Potential spoilers follow for The Rings of Power season 2.
The Rings of Power season 2’s first trailer has been released after being forged in the fires of Mount Doom – and it looks like it’ll be a worthy follow-up to its forebear.
Season 1 of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series divided opinion upon its initial September 2022 release on Prime Video (we liked it, for what it’s worth). But, based on the first footage of The Rings of Power‘s second entry, it’ll follow events in J.R.R Tolkien’s source material much more closely this time around, which should please Tolkienites.
Considering it’s only 90 seconds long, season 2’s official teaser, which also confirmed The Rings of Power will return to our screens in late August, is packed with missable moments, plus wider ties to Middle-earth’s mythos and The Lord of the Rings lore. After watching the trailer multiple times, I’ve picked out 16 things you probably missed on your first or 18th viewing. Possible spoilers for the high fantasy series’ return follow, so proceed at your own risk.
1. The Nameless Terror emerges
Trailer misdirects have become increasingly popular with studios recently, and it only takes eight seconds for season 2’s teaser to deliver one.
The trailer opens with Prince Durin IV telling his fellow dwarves that “an evil, ancient and powerful, has returned”. To the unsuspecting, it appears he’s talking about Sauron, who was masquerading as a displaced human called Halbrand in season 1. Incidentally, that big Sauron reveal was almost spoiled in the show’s second episode.
But I digress. I don’t believe Durin IV is talking about Sauron. I think he’s warning his fellow Khazad-dûm dwellers that a Balrog – one soon-to-be-known as Durin’s Bane – has woken from its slumber. Episode 7 revealed it had been unknowingly disturbed by the dwarves, while co-showrunner Patrick McKay teased its inevitable emergence in season 2 during a press screening/Q&A session for The Rings of Power episode 7 (which TechRadar attended) in October 2022.
The giant, molten rocks that rain on a bridge in Khazad-dûm (perhaps the bridge?) imply it’ll attack the famous dwarven stronghold this season, too. In short: expect this the ancient, powerful, and demonic monster to rain terror down on the subterranean race.
2. Slither me this, my elven kin
Durin’s Bane isn’t the only ancient evil that Middle-earth’s heroes will have to deal with. The aforementioned Sauron isn’t done playing games with his foes, with the malevolent Maia set to use his shapeshifting abilities this season.
So, how will he trick or terrify his enemies? I’ll discuss his main trickster form later but, at the 0:11 mark, it seems Sauron will be able to take on the form of a creepy pile of snakes. According to Tolkien Gateway, Sauron briefly took the form of a serpent during a showdown with Huan, one of Oromë the Hunter’s great wolfhounds, in Tolkien’s source material. This slithering mess of vipers, then, might be a reference to that part of Sauron’s history.
If it isn’t, what else could it be? I’m unsure. Sauron doesn’t possess the ability to bring things back from the dead, so I don’t think he’s reanimating, say, the dead mystics from season 1, but I could be wrong.
3. Blades and bows versus barrow-wights
The tone and aesthetic of season 2’s first teaser speaks to a much darker installment, which is further evidenced by the skittish and battle-ready elven scout party we see 17 seconds into said trailer.
Galadriel and Elrond are among the elven contingent making their way through a murky, wooded location – Mirkwood, perhaps? – to an unknown destination. Considering her history with Sauron, Galadriel is the most on-edge member of the group; the centuries-old elf telling her brethren to ready themselves as an off-screen foe seemingly prepares to attack them. Look closely, and you can make out some shadowy figures lurking in the background. Are these barrow-wights? I’ll be amazed if they’re not.
It’s hard to identify the actors starring alongside Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel and Robert Aramayo’s Elrond in this scene. But, with the show’s casting crew adding James Bond, Star Wars, and Harry Potter stars, The Witcher and The Sandman talent, and Game of Thrones and Bridgerton alumni to its ranks, there’ll be plenty of new faces in season 2.
4. March of the orcs
Speaking of forest-set scenes, we see a sizable army of orcs marching through a similarly gloomy, tree-laced setting moments later.
Is this the orc army led by Adar? Where are they heading to? And has Sauron persuaded them to join his cause? Considering Sauron (as Halbrand) was at odds with Adar in season 1, it would be surprising to some viewers if they’ve formed an unlikely alliance. As I’ll explain later, though, there’s a method to that apparent madness.
5. Eye spy a terrifying vision
Sauron certainly looms large throughout this teaser – you could argue he’s the protagonist of one of the best Prime Video shows around – and he does so again in a Celebrimbor-starring clip around the 0:40 mark. Indeed, the elven smith is seen entering the city of Eregion’s forge where he appears to glimpse a shadowy figure igniting and operating its main kiln.
I suspect this is Sauron in his main disguise – I promise I’m getting to this shortly – as he crafts more of the titular Rings of Power, or even the One Ring itself. But what if it’s a nightmare that Celebrimbor is having instead? Sauron is known for his illusory magic, so he could be tormenting Celebrimbor with terrifying visions of events yet to come. Either way, it’s a pretty cool visual, which takes inspiration from the iconic Eye of Sauron imagery used throughout The Lord of the Rings‘ original movie trilogy.
6. Annatar approaches
And here’s the eponymous villain himself, albeit in his most famous disguise: Annatar.
For the uninitiated: Annatar is the elven identity that Sauron assumes to deceive Eregion’s elves (and the wider elven race) in order to forge the One Ring and its fellow bands. Dubbed ‘The Lord of Gifts’ by his hosts due to his unparalleled artistic and magical insight, Annatar imparted his wisdom to the elven smiths so they could make magical rings. Unbeknownst to them, though, he imbued said jewellery with potent spells, which would allow Sauron to control and enslave Middle-earth’s races once the One Ring was forged.
Sauron’s full plan doesn’t come to fruition – if you’ve seen the first 10 minutes of The Fellowship of the Ring, you’ll know the basics. Regardless, Annatar’s arrival means we’ll definitely see the rest of the titular rings, plus the One Ring, created in season 2.
7. Monster of the deep
Diehard Tolkien fans and general audiences will remember the monstrous, lake-dwelling Watcher in the Water from The Fellowship of the Ring, and we’ll see a similarly scary, aquatic beast in The Rings of Power season 2.
The first teaser shows a female character coming face-to-face with said leviathan in an underwater setting. It’s difficult to discern what this creature is, nor are there many other water-based monsters – outside of the very rare mention of sea-serpents – that we can refer back to in Tolkien’s works for any clues about its identity. Could it be a completely new monstrosity created for the series? It seems that way.
8. Three rings for the elven kings
Next, we circle (pun intended) back to some of the titular rings, with a shot of the three elven bands that were crafted in episode 8 (read our Rings of Power season 1 finale explained piece for more details) being worn.
So, who’s wearing the rings? We don’t get a look at their faces, but it’s well-known that Annatar gifted them to three specific elves in the source material. Galadriel and Gil-galad are two of those individuals, while the third – Círdan the Shipwright – hasn’t been seen in The Rings of Power yet. However, the famous Sindar is confirmed to finally make his live-action debut in season 2, so this shot could be our first glimpse of the Lord of the Falathrim.
9. And the first of seven for the Dwarf Lords
We don’t just get another look at the elven rings, mind you. The next snippet of footage shows King Durin III picking up the creatively named Durin’s Ring (later known as the Ring of Thrór) that’s offered to him.
The giant, sparkly blue gem that the rest of the ring wraps around is an intentional inclusion on Annatar/Sauron’s part. Dwarves are renowned for being big fans of precious, eye-catching stones, so it’s unsurprising that Durin’s Ring has a huge, glistening rock at its center to capture the attention of Khazad-dûm’s commander-in-chief. Its arrival comes at a great cost, too. Without getting deep into spoiler territory, let’s just say that Durin’s Bane isn’t the only thing that leads to the dwarves’ downfall…
10. An alliance of elves and men
After The Rings of Power episode 6’s explosive ending, some viewers – those who haven’t read Tolkien’s books, or seen the original film trilogy – might have expected Isildur to remain dead.
That isn’t the case. As the first teaser reveals, Isildur is alive and well. It’s easy to miss Isildur’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance, but he can be spotted in the background of the only shot that Silvan elf Arondir also appears in. If the pair team up for any length of time in season 2, we could get a mini-alliance of elves of men – a reference to The Last Alliance of the two races who stood against Sauron and his forces at the end of the Second Age. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
11. The eagles are coming (to Númenor)
Having existed since Middle-earth’s First Age, it shouldn’t be a shock to see one of the Great Eagles make an appearance in The Rings of Power, which is set during the Second Age. And yet I’d be surprised if you (or anyone else) isn’t, well, surprised to see one – especially on the island of Númenor.
The idea isn’t so farfetched, though. In ‘A Description of the Island of Númenor’, the first chapter of the second part of Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales novel, the legendary author revealed that three Great Eagles of Manwë watched over the island’s holy mountain of Meneltarma. A pair also had an eyrie in Númenor’s capital city of Armenelos, so the appearance of one – in the scene where Pharazôn seems to be carrying out his usurpation of the Númenorean throne – is to be expected.
12. The Siege of Eregion begins
The Lord of the Rings is known for its brutal, lengthy battles and wars – and it appears that we’ll see one of the Second Age’s most deadly conflicts in season 2.
At the 1:15 mark, a barrage of flaming boulders are seen being hurled at Eregion. For the uninitiated, this is the start of the Siege of Eregion. This infamous battle saw Sauron’s overwhelming forces lay waste to the elven city when it defiantly stood up to the Dark Lord after the elves learned of his plan to enslave Middle-earth. This fight marks the beginning of The War of the Elves and Sauron, a devastating eight-year-long campaign that’ll surely play out across future seasons.
In the source material, Gil-galad sends Elrond and an elven army to aid Eregion in its time of need; Durin III doing likewise with legions of dwarven warriors. We see Elrond leading his charges into battle (albeit on horseback, which a slight deviation from the battle that Tolkien wrote about) around the 1:20 mark, which might be part of this battle. Expect this conflict to be season 2’s main action set-piece.
13. A new Adar
This next shot appears to tie into this article’s fourth and 12th things you might have missed. Indeed, this is our first close-up of season 2’s new Adar, who’ll be played by Sam Hazeldine after The Rings of Power season 2 recast the key character following previous incumbent Joseph Mawle’s departure.
If Sauron wins over Adar and his orc followers, it’s likely they’ll aid his attempt to destroy Eregion. Of course, this scene could be pulled from a frosty reunion, in an earlier episode, between Sauron and Adar (or any other episode for that matter). Given its placement in the trailer right after the Siege of Eregion begins, though, I’m confident we’re seeing Adar watch on as the fight begins.
14. To the east, we go
Like those who dwell in Númenor, The Stranger and the hobbit known as Nori don’t get much play in season 2’s first trailer. The little that we see of them, however, seems to confirm that they’ve made it to the Eastern lands of Rhûn, which is where the duo set off for in The Rings of Power episode 8.
There’s not much we can glean from the footage that the pair are in, but The Stranger – who we know is one of the Istari, aka Middle-earth’s wizards – is seen using his abilities. For one, we see him slam his staff into the barren, dusty ground in what I think is a move to draw water up from deep beneath the ground (he’s standing next to a dilapidated well whose water supply has seemingly run dry, after all). We also see him and/or Nori hanging onto a building for dear life amid a raging sandstorm. Is this The Stranger’s doing – he won’t have fully mastered his powers yet – or simply a terrifying natural phenomenon? We’ll find out soon.
15. Cast them into the fire!
One of the teaser’s most fascinating shots, which is held back until its final few seconds, shows a mysterious individual attempting to destroy the titular rings in a fire pit. This, no doubt, takes place in Eregion and likely occurs after the elves realize they’ve been deceived by Annatar/Sauron into making the jewellery that he’d hoped to use and possess them with.
Unfortunately, we know the magical bands can’t be destroyed so easily. I do wonder, though, who is trying to melt them down so they can’t be used. It looks like it could be a battle-wearied Celebrimbor, whose attempting to destroy the rings before Sauron can get his hands on them. If it isn’t him, I’m not sure who it could be.
16. A tale of two towers
One of the many Maiar – primordial spirits created by the Valar (Lord of the Rings’ gods, essentially) – who helped to shape the world, Sauron has seemingly unlimited powers, which are evidenced once more in the trailer’s final shot.
We see a large, lush area of Middle-earth instantaneously landscaped into something far more… sinister and foreboding. It’s unclear who is behind this sudden scenery change, but all signs point to it being an off-screen Sauron. Hey, who else would do something like this with a mere flick of his wrist?
What’s most interesting about this scene is it seems to be the creation of an iconic Middle-earth location that Sauron resides in: Barad-dûr. Also known as the Dark Fortress, this is Sauron’s stronghold on the plateau of Gorgororth, which is based in the land of Mordor. The dead giveaway? The giant tower situated at its center, which is one of Middle-earth’s infamous Two Towers. It’s the tower of Barad-dûr that the Eye of Sauron resides on – in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, not in the source material – too, which is a fun little Easter egg for fans to *ahem* keep an eye out for.
