As the title suggests this post contains potential spoilers for Season Two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Do not read this post if you would like to avoid spoilers. Thank you!  

Season two of The Rings of Power is currently in post-production and is expected to release sometime towards the end of 2024. While official accounts have remained notably silent during the off-season months, The Rings of Power fan community has been buzzing with rumors thanks to fan sites and anonymous leaks posted online. While some events or character introductions can be inferred from the source material or the show itself, other rumors are a bit more surprising (and for some: troubling). 

Confirmed Elements of Season Two

Some elements of Season Two have been confirmed by the production or members of the cast: 

• Season Two will focus heavily on Sauron’s character

  • “Season one opens with: Who is Galadriel? Where did she come from? What did she suffer? Why is she driven?” says Payne. “We’re doing the same thing with Sauron in season two. We’ll fill in all the missing pieces.” (source)

• Season Two will be “more intense” than Season One

  • "Season two is fundamentally different in that our main villain is out and about, and doing his thing. I think in some ways, it's going to grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier…” (source)

• Círdan the Shipwright will appear in Season Two

  • “We don’t want to give too much away, but one character we’re excited for folks to meet in Season 2 is Círdan the Shipwright,” says Payne. “In the time of our story, he’s the oldest of all known elves in Middle-earth—in fact he lived so long, he had a beard.” (source) 

• Galadriel will receive her Ring, Nenya

  • “She’s about to have a life-changing thing happen to her. She’s about to become acquainted with Nenya, her ring. It’s really exciting to see how the magic creeps in,” Clark said at the show’s FYC event in Hollywood…” (source) 

• More Rings will be forged, likely involving the Dwarven plotline.

  • “There are more rings; the show is called The Rings of Power. Maybe I’ll be getting a new necklace, who knows?” cheeky Peter Mullan, who portrays King Durin III in the series, teased.” (source)

• A massive two-episode long battle will occur (this is assumed to be the Siege of Eregion)

  • “They plan to introduce more iconic locations, familiar Middle-earth characters and a massive two-episode battle” (source) 

• Isildur will return; his plotline involves stunt-work (source) 

• Season two “has a canonical story”

  • "Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them". Speaking on the official Rings of Power podcast, Payne added: "[In] season 2 there is a lot more canon that we are interested in adapting and bringing to life". (source)

• Sauron and Adar’s past will be explored

  • I think when it came to filming [episode 6], Joseph knew, and we spent quite a lot of time working over our backstory based on information from the showrunners and things that we will see next season. We see Adar's relationship with Sauron. So it's a really complex and long-standing relationship that comes to a head in that moment.” (source) 

Unconfirmed Rumors for The Rings of Power Season Two

Now, onto Season Two’s most interesting rumors. 

I want to emphasize that these are being reported as rumors and have not been officially confirmed by Prime Video. It is my assumption that many of these are simply untrue or have been misrepresented in the process of “leaking”. However, many of season one’s leaked plotlines also sounded un-believable at the time as well so it’s hard to say. This is all done in fun for the sake of conversation!

Top Twenty Most Intriguing Rumors about The Rings of Power Season Two

Expected Rumors: These fall into the category of rumors that seem fairly plausible but haven’t been confirmed by official sources.

1. Other Forms of Sauron: It is rumored that there will be at least one more actor portraying a form of Sauron in Season Two. Charlie Vickers hinted that Sauron looked different before he was “split” by Adar in an interview with Screen Rant, so this rumor seems all but confirmed. However, the number of forms of Sauron remains to be seen. Fellowship of Fans has reported that two actors will depict the Dark Lord, and TheOneRing.net has suggest that there will be three: Charlie Vickers (Halbrand), Gavi Singh Chera (reported as the “Angelic Form Sauron” by Fellowship of Fans), and an unnamed actor depicting Mairon. There is also room for the reasonable belief that Sauron will assume many temporary forms, just as he did with the form of Finrod in the season one finale.

   I think there's a huge part of Sauron, of Halbrand that's like, "I look different, but... I want you to remember me, so you know it's me about to kill you." - Charlie Vickers (source)

2. Forging of the One: With the Siege of Eregion all but confirmed, the forging of the One Ring will need to occur at some point during the season. Which Sauron form will forge it remains to be seen. According to a rumor reported by TORn, this will happen in the season’s final episode.

3. Death of Celebrimbor: After Charles Edwards posted this photo to instagram, many speculated that Celebrimbor would meet his demise in season two. If the Siege of Eregion is indeed taking place, I would expect his death to unfortunately follow. Whether the series will take the canonical (“Celebrimbanner”) approach has not yet been confirmed, but I am hopeful.

4. Stoors will appear in Season Two, complete with some rather interesting names:  It is believed that another group of “proto-Hobbits” will be introduced in season two of The Rings of Power. The Stoors will likely be living in or on the way to Rhûn, where they will likely cross paths with Nori and The Stranger. Like the Harfoots of season one, their names are rather interesting but I won’t spoil them for you just yet. It is also my personal belief that as the Harfoots will eventually settle down to establish the Shire, the Stoors we meet in The Rings of Power will become the distant ancestors of Sméagol.

5. Sauron with the Dwarves: As the story continues, it is more likely than not that Sauron will be interacting with the Dwarves. According to one rumor, he will leverage his former status as a pupil of Aulë to gain their trust. This seems like a reasonable rumor and something I’ll be quite happy about if it ends up being true! The more Valar, the better.

6. Civil unrest in Númenor: As expected, rumors of civil unrest in Númenor have been reported by various sources. According to Daily Rings of Power, there will be plenty of political tension and family drama within the Númenor plotline throughout this season.

7. The Doors of Durin will be forged by Celebrimbor and Narvi: This important canonical event was mentioned by Charles Edwards in an interview in 2022, but has since been confirmed by Fellowship of Fans for season two.

8. Return of Celeborn: After separating Galadriel from her husband in season one, Celeborn is expected to return in Season Two of the Rings of Power. Calam Lynch has reportedly been cast for the role, as per Fellowship of Fans.

9. Eärien with Palantir: The Season one finale left the fate of Eärien up in the air as she has last seen discovering Tar-Palantir’s, well, Palantir. According to Daily Rings of Power, season two contains a scene in which “Míriel is addressing the court and speaking to the losses and hurt the people have suffered, trying to rally them behind the idea of Númenor rising stronger again. Eärien enters the court and interrupts Miriel's speech with this revelation.” (source) This suggests Eärien may be, as I’ve long speculated, en route to allying herself with the King’s Men and potentially cooperating with Sauron in Númenor down the line.

10. Creatures in Season Two: Eagles, Shelob, and more! Fellowship of Fans has speculated that Shelob will appear as a creature in season two, while rumors of one or more of the Great Eagles appearing in Númenor have also been reported. We may also see a familiar creature or two in Rhûn.

Unexpected Rumors: These are rumors that I’m either less inclined to give much weight to or personally dislike, but nevertheless may spark a fruitful discussion at the very least.

• Rights to the Silmarillion: It has been rumored that Amazon has secretly acquired rights to depict certain elements of The Silmarillion. The show’s production is working closely with the Tolkien Estate, in particular Simon Tolkien, and may request certain elements of Tolkien’s other works on a case-by-case basis. It is possible that they have been granted permission to incorporate certain elements, but highly unlikely that they purchased the rights to The Silmarillion outright (and I dearly hope they are not sold for a very long time).

• Music of the Ainur: TheOneRing.net has also reported a rumor that a portion, or version, of the Music of the Ainur will be presented in the first episode of season two. If Amazon has been able to acquire the permission to depict this incredibly important canonical event, my initial reaction is — frankly — distress. Thus far, The Rings of Power has not earned the trust required to faithfully depict the Ainulindalë. If this is truly an element of Season Two, I dearly hope it is given the respect and faithfulness it deserves but I find myself leaning towards anxious cynicism for the time being. It is also reported in the rumor that the Valar will appear as naked beings bathed in gold light, which is something I definitely do not want to see.

• Mairon and Mithrandir: Tied in with the rumor about the Music of the Ainur is the idea that Mairon (Sauron) will attempt to sway Mithrandir (Olórin) to his side during the discord of Melkor. This would be an interesting dynamic to create and it would recontextualize Gandalf’s actions in The Lord of the Rings, a mode of story-telling that we know the showrunners are fond of. I don’t know if I hate or love this: I think it would depend on the presentation, ultimately.

• Sauron’s Son: One of the most baffling rumors reported by TheOneRing.net is that Sauron had a “son” who was killed by Adar. This does work in the context of their conversation in episode six of season one, when Adar asked Halbrand, “Did I cause someone you love pain? A woman? Perhaps a child?" There is no basis in Tolkien’s Legendarium for Sauron to have been a biological father. My only rationalization for this rumor would follow if Sauron had a servant who was like a son to him, just as Adar refers to the Uruk as his children. There is also the possibility that Sauron's nature was somehow destroyed when he was “killed” by Adar, and that this is what the rumor refers to. Either way, this is one of those things I’m hesitant to believe because it sounds so odd — but then at the same time, Meteor Man sounded odd at the time as well (and still does, sorry!).

• Galadriel Kidnapped: Fellowship of Fans has reported that Galadriel will be kidnapped at some point during the season, during which she will be placed in a cage and poked with spears. While this very well may occur in season two of The Rings of Power, I personally loathe the thought of this series putting Galadriel’s character through even more invented suffering. Especially if the following rumors are also true.

• Sauron disguised as Celeborn: According to a spy report published by TheOneRing.net, Sauron may take on the form of Celeborn to enter into Eregion. While this may be done in a way similar to Sauron’s “Finrod” form in the season one finale, and The Silmarillion supports Sauron’s ability to take the form of other characters (such as Amlach and the wife of Gorlim), the reunion of husband and wife under false pretenses comes with some serious implications that should not be overlooked. It is my hope, if this rumor is true, that this deception will be very short-lived or will occur within Galadriel’s mind only, as with Finrod!Sauron.

• Cliffhanger involving Galadriel: TheOneRing.net has reported a rumor suggesting the season will end on a cliffhanger in which Galadriel must make a decision to save Celeborn. It is unclear whether this is “real” Celeborn or the Sauron!Celeborn as reported in the previous rumor. Either way, this is stepping further and further away from the “canonical” story as promised in season two.

• Amelia Kenworthy’s Character: Kenworthy’s character has been one of the most interesting to theorize about as we look forward to season two. As she bears a striking resemblance to Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel and so has been widely speculated to be cast as her daughter Celebrían. However, Fellowship of Fans has reported that her costuming includes a dark cloak similar to Halbrand’s, and that she underwent chemistry tests with both Charlie Vickers and Sam Hazeldine (Adar) which suggests she will share many scenes with both actors. This has led to the assumption that her character will be some sort of evil ally to Sauron, which should rule the Celebrían theory out but has instead given birth to the delightfully absurd Evil Celebrían theory. Other fan theories for Kenworthy’s character include that she may be a personified version of Shelob or even Ungoliant. However, it is most likely that she is simply an of original Elvish character.

• Shadowfax: Moving even deeper into our bizarre rumors category is the idea that The Stranger will finally be revealed as Gandalf and will meet Shadowfax in an episode. As Shadowfax is a regular mortal horse, it is unlikely that he would live for more than 3,000 years in order to participate in the War of the Ring alongside Gandalf. Perhaps The Stranger develops a friendship with a similarly lovely horse who will be the ancestor of Shadowfax, though.

• Tom Bombadil & Melkor: This rumor is actually so absurd that I can’t help but laugh and wonder if it’s true. TheOneRing.net has reported a rumor that Tom Bombadil and Goldberry appear in a later episode, and are played by the same actor and actress as depicted Melkor/Morgoth and Ungoliant in episode one. The anonymous source asserts that, “The pair, as Bombadil and Goldberry, are serving out a punishment from Mandos per a long-held fan theory.” Frankly, I have never heard of this theory and I’ve theorized quite extensively on the subject of Tom Bombadil. The belief in Tom Bombadil’s existence in Season Two is strengthened by the fact that a codename for the character has been leaked (“Errol Pram”), but connecting Tom Bombadil to Melkor makes little to no sense. In my opinion, it is is disrespectful to the source material to link a character as untouched by Evil with the Legendarium’s very first and most dreadful villain.

How likely are any of these rumors to come to fruition?

Below I’ve ranked the key rumors in terms of likelihood, with 10 best the most likely and 1 being the least. These are not ranked depending on my own preference, but on my own understanding of the showrunner’s past decisions and apparent mindset. It will be fun to come back after the season has ended to see how close I was with any of these.

• Amazon secretly obtaining the rights to The Silmarillion: 2/10

• Amazon working with Simon Tolkien to gain permission to include a version of Ainulindalë in episode one: 5/10

• Naked Valar: 2/10

• Sauron disguising himself as Celeborn: 6/10

• Evil Celebrían: 3/10

• Three forms of Sauron: 7/10

• Sauron tempting Gandalf: 5/10

• Sauron name dropping Aulë with the Dwarves: 8/10

• Shadowfax and other Horses subplot: 3/10

• Morgoth/Bombadil Ungoliant/Goldberry: either 0/10 or 8/10 because it’s so ridiculous

• Sauron having a “son” killed by Adar: 5/10 (if the son is not biological)

• Forging of Ring at end of season: 7.5/10 (I expect it to occur at some point)

Sources for more Rumors, Leaks, and Discussion surrounding The Rings of Power:

• LOTR_on_Prime Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/LOTR_on_Prime/ 

• Fellowship of Fans (FoF): https://fellowshipoffans.com

• TheOneRing.Net: https://www.theonering.net 

• Daily Rings of Power: https://x.com/dailyrop 

• Rings of Power Updates: https://x.com/ropupdates

• Tea with TROP: https://x.com/teawithtrop