindon to meet the Elven king Gil-galad. A battle took place between Sauron and Isildur’s brother Anarion, who managed to drive the Dark Lord back to the mountains, while Elendil and Gil-galad marshaled their forces.
Isildur returned with Elendil and Gil-galad in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men and defeated Sauron's host at the Battle of Dagorlad. Sauron himself challenged Isildur and wanted to take revenge. During the final battle, Isildur took up the hilt-shard of Narsil, Elendil's sword, and cut the One Ring from the hand of Sauron. Everyone told him to destroy the ring by throwing it into the fires of Mount Doom, but he didn’t do it. Instead, he made a scroll with a description of the Ring and a copy of its fading inscription. His refusal to destroy the Ring allowed Sauron's spirit to endure and ensured that he would remain a threat to Middle-earth for years to come.
Isildur was killed by a pack of Orcs while trying to escape from them by wearing the ring. The One Ring remained in the Gladden Fields until Deagol found it in TA 2463.
Who plays Isildur in ‘The Rings of Power’?
Maxim Baldry
Born on January 5, 1996, Maxim Baldry is an English actor who began his acting career by doing theatre productions. However, he didn’t take much time in making a name for himself and appeared in his first-ever TV series at the age of 11. He played the role of Caesarion in ‘Rome’ and garnered a lot of praise. In 2007, he struck gold by becoming one of the main cast members in the movie ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’. He received wider recognition for his acting and even got nominated in the Supporting Young Actor category at the Young Artist Awards.
‘Hollyoaks’, ‘Years and Years’, and ‘Doctor Who’ are some of the projects that he has been a part of.
‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ will be premiering exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, September 1.