What’s up with these baffling scenes in the “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” SDCC 2022 trailer from Amazon? Launching one of the most eagerly awaited (and expensive) television projects is almost here. After working out a deal with J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate, Jeff Bezos acquired the live-action adaptation rights to “The Lord of the Rings: The Second Age,” which is set more than 3000 years before Bilbo Baggins discovers an innocent-looking golden ring lying in a cave and wonders, “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“The Rings of Power,” slated to debut in September 2022, will combine aspects of Tolkien legend (many of which are described in The Silmarillion) with brand-new stories explicitly created for the big screen. It will contain well-known characters like Galadriel, Elrond, and Sauron. Deciphering the Rings of Power SDCC 2022 video from Amazon is, therefore, a thankless process, and searching through Tolkien’s original text for citations might still make one feel like a fool of a Took.
The SDCC 2022 video for “The Rings of Power” boldly displays its beautiful visuals, sizable ensemble, and attention to detail, but what about the mysteries concealed inside? We dig down the most puzzling, beard-stroking moments, from buzzcuts to Balrogs.
The Black Sword of the “Rings of Power”
A black sword hilt with a broken blade that appears to be miraculously reassembling itself in a blazing dark mist can be seen in multiple odd shots in the “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” video Amazon released for SDCC 2022. One well-liked hypothesis contends that Gurthang, a fabled sword once wielded by Trin Turambar but broken during the First Age, is the source of the black blade in “The Rings of Power.” Gurthang was endowed with magical abilities, and it’s possible that the small child holding the hilt in “The Rings of Power” is a distant relative of Trin. Gurthang decimated many of Morgoth’s evil creatures during the first Middle-earth conflicts, but as Sauron stirs in “The Rings of Power,” the dormant hilt might start retaliating.
On the other hand, according to “Lord of the Rings” legend, Gurthang should be buried with its owner and not left to rot in a Second Age human hamlet. Additionally, the hilt features a sign etched onto an ice anvil that later appears elsewhere in the SDCC trailer for “The Rings of Power.” This foreboding sign goes more toward the black sword being fashioned for evil. Therefore, the shattered weapon may be a creation of the first “Rings of Power” that belonged to Sauron or one of his more notable followers.
In the Palantir, what does Galadriel see?
Together in “The Rings of Power,” on what appears to be the island of Nmenor, are Cynthia Addai-Tar-Miriel Robinson’s and Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel. A palantir is one of the magical all-seeing balls Saruman and Pippin famously employed in “The Lord of the Rings,” Galadriel is persuaded to have a peek inside one. The SDCC 2022 teaser flashes through a series of images quickly, but what scenes do they show, and what does the sequence entail for Galadriel?
The long view indicates where or when the vast, fire-strewn conflict that opens the vision will take place. Before transitioning to Will Fletcher’s blond figure, popularly thought to be Galadriel’s brother Finrod, a close-up of an orc momentarily enters the picture. This shot might have been fired during the fierce conflict that began Galadriel’s palantir journey. The next scene shows floating elf corpses, which most likely depict the First Kinslaying. The SDCC trailer for “The Rings of Power” then concludes its palantir business with Galadriel quietly standing beside Finrod’s corpse, wounds from a wolf visible on his left arm.
The palantir stones in “The Lord of the Rings” usually depict everyday occurrences, not memories from the past. This implies that “The Rings of Power’s” trailer footage may purposely mislead viewers and that the montage consists of clips from other movies. When Galadriel touches the palantir in the show, she must notice something else.
Who Is Possessing The Unsettling Long-Fingered Hand?
One of the many ominous characters seen in “The Rings of Power’s” SDCC teaser is a spooky Slenderman-like antagonist that stalks helpless people. The only thing that can be made out of the threat hiding beneath the floorboards and torturing its victim is a big hand with long, pointy fingers.
While it’s not always the safest guess, it’s likely that finger-man is some ghostly apparition from Sauron — perhaps not the Dark Lord’s physical form, but the manifestation of his will. The image aligns with The Rings of Power’s first mention of Sauron. However, this tense “Rings of Power” scenario makes me think uncomfortably of the Ringwraith scenes in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Although it is too early in the Second Age for Nazgûl, the ghoul might be a powerful evil figure, such as an orc who needs a manicure or another surviving Morgoth’s realm inhabitant (entirely possible, given the beast that appears later).
Is Sauron The White-Hooded Figure?
Much of the debate around “The Rings of Power’s” SDCC 2022 teaser focused on a shadowy, light-haired figure shrouded in a white cloak who was largely shown as the show’s major antagonist in season 1. When later reports revealed Bridie Sisson as the performer, it raised questions about whether the initial wave of Sauron enthusiasm was accurate. Initial speculation suggested the character was Sauron, performed by Anson Boon.
This particular case is still up for debate. The man in the cloak has magic, an aura of evil, and some degree of influence. In the Second Age, according to Tolkien legend, Sauron could assume other forms and had a “fair” alter ego by the name of Annatar. Therefore, it is possible that the villain with white hair in The Rings of Power is a cloaked Sauron. In contrast, Annatar is meant to appear charming and reliable—enough to deceive even the most shrewd elves. This person could be a straightforward Morgoth champion skilled in a few magic techniques because they appear about as trustworthy as those evil Sackville-Bagginses.
Who Is the Black Glove’s Wearer?
A tall antagonist walking past a line of orcs while sporting a glove covered in sharp, black spikes feeds Sauron rumors from “The Rings of Power.” At the risk of sounding like Mephisto, this hand (which was initially shown in The Rings of Power character posters) could be Sauron’s, given the striking visual similarity to the infamously pointy armor worn by Peter Jackson’s Dark Lord in the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy.
Having said that, it seemed too soon for Sauron to be commanding his army personally in “The Rings of Power” season 1. Instead, the evil should be recuperating, regaining his strength, and retiring to the shadows. Therefore, Adar from Joseph Mawle’s novel may be the owner of the gloved hand. Adar, an alleged evil orc commander, can be seen momentarily guiding an army of orcs across a bridge in the main teaser for “The Rings of Power” if the brightness is very high. In this particular freeze-frame, Adar’s left hand is covered by a black glove, strongly suggesting he is the person from The Rings of Power’s SDCC trailer.
Galadriel is swimming away from a monster.
Galadriel will get caught up in a shipwreck, as seen in earlier “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” trailers, perhaps as she travels to Nmenor. The SDCC 2022 trailer for Amazon only offers sporadic glimpses of limb, with no body or face shots that would help identify the creature. Morfydd Clark’s elf is seen hastily swimming away from a dangerous sea monster hiding beneath the waves.
Sea monsters are frequently mentioned in passing by J.R.R. Tolkien in Middle-earth, although he never gives any specifics. Both The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and The Lost Road & Other Writings feature evil sea creatures, with the later mentioning sea-serpents specifically. Gandalf opposed casting the One Ring into the ocean because of the unknown animals that lived at the ocean’s bottom even in “The Lord of the Rings.” One of these legendary creatures might be Galadriel’s new companion; it might even be related to the Watcher in the Water that the Fellowship met at Moria.
The Balrog?
Why does “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” have a Balrog? Balrogs were formerly Maia, but she was corrupted into the demon-like creatures that the public knows and loves after coming into contact with Morgoth. When Morgoth first came to power in the First Age, he oversaw many Balrogs, but once their leader was put in jail, the remaining Balrogs withdrew into Middle-shadows, earth’s seeking refuge in hidden places like the base of Moria. The Balrog from “The Rings of Power” can appear in a flashback to the First Age. A remarkable amount of information from Morgoth’s time has already been revealed by trailer footage, and his Balrogs would be a welcome, reasonable addition to these historical lessons. Alternately, someone in the current day of “The Rings of Power” might disturb a sleeping Balrog, exactly as the Fellowship finally will in “The Lord of the Rings” several millennia later.
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