Is Isildur really dead? If you’ve watched the Lord of the Rings movies, you’ll know that Isildur is one of the most important figures in the lore of Middle-earth. In fact, he might be even more important than other Lord of the Rings characters we see in Rings of Power like Gil-Galad, and Celebrimbor.
So, it was interesting to see that the new fantasy series Rings of Power took the bold decision to ‘kill off’ the character, who is played by Maxim Baldry. That will have raised a lot of eyebrows especially among people who are familiar with Lord of the Rings and the future of Middle-earth, who will have expected the series to reveal that the character was alive in the finale, Rings of Power episode 8.
However, that didn’t happen. So, one of the big questions in the lead up to Rings of Power season 2 is, is Isildur really dead?
Is Isildur really dead?
The short answer is no, Isildur is not really dead in Rings of Power. Though Elendil and the rest of the Númenóreans believe that Isildur died following the eruption of Mount Doom, the character is very much still alive.
Undoubtedly, the character will return later, likely in the upcoming Rings of Power season 2. He is destined to survive the eruption, and we know this because Isildur still has so much to do in Middle-earth. In fact, the character will be the one who founds the realm of Gondor.
He is also the character who initially destroys Sauron after cutting the One Ring from the Dark Lord’s hand during the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age of Middle-earth.
Isildur is then set to become a Ring-bearer (a title given to those who have carried the One Ring) after he takes the One Ring from Sauron, and becomes corrupted by its power. It is his death which causes the One Ring to get lost in the waters of the Gladden Fields, which is where Sméagol later claims it from.
So, Isildur is very much alive and we know this because he has so much left to do. The big question, then, is when is Rings of Power going to bring him back? For more Middle-earth deep dives, check out our in-depth guide to Elrond and Durin.