The third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has arrived with a vengeance, and the first four episodes have made it clear that Middle-earth is in a far more perilous state than ever before. Jumping ahead five years, Sauron's shadow stretches across the land, and even the strongest realms are feeling the squeeze. But the Dark Lord's corruption isn't just external—it's wormed its way into a character who has wrestled with inner darkness since the very beginning.
Episode 4, "Gundabad," delivers a gut-punch that fans won't soon forget. The young human Theo and the Elf Arondir, who parted ways in Season 2 under the weight of shared grief over Bronwyn's death, find themselves on a collision course. Theo, now under the sway of one of Sauron's rings, has been tasked with capturing Galadriel. When Arondir tries to intervene, a confrontation on Mount Gundabad ends with Sauron himself ordering Theo to kill his former mentor. It's a devastating twist that brings Arondir's arc to a tragic close, leaving viewers reeling.
Ismael Cruz Córdova, who has portrayed Arondir since the series began, recently opened up about the emotional weight of that final scene. In an interview, he revealed that he learned of his character's fate back in March 2025, during a Zoom call with showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. "Something in me had a little bit of a feeling that the conversations they wanted to have were going to be something intense," he said. "I told my mom, 'They're either going to turn me into a villain, or they're going to kill me off.'"
That same morning, Córdova had received news that his father was undergoing a cancer diagnosis. The timing made the revelation even more surreal. "I remember just keeping a straight face, but under the table, I was just clutching onto my trousers—just trying to stay cool, calm, and collected," he recalled. Despite the shock, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude: "I was just grateful for life. I'm just grateful to be able to have time, to have the opportunity to play a character like this in a show like this, and have the impact that it had."
The actor admitted that the emotional toll has lingered. "I've had to take a bunch of breaks because it's actually becoming a little rough to talk about it so much—because I'm getting all of these feelings that I've held onto for almost two years," he shared.
One of the most poignant aspects of Arondir's death is the relationship with Theo, played by Tyroe Muhafidin. Córdova noted that Muhafidin was deeply affected by the scene, feeling guilt over his character's actions. "He was feeling very poorly about it. He felt guilty. It was really affecting him," Córdova said. "For me, in a certain way, that helped me get it off my own mind—because I wanted him to feel okay, to know that this was not his fault."
Arondir's final moments are filled with love, not anger. "Arondir’s final moments are looking at this person that he loves so much, looking at the son of the love of his life—a treasure," Córdova explained. "Sauron's influence is very powerful. It's not something that you can minimize. So I don't think Arondir’s like, 'What are you doing?!'"
The actor also praised the ensemble that surrounded him during his final days on set, including Charlie Vickers (Sauron), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Jamie Campbell Bower (Celeborn), and director Sanaa Hamri. "It's a nice little grouping to go out with," he said.
When it came time to film the death scene, Córdova didn't need to summon any extra emotion. "None. Zero. Nothing needed to be done. I was, if anything, trying to hold myself back," he admitted. The personal grief he was navigating only added to the authenticity of the moment.
As fans process this shocking loss, it's worth noting that Season 3 has streamlined its storytelling, focusing more tightly on the characters we've come to love. And while Arondir's journey has ended, his impact will ripple through the season. For more on the season's darker turns, check out our recap of Season 2 to refresh your memory on how we got here.
