Is Theo the Witch-king of Angmar? The Rings of Power's revelation about Theo's father may hold the answer

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 has revealed a dark fate for Theo, the young Southlander played by Tyroe Muhafidin, but it may pale in comparison to what lies ahead.

Introduced right from the series premiere, Theo is the son of a village healer named Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), who fell in love with the Elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova). Over the course of the show, he's fallen from one tragedy to the next. First, his homeland was transformed into Mordor. Then his mother died off-screen between seasons 1 and 2, slain by Orcs during the ensuing chaos that came with that transition. After that, Theo fled to the Númenórean colony of Pelargir...where the tentative safety he thought he'd find turned into yet another horror when he was forced to endure five years of hard labor building their armada.

But Theo's latest turn is the most devastating of all. In the season 3 premiere, he travels to Mordor to try his luck at winning a Ring of Power from Sauron (Charlie Vickers). It's there that the Dark Lord takes a personal interest in Theo, after noticing a brand on his wrist left from the hilt of the Mordor-forged blade Theo found in the show's first season, which he says was passed down to him from his father.

This leads to a shocking revelation: Theo is no Southlands peasant, but the last in a noble line that was sworn to the Dark Lord Morgoth. If Sauron's words can be believed, at least.

Who exactly is Theo's father? Are we watching a long build-up to the birth of the Witch-king of Angmar, Sauron's most dreaded Nazgnagôl? Let's break down what we know.

Who is Fäldred in The Lord of the Rings lore?

During the necromancy ritual that Sauron performs which lets Theo speak to his deceased father, they learn that his name was Fäldred, son of Hammethreg. Neither of these names comes directly from Tolkien's legendarium; they're original to The Rings of Power, just like Theo himself. This is true for the entire ruling line of the Southlands, and the history of the region in general. In The Silmarillion, we never see the transformation of this region from a beautiful landscape into Mordor the way we do in The Rings of Power, so this is all terrain the show is fleshing out between the lines of Tolkien's lore.

According to Sauron, Fäldred hails from "a Noble House of old, the sworn stewards of Mordor, blessed with...certain powers." He also claims that Theo's mother, Bronwyn, murdered Fäldred when she found out about his "what we he was" — presumably, about either his powers or his lineage.

This shocks Theo, because Bronwyn never seemed capable of that sort of murder, let alone lying to her son about it for his entire life. All she told Theo was that his father left them...but considering that she never even told her son the man's name, she obviously held back some secrets. It's also worth noting that in the second episode of season 1, Bronwyn tells Arondir that she was born in a Southlands village named Hordern. He tells her that "the people of Hordern were known for having been especially strong in their loyalty to Morgoth." So it seems that Theo's ties to the shadow run deep on both sides of his family.

Is Theo the Witch-king?

Now, let's get to the even bigger question: is Theo bound to become the Witch-king of Angmar, the most dreaded of Sauron's servants and Lord of the Nazgûl? The Rings of Power has not confirmed it yet, and the Witch-king's true identity is never revealed in Tolkien's lore, but I do think there's some pretty compelling evidence that the answer is yes.

In Tolkien's legendarium, only two Nazgûl are named: the Witch-king, and Khamul the Easterling. We've seen the origins of Khamul (Zubin Varla) this season. I believe we're also seeing the origins of the Witch-king.

Three of Sauron's Nazgûl are descended from Númenóreans, and it's long been believed by fans that the Witch-king could be one of them, since the Númenóreans are the mightiest of Men. However, there's much room for interpretation here, giving The Rings of Power freedom to forge a different path. One of the few things we do know about the Witch-king is that he's not only a powerful warrior who leads Sauron's forces time and again, participating in a number of key battles, but that he's a powerful sorcerer. Not every Nazgûl possesses magical gifts outside of those given to them by their Ring, so this is notable.

With that in mind, Sauron's proclamation to Theo that he has the potential to be "a conqueror, a sorceror, a king" feels especially loaded. These are the exact sorts of phrases one would use to describe the Witch-king of Angmar, who conquers numerous areas in Sauron's name, is feared as a terribly powerful sorcerer, and claims the title of king when he founds the dark realm of Angmar.

There's yet another clue as well. When Sauron gives Theo his Ring, we can see that there are three remaining in his case that have yet to be bestowed on Nazgnagôl. Considering that three Nazgûl are descended from Númenor, and Sauron's book storyline about corrupting the island nation will likely serve as a central part of season 4, there's a good chance that Theo is the last Nazgnagôl we'll see created in season 3. It's highly unlikely we'll see another Ring-servant with the sort of long-running character development that Theo has gotten, let alone one with hidden ancestral ties to Mordor. If the show does want to surprise us with an origin story for the Witch-king, Theo is the best candidate for it.

Obviously, we'll have to wait until The Rings of Power makes some kind of grand reveal to be certain, but for now, it's looking increasingly likely that we've been watching the birth of the Witch-king of Angmar all along.

The first four episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 are streaming now on Prime Video. We're diving deep on the show as it airs with recaps, page-to-screen analysis, and interviews with cast and crew. Check back for more!

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