The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has multiple villains, and two of them share an unlikely Game of Thrones connection. Although Sauron is the Big Bad of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series, each season features other major villains. Before Halbrand reveals his true identity at the end of The Rings of Power season 1, Adar serves as the main antagonist. And The Rings of Power season 2 introduces a new villain in the form of Rhûn’s dark wizard, who promises to cause problems for the Stranger, Nori, and Poppy.

Although Adar and Rhûn’s wizard are very different characters, the fact that they serve as main antagonists after Sauron gives them something in common in The Rings of Power. The two villains have another connection as well, as the actors who play them both appear in Game of Thrones. This isn’t surprising on its own, as many stars take on multiple projects within the same genre. But The Rings of Power actors even come from the same area in Game of Thrones, making it a strange coincidence.

The Rings Of Power’s Villain Actors Both Played Characters From Beyond The Wall In Game Of Thrones

They Portrayed Benjen Stark & Mance Rayder

It’s an odd coincidence, but the actors who play Adar (in season 1) and the Rhûn wizard in The Rings of Power both appear beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones. Joseph Mawle brings Adar to life in The Rings of Power‘s first season, though the villain is recast in season 2. Mawle plays Benjen Stark in Game of Thrones, Ned’s brother and the First Ranger of the Night’s Watch. Benjen disappears beyond the Wall, but he later shows up to save Jon Snow. Mawle’s jump from Benjen to Adar is a change of pace, as the former isn’t a villain.

It’s funny that both Mawle and Hinds specifically come from roles beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones.

Ciarán Hinds, who plays The Rings of Power season 2’s mysterious dark wizard, comes a bit closer to playing an antagonist in Game of Thrones. Hinds portrays Mance Rayder in HBO’s fantasy series. Although the King Beyond the Wall proves to Jon that he’s an honorable person, he’s still an enemy of the Night’s Watch and the people of Westeros. It’s funny that both Mawle and Hinds specifically come from roles beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones. And they aren’t the only actors to join The Rings of Power after appearing in the hit fantasy series.

Joseph Mawle & Ciarán Hinds Aren’t The Only Game Of Thrones Actors In The Rings Of Power

Elrond’s Actor Also Appears In The HBO Series

The Rings of Power doesn’t have a ton of Game of Thrones stars in major roles, but it does feature another familiar face besides Mawle and Hinds. Elrond actor Robert Aramayo appears as a young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones‘ flashback scenes. The actor does an impressive job in the HBO series, so it’s exciting that The Rings of Power gives him a larger role to work with. Perhaps we’ll see more Game of Thrones stars make the jump to The Rings of Power in future seasons. It certainly has the same high fantasy appeal.