Is Theo destined to fall?

Rings of Power character, Theo, has a theory surrounding him; that he will become evil. More specifically, the Witch-King of Angmar. A few theories exist where he is part of the lineage of the stewards of Gondor, but the majority of people have their chips on some form of villainy under Sauron. I can see why people would say this and wanted to address what I saw in his story so far and where he could go in later seasons.

Theo slots into a fairly common fallen hero storyline, where a powerless character is seduced by evil in their pursuit of power. In this storyline, a character is introduced who is powerless in some way. They’re usually physically powerless or without abilities in a world of abilities, but being figuratively powerless isn’t unknown either, like being repressed by their society in some way. This character then comes across something that can give them power. A weapon, a magic powerup, a special training technique. This power also comes with a mentor attached. This mentor is usually blatantly evil, never even trying to hide their dark alliances. This mentor and this power later then leads to the character abandoning whatever side they were on before and joining the villains' side or otherwise becoming a villain themselves. The mentor usually advocates for that outcome. Even if they don’t, the character sees that whatever they came away from has left them powerless and whatever side they joined in pursuit of their power has given them that power and conclude that it is more worth joining than whatever side failed to give them that power. These characters can get redeemed again, but that is an entirely different conversation.

Theo slots into this storyline. He starts out as a kid with a rough life. His entire people have been watched and oppressed for generations by the Eldar. He is raised by a single mother and knows pretty much nothing about his father. When the orcs start attacking, the powerlessness he feels only increases as now he’s incapable of defending his home. He comes into power when he takes the black hilt. That hilt wrapped in red flags gives him power. It allows him to physically fight back and one doesn’t need to be a genius to realize it’s magic, so while Theo can’t unlock its full potential, he knows it likely holds some kind of power beyond being a sword. The evil mentor is of course Waldreg. Waldreg knows Theo took the hilt and tells him that it was created by Sauron for their ancestors. Waldreg believes that Theo has the same ambition as him, that somehow him knowing about the hilt means Theo is obligated to follow its maker.

There is however one considerable distinction from the story format when it comes to Theo. Theo refuses to join Waldreg. When Arondir delivers Adar’s ultimatum, Waldreg believes that this leader of the orcs is Sauron himself and riles up half the Southlands survivors to leave the watchtower and join Adar. He encourages Theo to follow. But he doesn’t. In the regular format of the storyline, Theo would have followed Waldreg, having recognized that he and this leader of orcs are offering him the power he always craved and the freedom to use it.

The difference I believe lies in why Theo wants power. Theo is loyal and feels great love for his mother. He also doesn’t want to lose his home. The power he wanted was to protect the few things he did have; his home and his mother. Which is why he remained behind. If Bronwyn refuses to give in, so does he. And in later episodes, we only see the same loyalty. Theo does everything he can to protect the people of the Southlands and is always concerned with Bronwyn’s wellbeing.

It is also important to note that he gives up the hilt willingly. After half the Southlanders left to pledge their loyalty to Adar, Arondir earns Theo’s trust and he reveals to him the hilt, never showing any sign of regretting that decision. He knows nothing good could come of it and he chooses to let Arondir, and by extension, his mother and the remaining Southlanders know it exists. Further proving that his desire for power is not the main thing that drives him. He has a moral compass in there that he listens to.

Later on, he confides in Arondir that he misses the power that came with wielding that hilt. Something he visibly hates. He knows that power was wrought by evil hands and was likely capable of much evil, and so he dislikes that he misses that power.

While I see why people say that Theo would be seduced by evil by the time the show ends, I do believe he has much more potential to triumph over it and come out on the good side of things. And there is one more thing in my argument to that end. Galadriel and their entire shared plot in episode 7.

After the eruption of Orodruin, Theo finds Galadriel and the two of them are making their over to the Númenorian encampment together. I’ve talked before about how this affected Galadriel, but it affected Theo as well. Other than providing the comfort of not being alone and completely lost, Galadriel also provides Theo with wisdom and insight he couldn’t have otherwise. She is of course much older than him and knows more of the world than he could ever learn. Who wouldn’t listen to the commander of the Northern armies? Galadriel and Theo also mirror each other. Galadriel noticed this early on, but whether or not Theo did is up for debate. I believe on some level he did. If not consciously, he seems very much drawn to Galadriel and seems fairly comfortable confiding in her despite the fact that she’s a stranger. At the very least subconsciously, he understands that they’re on some level the same. This of course offers companionship. I think it’s an overlooked part of Theo’s character that he too is alone. He and Galadriel provide each other with companionship and understanding. And it is this understanding that steers Galadriel to advise Theo in matters of war and light and darkness. And it is the same understanding that leads Theo to listen. While he has a hard time seeing the light in his situation, he clearly listens to everything Galadriel says. She has this kind of presence, this aura, that you just listen to. You can tell she knows what she’s talking about and has good intentions at heart.

Speaking of intentions, Galadriel is kind of the first to see Theo’s intentions. Arondir was just trying to bond with the kid, while Bronwyn was a rightfully protective mother, and no one else really paid attention to him. Galadriel held an outside perspective. She had none of the biases that the people of the Southlands did. With this perspective and her book-stated gift of insight into the minds of others, she was able to see that Theo wanted to fight and that this was for no evil or selfish reasons. He just wanted to protect the people he cares about. She was the first to say he could be a soldier and even gifted him her sword. When an elven lady with such a presence to her as Galadriel sees the good and the potential in you, that is nothing short of inspiring. And I believe it contributed to Theo remaining on the good side of things. Galadriel genuinely believing he could become a soldier, wield the power he desires without any evil magical artifacts, inspired him to try and live up to what the lady saw he could become. And that someone is not evil.