What Happened To Bronwyn In The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2

One does not simply discuss "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" ... not without a spoiler warning, at least. Read no further if you haven't watched the first three episodes yet.

A lot has happened in the two long years since we last paid a visit to our favorite figures in Middle-earth, when season 1 of "The Rings of Power" built up to its (literally) explosive climax in the Southlands Mordor and ended on the ominous note with the creation of the three elven rings of power. Although almost no time at all has passed for our heroes and villains when we pick up again in the three-episode premiere, the production demands of this wildly expensive blockbuster have necessitated some noticeable changes from last time.

Some subplots and extraneous characters have been trimmed from the main story, filming has shifted from New Zealand (where, of course, Peter Jackson's original movies were shot) to the UK, and, in a few noticeable cases, the ensemble cast has undergone a major change or two — including the recasting of Sam Hazeldine as Adar, stepping in for Joseph Mawle. Worry not: our main trio of Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, and Charlie Vickers as Halbrand/Annatar/Sauron haven't gone anywhere. Likewise, major supporting players like Owain Arthur's Prince Durin and Sophia Nomvete's Disa, Markella Kavenagh and Megan Richards as the Harfoots Nori and Poppy (respectively), and Daniel Weyman as The Stranger are all present and accounted for.

But what about Bronwyn, the kindly Southlander healer played by Nazanin Boniadi and who kindled a classic Tolkienien romance with the immortal elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova)? She's nowhere to be seen in the premiere and this absence, in fact, is directly addressed in episode 3 with an off-screen death. Here's why.

When it first became clear that Bronwyn was being set up as a significant character in the first season of "The Rings of Power" — and a wholly original one, at that — fans were eager to see where her journey would ultimately take her. Her inclusion paired nicely with Arondir (another protagonist created specifically for the series), giving us the beginnings of a romance between the two. In the context of how those episodes took great pains to set that storyline up, however, Bronwyn's abrupt and rather unceremonious death (to say nothing of the "fridging" implications) can't help but feel like a major swerve.

So what's the deal? This apparently came about as a result of the actor's own wishes. In September of 2022, Nazanin Boniadi indicated that she would be taking a step back from acting in order to prioritize activism work in her native Iran as part of the Women, Life, Freedom movement for gender equality and freedom. But in a follow-up post earlier this year, Boniadi took to Instagram to explain why she doesn't appear in "The Rings of Power," stating:

"I made the choice not to return for season two of 'Rings of Power.' This was unrelated to my subsequent decision to prioritize my advocacy. Throughout my career, the values I have held most dear are honesty, empathy and integrity. My character Bronwyn was committed to these same ideals in striving for a fairer world, which is why I connected so deeply with her. I look forward to sharing my latest projects with you soon."

Boniadi has since made a modest return to acting, joining the upcoming film "A Mosquito in the Ear." But her time in Middle-earth appears to be at an end.

Given how much of J.R.R. Tolkien's writings tend to end in various degrees of tragedy, maybe there's something oddly apt about Bronwyn's fate in "The Rings of Power" season 2. When last we saw her, the protagonist had narrowly survived the epic battle between Adar's orc army and the Númenórean/Southlander alliance. But, despite her and Arondir's best efforts to protect one another in the midst of the fighting, Bronwyn had taken a couple of orc arrows during the attack ... and these are what ultimately ended up costing her most dearly, as it turns out. In a tragic development, Arondir reveals that they lost her on their way to resettling the region of Pelargir down south, much to her sullen son Theo's (Tyroe Muhafidin) grief. According to the elf, there is a "foulness" in orc arrows that affects humans more severely than elves.

This in-universe explanation might not be the most satisfying, but clearly showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay and their writing team decided this was preferable to recasting the role altogether. We see in episode 3 how Bronwyn's death has left Arondir a shell of himself and complicated his relationship with Theo, his unwilling charge now that his only surviving parent is gone. The noble elf blames himself for what happened, though he tries to honor her memory by looking after Theo and playing the role of a father figure. This ... doesn't go very smoothly, obviously, and the bristly dynamic between both adds several layers to them. It's possible, if not likely, that Bronwyn's passing will continue to loom large throughout the rest of the season to come.

New episodes of "The Rings of Power" stream on Prime Video every Thursday.