Summary
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas brought back the Ents and is therefore taking a giant step toward solving an old Tolkien mystery.Screen Rantattended theRings of Powerpanel at theSan Diego Comic-Con 2024, where the SDCC trailer for season 2 was officially unveiled. Among the many clips from the coming episodes is one featuring a new Ent character interacting with Arondir and Isildur, who are somewhere around the newly established Mordor inThe Rings of Powerseason 2—and this hints at how these beloved Middle-earth beings will be involved with the story.
During theRings of Powerpanel at the SDCC,actors Ismael Cruz Córdova and Maxim Baldry, who play Arondir and Isildur, respectively, shared their excitement at having worked with Entsin season 2. Of course, they didn’t get to interact with real tree shepherds, but Córdova noted that even just imagining the Ents was a joy since they were memorable features of his childhood. While it’s great to hear that these actors appreciate the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien, their words, accompanied by theRings of Powerseason 2 trailer, hint at what kinds of reveals may be ahead.
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The Ents Will Have A Bigger Role In The Rings Of Power Season 2
Rings Of Power Season 2’s SDCC Trailer Teases An Ent Character
Arondir and Isildur conversing with Ents during their adventures inRings of Powerseason 2 indicates these beings will play a much more prominent role in this installment. The trailer sees them receiving words of advice from one Ent character while another sees the massive tree-like creature attacking someone on the ground. It’s all very reminiscent ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,which bodes well for the fantasy immersiveness of the coming episode. However, it looks as ifthese Ents are in a different region of Middle-earth than Treebeard and his fellows.
Treebeard lives in Fanghorn Forest, which is near the gap of Rohan. However, Arondir and Isildur were last seen in the Southlands inRings of Powerseason 1, now called Mordor. Since the season 2 SDCC trailer also sees Isildur battling with Shelob, who resides in a cave near Mordor, it can be assumed that they are still in this region in the coming episodes. Therefore, it’s more likely that this Man and Elf have encountered an Ent in the Brown Lands (also near Mordor), whichhappens to be the last known location of the mysterious Entwives.
The Ent seen inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 trailer could possibly be an Entwife, though it’s impossible to know for certain from the short clip.
Tolkien Never Explained The Mystery Of The Entwives
The Fate Of The Entwives Is Another Old Tolkien Mystery
InThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Treebeard asked Merry and Pippin if they had ever seen Ents near the Shire, hoping they might know what happened to the Entwives—the females of his species. The Hobbits had no good news to give, however, and the fate of the Entwives remained a mystery. J.R.R. Tolkien himself was asked about the Entwives on several occasions, but he had no more answers to give than Treebeard did. The female Ents had traveled to the Brown Lands to establish gardens during the Second Age but disappeared.
It’s long been assumed that the Entwives were wiped out by Sauron since the Brown Lands are a bare wasteland close to Mordor in the Third Age of Middle-earth.
It’s long been assumed that the Entwives were wiped out by Sauron since the Brown Lands are a bare wasteland close to Mordor in the Third Age of Middle-earth. However, there has never been any confirmation of this, and Treebeard maintained hope that some Entwives had survived and wandered North. SinceRings of Powerseason 2 is introducing new Entsin this region of Middle-earth, it certainly seems that Prime Video aims to provide its own answer regarding these beings' fates. Unfortunately,whatever answer the series offers is unlikely to be popular.
Why The Rings Of Power Shouldn’t Explain The Entwives Mystery
It’s Been So Long That This Mystery Is Better Left Alone
Tolkien liked to leave mysteries open regarding his world-building, especially if he didn’t see a way that anyone would know the answer. The legendary grandfather of fantasy didn’t just write stories willy-nilly—he approached his works like a historian, digging up information on an ancient world and fitting it all together. In the case of the Ents, Men and Elves rarely got the opportunity to see them, and Mordor wasn’t exactly a hot spot for scholars. Therefore, if Sauron wiped the Entwives out, those who were writing the histories wouldn’t know a thing about it.
Of course,as a screen adaptation,Rings of Powergoes about this differently. The series provides a variety of character perspectives, so there’s more opportunity to fill in the gaps. Still,many would consider an attempt to solve a deliberately unanswered Tolkien mystery an affront.Rings of Powermay be better off alluding to the Entwive’s disappearance. Perhaps the Entwives had already disappeared by the events of season 2, and the Ent seen is in the Brown Lands looking for them. If this were the case, the mystery would be acknowledged but not solved—a far better solution.
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.
