Rings of Power Season 2: What to Remember from the Comic-Con Trailer

Galadriel and Elrond team up to challenge Sauron now armed with the rings.

The message was well received by the spectators. After a first season full of lightness, the second season of Rings of Power, will be disturbing and menacing. The dark atmosphere was confirmed in the first trailer released in May. Because now, with Hallbrand's true identity (Charlie Vickers), that of Sauron, revealed to Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Middle-earth will experience its darkest hours, and rings will be forged…

This weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, there was a lot of news, and a new three-minute trailer teasing the next season had fans excited. The fate of Middle-earth is being decided here and now. From the introduction of Sauron's new face to thoughts on the rings, epic and deadly battles, and familiar creatures from Tolkien's universe, here's what to take away from the latest visual.

Sauron's Plan

“He seeks to rule not only by conquest, but by uniting the spirits of all the inhabitants of Middle-earth to his own. For this he needs not armies, but rings.”

This is how this trailer opens, with Galadriel summarizing the Dark Lord's Machiavellian plan. To dominate Middle-earth, Sauron seeks to forge the Rings of Power, and for that, he will need the help of the elves blacksmiths, including Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). Already seen in the first trailer, the new face of the latter now appears more visibly. He becomes Annatar.

As Galadriel explains, Sauron is anything but a man. The new form he takes is proof of this. He can shapeshift and take on any form he wishes. In Tolkien's mythology, he is what is known as a Maia, a supreme being created to help the Valar, powerful beings, shape the world. The Rings of Powerwill they give more information on this subject?

We also find right from the opening a pointed crown strongly resembling that worn by the enemy in Peter Jackson's adaptations of The Lord of the Rings. A deliberate wink to bring the two images together?

The Power of the Rings

In this season 2, more rings will be present. Through these, Sauron seeks to dominate Middle-earth. He will forge the Seven, given to the Dwarf lords, the Nine, attributed to Men, and the one ring much later. In the trailer, Celebrimbor meets Annatar and begins the creation of the rings. And with it, his threatening influence.

On the Dwarves' side, Durin IV, son of the Lord of Khazad-dûm, tries to make his father see reason and return the ring he possesses. His refusal will cause the loss of the kingdom of the Dwarves…

Among the Elves, Galadriel and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) seem to disagree on the fate of the rings and in particular that of Nenya, possessed by the young woman. The three rings belonging to the Elves were forged by Celebrimbor himself and without the help of Sauron. Also, they do not respond in exactly the same way to the enemy. This is in any case what Galadriel explains to Elrond. Can the rings of the Elves lead to good, and even, can they help fight Sauron? This is a question that will be raised in this season 2.

The Return of Familiar Creatures

This will surely not have escaped the fans. At the heart of the fight against the forces of evil, the heroes will have to face creatures as frightening as each other. The Balrog will be back and the Spirits of the Mounds (announced in a first visual earlier in the month) will haunt the valiant. Isildur (Max Baldry) will face a giant spider… Did you recognize it? It’s Arachne – the same big beast that we find in Peter Jackson’s films, attacking Frodo and Sam on their way to Mordor.

Similarly, Queen Regent Miriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is expected to face the aquatic monster seen in the first trailer as it enters the water in this trailer.

Fortunately for Galadriel and the others, not all creatures in Middle-earth are doomed to darkness. The heroes will be able to count on the Ents! These forest spirits well known to fans and who make a surprising arrival in the series. They were visible in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and had participated in the destruction of Isengard. Could this be an opportunity to find Treebeard, leader of the Ents, and perhaps even his wife, Fimbrethil – killed by Sauron during the Second Age?

The Fall of Eregion

This is likely to be the highlight of season 2 of Rings of Power. A legendary battle in the history of Middle-earth, the clash between Sauron and the forces of the elves led by Elrond promises to be grandiose. The Dark Lord seeks to recover the Nine. But in his path stands Celebrimbor…

And the Stranger in all this? We see him meet Tom Bombadil, who will help him in his task. His secret identity will not remain so for long, because the showrunner, Patrick Mckay, announced that his name will be known at the end of season 2.

Although for some, it would be Gandalf, an emblematic character in Tolkien. He too, Maia like Sauron, was sent to Middle-earth to help all those who oppose the Dark Lord. “Is my mission to challenge Sauron?” asks the Stranger. One more clue that tips the scales towards the Grey Magician…

To find out the answer, head to Prime Video from August 29.

Tom Bombadil will be in season 2 of Rings of Power!