The Rings of Power: A Harry Potter villain plays the Dwarf King in the Amazon series

Warning, spoilers. The following article reveals key plot elements of “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 1 and “Lord of the Rings” in its entirety.

If Peter Mullan is talking about him today, it is for his remarkable interpretation of Dwarf King Durin III, father of Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, currently broadcast on Amazon Prime .

But did you know that before lending his features to Durin, Peter Mullan was previously part of another renowned fantasy franchise? Indeed, he played the role of Death Eater Corban Yaxley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 12 years ago.

Yaxley appeared in only one of the films but his actions there were more than enough to wish him the worst. After the Minister for Magic was murdered, he was one of the Death Eaters who took over the Ministry, which then became a very different institution during this time, persecuting Muggle-born wizards.

Warner Bros. Pictures

When Harry, Hermione, and Ron infiltrated the facility and later tried to escape, Yaxley gave chase and was the one to catch Ron before seriously injuring him. Although his ally, Dolores Umbridge, ended up in Azkaban, it’s unknown what fate was in store for Yaxley once Voldemort was defeated, but one thing is certain, he certainly earned his place in Azkaban for life.

With 97 credits to his credit, we can say that his interpreter Peter Mullan has not been idle. On the cinema side, the Scottish actor is best known for his performances in My Name is Joe (1998) by Ken Loach, The Magdalene Sisters (2002) which he directed himself, The Sons of Men (2006) by ‘Alfonso Cuarón, Tyrannosaur (2011) by Paddy Considine (yes, King Viserys from House of the Dragon) or War Horse (2011) by Steven Spielberg.

On the series side, the actor has distinguished himself in shows such as Ozark, Mum, Top of the Lake and notably played the role of James Delos in Westworld. And if today he is talking about him thanks to his role in The Rings of Power, know that Durin III is a character that you have already seen before, very very briefly…

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

A descendant of High King Durin I and the first bearer of the mightiest of the Seven Dwarven Rings, Durin III was portrayed as an old and wise king who ruled over the Dwarven city of Khazad-dum. He was then considered by many dwarves to be the reincarnation of the first Durin due to their resemblance.

The character of Durin III then appeared momentarily in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) when he received, from his colleagues, one of the Seven Rings given to the Dwarves.

In The Rings of Power, however, his role has been expanded and can now be seen younger and during his reign over Khazad-dûm.

THE RINGS OF POWER

The series, it, thus offers to Durin a more consequent role. We meet him as patriarch and king of a prosperous kingdom.

Father of Prince Durin IV, Durin III is presented there as a more traditional Dwarf than his son who is ready to ally himself with other peoples. After Durin IV invites his friend Elrond (Robert Aramayo) to dinner and hears about the elf’s proposal, he brings the news to his father who is skeptical and expresses a desire to remain isolated.

It is finally after much persuasion by Elrond that he allows his people to begin building the great forge requested by Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards).

Concurrently, Durin IV discovered pieces of a new mineral in an old mine to which Elrond gives the name of mithril. But after a well collapse that nearly kills several dwarves, Durin III stops the operation, angering his son.

The two soon make amends and the elder Durin then gives his approval for his son to go to Lindon at Elrond’s request. The rest will be to discover in the next episodes of the series.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power can be found weekly on Amazon Prime Video.