Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power Season 2 Trailer Breakdown: All The Clues, Easter Eggs, And References
Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power Season 2 Trailer Breakdown: All The Clues, Easter Eggs, And References
It’s a good time to be a Lord of the Rings fan. While we’re still years away from The Hunt for Gollum directed by Andy Serkis hitting theaters, in just four months we finally have Season 2 of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power. The Amazon-owned streaming service premiered the trailer for Season 2 this morning and while it doesn’t give anything major away, there are a few good bites of information to snack on before the season arrives on August 29.
1. The Three Keepers
As the Ring-verse states, “three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky.” Those rings have names and we got the quickest glimpses of them being worn: Nenya, which is also known as the Ring of Adamant, and the Ring of Water. It was made of mithril featuring a stone of the mythical mineral adamant. It was given to–and only worn by–Galadriel.
We see Narya, the Ring of Fire, and the Red Ring. It’s set with a ruby, originally worn by Círdan, who eventually passed it on to Gandalf, before spending his life in the Grey Havens.
Finally, there’s Vilya, the Ring of Sapphire, the Blue Ring, and the Ring of Air. It’s considered the most powerful of the trio, made of gold with a sapphire stone. It was originally worn by High King Gil-galad, but given to Elrond.
While we met Galadriel and Gil-galad in Season 1, the casting reveal for Círdan has yet to be announced.
2. One Of Seven
Celebrimbor forging the Elven rings isn’t all the metalsmith is up to this season. We also quickly see King Durin III (Peter Mullan) holding the Ring of Thrór, “one of the Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone.” This particular ring was the first to be made for the Dwarf-lords and the last to be taken by Sauron in the Third Age.
The mighty ring remained in the House of Durin for thousands of years until it was inherited by Thrór, the legendary King under the Mountain. It became something of a legend, as the dwarves thought that it was long lost in Moria when Thrór was killed by the great Orc Lord, Azog. The actual name of the ring is a bit of a misnomer since it’s common belief in dwarven culture that Thrór had been its last bearer (in actuality it was his son, Thráin).
There are seven because each was given to the head of the dwarf clans: Durin’s Folk, Broadbeams, Firebeards, Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots.
3. The Stranger Looking More And More Looking Like Gandalf
The mystery behind Daniel Weyman’s character finally reached its apparent conclusion at the end of Episode 8 with The Stranger telling Nori “When in doubt…always follow your nose.” It’s a nice callback to Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring telling that to Merry.
Now, obviously, the show doesn’t outright say The Stranger is Gandalf, but the clues are starting to add up. The only problem is that Gandalf arrives in the Third Age of Middle-earth and we’re still in the Second with Rings of Power. However, briefly, you can see the Stranger slam down a large branch/stick to perform some form of magic.
Staves were seen as a power conduit, and sometimes a weapon of the Istari, which might have also served as a symbol of their power or even rank within the Order of Wizards. The Stranger is still relearning his fractured memories and only actually spoke in common tongue at the end of the first season. The Stranger also relearning the proper way to cast magic is a possibility too.
4. Adar With Sam Hazeldine Taking Over The Role
There’s a lot of speculation in the series about who Adar actually is. Who he is not though this season is Joseph Malwe, who exited the series. Adar was recast with Peaky Blinders’ Sam Hazeldine for Season 2 and we get a small look at him as he prepares for battle in the trailer. The character is only referred to as Adar, or “Lord-father”, by Orcs, but no real name is mentioned. It’s later revealed that he’s one of the first Elves who were corrupted by Morgoth. With vengeance in his heart, he’s out to conquer the Southlands.
The makeup is similar to how the character looked in the first season, so this change-up should be seamless going forward. Adar was created for the show, so his story is exponentially more malleable.
Mawle’s departure from The Rings of Power was announced in December 2022, almost right before Season 1 ended. The actor took to Twitter to explain his departure and wished the cast and crew well.
5. The Brand New Sauron
Well, not really new: just a new form. The revelation that supposed ally Hallbrand was Sauron in disguise all along was something that hit Galadriel rather hard. Even in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, Sauron is described as a shape-shifter, and that’s on full display here.
Actor Charlie Vickers is reprising his role as Sauron, only with a dramatically different look. Gone is the scruff and damaged hair of a sea-faring life, and instead there is the cleaner and refined look of a lord, with long blonde hair and regal attire. This is just one form Sauron takes while walking the land.
It’s been rumored that Sauron will be played by another actor (Gavi Singh Chera) at some point for his original form, Mairon, the most powerful of the Maiar–ancient spirits created to help shape the World.
