Published Oct 29, 2026, 2:15 PM EDT

Elijah is a freelance news writer at Polygon. He was an associate editor at The A.V. Club and Paste, and has been featured in outlets like Game Informer, Fanbyte, Unwinnable, and more. He loves media in all forms, from fighting games and horror flicks to slow cinema and visual novels. He's from the Greater Boston area.

The show will tackle one of Tolkien’s biggest qualms with his own work

Rings of Power season 3 makes a major change to a Lord of the Rings villain

Image: New Line Cinema

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The Age of Men is over. The Age of the Orc Discourse has begun. In a recent interview with IGN about the upcoming season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power , co-showrunner Patrick McKay said big changes are coming, including a five-year time skip . McKay went as far as to describe season 3 as a “soft reboot” of sorts. While that’s certainly a big deal, another line in the interview will stand out for many Tolkien-heads.…