Rings of Power finds its “Middle-earth Joffrey” and everybody hates him

Joffrey, the entitled, blood-thirsty villain from Game of Thrones, was one of the most hated TV characters of all time. Now, Rings of Power has revealed his successor.

It’s hard to imagine anyone will ever equal how much everyone loathed Joffrey. Whether it was executing Ned Stark, forcing Sansa to look at her dad’s head on a spike, or spoiling House of the Dragon before we knew it, he deserved his death.

Here’s the thing: it was a masterful performance by Jack Gleeson, a portrayal so teeth-gnashingly effective that it was transcendent. In other words, we hated him, even though he’s just an actor.

After Season 2 Episode 5, Rings of Power may have found its own despicable twerp to root against every week: Kemen, the son of Pharâzon, played brilliantly by Leon Wadham.

He is a twat, a smarmy, anti-elf posh boy who crosses a line in the newest episode: he smashes the Faithful shrine to the fallen and kills Valandil, before framing Elendil for the rebellion.

Rings of Power is a divisive show, but Kemen has united everyone on the show’s subreddit. “Middle-Earth Joffrey,” one wrote, to which another replied: “Hope he gets a similar ending.”

“I need Kemen to die the worst possible death and I want them to spare none of the budget on the gore,” another commented. “Haven’t felt this much hatred for a fictional character since GoT which means it’s doing its job well. F**k you Kemen,” a fourth wrote.

“Kemen is probably the most loathsome person on the show at this point. He’s Middle-Earth Joffrey haha,” a fifth added.

Speaking to Geekcentric, Wadham teased that Kemen is “hungry” in Season 2. “He wants more respect, he wants more responsibility, he wants more for himself and he’s trying to get it as quickly as he can,” he said.

“Tolkien was fascinated by the fall of men, fascinated by that kind of greed and what it does to people, and getting to play it this season was a real pleasure.”

If you caught Pharâzon talking about the Undying Lands, check out our guide on Valinor and the Ban of the Valar. You can also catch up with our recaps of Rings of Power Season 2 Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4, and read our guides on Tom Bombadil and Forodwaith, plus our theories for the Dark Wizard’s identity.