Rings of Power Season 3 orc Marnûkh draws comparison to Gollum

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, which began releasing on Prime Video on November 11, introduces a new orc character named Marnûkh, played by Adam Young. In the first four episodes, Marnûkh joins Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) on a quest to infiltrate the orc army at Gundabad. This journey forces the two elves to learn to trust an orc, despite their instincts to distrust him.

The dynamic between the elves and Marnûkh has been compared to the relationship between Frodo, Sam, and Gollum in Peter Jackson's films. Like Gollum, Marnûkh is a creature that the main characters must rely on, even though he thinks differently from them. The showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have used orcs in previous seasons to add depth to these characters, and Marnûkh continues that trend by showing compassion, poetry, and a desire to do what he thinks is right rather than blindly following Sauron.

Marnûkh's role also provides a new perspective on orcs, who have often been depicted as evil beings without much depth. In The Rings of Power, orcs are shown as creatures searching for a place to belong. Marnûkh, in particular, decides that war is not the answer and takes action on his own, making him a standout character in the season.