This article contains spoilers forThe SilmarillionandThe Rings of Powerseason 3.The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris shaping up to be a surprising series, but there are some theories I am fully convinced by. Amazon Prime Video’s show aired in 2022 to critical acclaim and managed to get consistently high ratings in both its seasons, despite polarizing Tolkien fans with its dubiously faithful adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. The show contains some ofLord of the Rings’best charactersand its own original characters, but they were sometimes more closely linked than they first appeared. The original characters turned out to be Tolkien characters, and this trend could continue.
Many complained about the show’s approach to Tolkien’s lore. It teased mystery around the identities of its original characters, inviting speculation on which Tolkien character they may turn out to be. I enjoyed this approach. I know the books well enough to know thatLord of the Rings’Second Ageis not described in a precise enough way to warrant one exact, faithful on-screen adaptation. So much dialogue and plot had to be invented that the mysteries would only have been replaced by other original material if they did not exist. So, I’m happy to develop and share my top theories.
5Rings Of Power Season 3 Will Open With An Elrond Flashback
Elrond Will Get More Important In Season 3
I know enough aboutThe Rings of Powerseason 3to speculate with a reasonable amount of confidence that it will open with Elrond having a flashback.Rings of Powershowrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne did aRedditQ&A where they shared that “Each season might start with a different slice of Middle-earthfocused on a different character than it was last time” and that “We have a flashback that would start season three,” although this could be subject to change.
Elrond ending up in a sanctuary at the end ofRings of Powerseason 2 was in line with canon, whereby Elrond soon grew this realm into the Rivendell of Third Age renown.
Galadriel’s flashback opened season 1 and Sauron’s opened season 2. An Elrond flashback opening season 3 would follow the pattern ofLord of the Rings’most powerful charactersopening seasons with a flashback.A Gandalf flashback wouldn’t make sense,since the whole point of his arc is rediscovering his forgotten past. Gil-galad has nowhere near as much Tolkienian importance as Elrond. Elrond, however, should become more important in season 3 as he rises to power in Rivendell.
4Kemen Will Become A Rings of Power Ringwraith
Kemen And Ar-Pharazôn Will Become A Focal Point
The Rings of Powerwill depictLord of the Rings’fall of Númenor, and thisfocus on Kemen and Pharazôn could entail Kemen’s descent into Ringwraith status. Cast, crew, and multiple scenes have foreshadowedRings of Power’simminent Númenor arc, which will adaptThe Silmarillion’s"Part IV: Akallabêth: The Downfall of Númenor." While the show has full rights toThe HobbitandLord of the Rings, it has been acquiring one-off rights to other texts as needed and can turn to the rough Second Age outlines inLotR’sappendices anyway.
After Celebrimbor, The Rings Of Power Must Do 1 Thing Different With Sauron’s Next Victim
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power should take care not to repeat some of the mistakes it made with Sauron and Celebrimbor’s arc.
Kemen is gloriously demonic, recalling villain greatness likeGame of Thrones’Joffrey Baratheon. Sauron must give out his Rings of Men next in the show, and then forgeLord of the Rings’One Ring. The Númenor arc must follow, in which Sauron gets (willingly) kidnapped by Pharazôn and taken to Númenor, which he will gradually corrupt. We know thatthree of the rings were given to Númenórean lords. It wouldn’t be a huge timeline scramble forRings of Powerto have Sauron retain a ring or three until he gets taken to Númenor, where he could then dish them out to power-hungry pawns like Kemen.
3Theo Will Be Théoden’s Ancestor In The Rings Of Power
Theo’s Mysterious Parentage Grants Him Possible Special Importance
Theo is a bit of a mystery inRings of Power, with an unfortunately dead mother and an unknown father, but my money is on him being Théoden’s ancestor.Rings of Powermaking Theo aLotRcharacterwould frustrate some. However, I would argue thatRings of Powerhas to fill its five seasons with something, and if it’s going to invent characters around its key pillars, which is inevitable, it may as well make them relevant.
Theo’s attraction to dark magic is more satisfying if he gets to win against it.
Theo being Théoden’s ancestor does not have to dance on the grave of lore. Eorl founded Rohan, according toLord of the Rings’appendices, and Théoden was his descendant.Theo could be Eorl’s forefather inRings of Power, which would explain the show’s choice of names for him and his mother (Bronwyn links to Éowyn). It would also enrich Bronwyn’s use of alfirin, which grows on Rohirrim graves inLord of the Rings. Theo’s attraction to dark magic is more satisfying if he gets to win against it.
2Rings Of Power’s Nori Will Found The Shire
Harfoots Will Have A Wider Significance
I’m convinced thatNori will found the Shire inRings of Power, as her path leads her west, along with the Stoors. The Hobbit species was formed from Harfoots, Stoors, and Fallohides as they all migrated westward from Rhovanion. Nori finished season 2 out east in Rhûn, having left the Harfoots in Wilderland.She discovered the Stoorsthere and will bring them back west with her. She will unite two of the three tribes needed to form the Hobbit species.
J.R.R. Tolkien discussed Hobbit history in his prologue toThe Lord of the Rings.
Rings of Powermay introduce the Fallohides too. Either way,Nori, the adventurous leader that she is, may end up leading both Stoors and Harfoots even further westthan Rhovanion. This is becauseLord of the Rings’Sauronwill be peaking in power right up until the fall of Númenor, so his threat may well push the Hobbits further west. As he expands from Mordor, Sauron’s violent forces could be wreaking all kinds of havoc beyond its borders.
1The Dark Wizard Is A Blue Wizard In Rings Of Power
Rings Of Power’s Villainous Wizard Is A Blue
The Rings of Power’sDark Wizard is a Blue Wizard, which was all but confirmed by the showrunners in theirRedditQ&A. It remains a theory rather than a fact by virtue of the showrunners' diplomatically ambiguous wording. The showrunners were asked if they could rule out Saruman being the Dark Wizard. They refused to give black-and-white answers but said “It’s just very hard to imagine that the Dark Wizard would be Saruman,” and that:
We know there are five wizards talked about inThe Lord of the Rings. One of them is Saruman, one of them is Gandalf, one of them is Radagast, and then there are two others. It is our expectation that he will be one of those two others.
The showrunners have either not yet finished deciding if the Dark Wizard is a Blue Wizard or are resisting explicitly confirming his identity to avoid issuing spoilers. Indeed,the Dark Wizard’s identity is a hugely entertaining mysterywaiting to be unraveled inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 3, and I wouldn’t blame them for keeping it under wraps for both their sake and viewers' sake. Either way, they seem adamant that he is not Saruman, and he certainly doesn’t seem like Radagast, leaving him a Blue Wizard.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
