Summary
The new trailer forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerunveiled atSan Diego Comic-Conshows an insight into season 2 with some dark implications, including a plot twist for Galadriel.Screen Rantsat in onThe Rings of Powerpanel as it revealed the new trailer, plus season 2 details, and a choral performance led by Bear McCreary. The trailer follows the characters ofThe Rings of Powerseason 2as they fight the rising tide of darkness brought about by Sauron, andGaladriel in particular will have to contend with some serious obstacles.
Whereas Galadriel’s position inThe Rings of Powerseason 1’s endingwas hardly one of power, she had at least successfully managed to out Halbrand as Sauron. According to the panel at SDCC,Galadriel’sRings of Powerseason 2 arc will observe her continuing struggle to destroy Sauron, and her advancement via her new Ring of Power, Nenya. The Ring of Adamant will start granting Galadriel the magical abilities that she used throughoutThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, but it may not be enough to protect her from her worst enemy.
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Galadriel & Adar Will Almost Definitely Team Up Against Sauron In The Rings Of Power Season 2
Adar May Be Negotiating With Galadriel In The Rings Of Power Season 2
The trailer shows what may beGaladriel forming an alliance with Adar inRings of Powerseason 2, which could help the two beat Sauron, their mutual enemy. But this would make it harder for Galadriel to win back the Elves' already dwindling trust.The trailer contains a clip of the villain Adarsitting at a table, saying “Leave Sauron to me.” This table is in Orc territory, displaying the roughly-hewn carpentry and interiors that were common to Orcs inThe Rings of Powerseason 1. However, there are some clues regarding what’s happening here.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 premiers July 02, 2025.
A previously released season 2 image sees Galadriel and Adar having a candlelit dinner at what looks to be the same table that Adar is sitting at in the new trailer. Galadriel looks embattled in the still fromRings of Powerseason 2, with her face and hair a mess, but she is neither bound nor trying to leave. Putting two and two together implies thatGaladriel is at least pretending to form some kind of deal with the villainous Adar, one ofRings of Power’soriginal characters. Galadriel may be her own worst enemy inRings of Powerso far.
Galadriel Must Redeem Herself
The young, feisty Galadriel of season 1 made plenty of mistakes that contributed to the ascendance of Sauron, and season 2 should redeem her, rather than muddy her morals further. The writing of Galadriel’s character inRings of Powerseason 1 faced criticism, and was also contending with the expectations of those who loved the movies and were disappointed by the show’s starkly different Galadriel.Galadriel is canonically the flawed warrior that she is in the show, but her flirtation with evil in the series is dubiously faithful to the texts.
Galadriel’s flaws led her to be associated with some disastrous events in Middle-earth in author J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Galadriel was one of the leaders of the exodus of Valinor to Middle-earth inThe Silmarillion.While she didn’t explicitly condone the bloodshed this involved, “she did not turn back,” as stated inThe Nature of Middle-earth. Despite Elvish in-fighting,Galadriel was always staunchly anti-Sauron, so an alliance with Orcs, even if feigned, will have to be navigated carefully byRings of Powerseason 2.
J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Nature of Middle-earthwas published in 2021, posthumously, containing a collection of his stories and essays.
Don’t Expect Adar To Survive Until The Rings Of Power Season 3
Adar Is Sauron’s Pawn In Lord Of The Rings
Adar must contend with Sauron inRings of Powerseason 2 after trying to kill him before the events of season 1, sohe may not survive the season. Season 1 left Adar in the newly-formed Mordor after all had gone to plan with the eruption of Mount Doom. Sauron was on his way there at the end of season 1 and will be put in the difficult position of taking his revenge on Adar for his earlier betrayal or bearing his company to access his army of loyal Orcs in the coming war.
Showrunners confirmed toTotal Film, in a print feature, that Sauron will set “armies of Elves” against an “army of Orcs” in agrand-scale battle inRings of Powerseason 2. Sauron has to get the Orcs from somewhere, after being in hiding for years, so it looks likeSauron will form a troubled partnership with Adar. Meanwhile, Adar might attempt to double-cross Sauron with Galadriel. Unfortunately for Adar and Galadriel, this would inevitably teach them that however smart they think they are, Sauron is smarter.
If Adar is on a downward trajectory,The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powershould ensure that he doesn’t drag Galadriel down with him.
It is unlikely that any scheming on Adar’s part, even if supported by Galadriel, would succeed in supplanting the Dark Lord. Adar tricked Sauron once, in a betrayal which theSan Diego Comic-Con panel confirmedthat season 2 will explore, butSauron won’t let Adar trick him twice.Sauron’s full planis sure to be revealed by the end of season 2, and by then it may be too late for Adar. If Adar is on a downward trajectory,The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powershould ensure that he doesn’t drag Galadriel down with him - at least for long.
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.
