The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

No established named Tolkien character is race-swapped, but the casting of dark-skinned elves, dwarves, and harfoots reimagines races Tolkien described otherwise, read by many as identity-driven.

• Arondir as a Silvan elf
• Princess Disa as a dwarf
• Several harfoot characters

Galadriel is written as a near-infallible warrior who is frequently right while male authority figures (Elrond, Gil-galad, Halbrand, Numenorean leaders) are shown as hesitant, wrong, or obstructive.

• Galadriel repeatedly overrides male commanders and is vindicated
• Male elven leaders dismiss her warnings and are proven wrong
• Galadriel's combat prowess emphasized over male soldiers

No prominent LGBTQ+, trans, or non-binary characters or storylines in the series.

Diverse casting across elves, dwarves, and harfoots is noticeable against the established Tolkien aesthetic and was clearly an intentional inclusive choice for a Northern-European-inspired mythos.

• Multi-ethnic harfoot community
• Dark-skinned elves and dwarves in previously homogenous races

Some thematic dialogue about hope, prejudice, and belonging, but it is largely folded into the story rather than delivered as overt sermons.

• Lines about not judging others by appearance
• Harfoot themes of leaving no one behind

Male characters are often portrayed as flawed or wrong relative to Galadriel, but there is no explicit toxic-masculinity or anti-West messaging framework.

• Male leaders depicted as overly cautious or shortsighted

Heavy deviation from Tolkien's timeline and characterizations; compressed Second Age and reimagined Galadriel as a vengeful warrior depart from the lore, with some changes read as identity-driven recasting.

• Galadriel rewritten as an impulsive warrior-commander
• Compressed Second Age timeline
• Invented characters and altered race depictions