One of Amazon’s hottest new series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, is set to return with its sophomore season later this summer, and with it will come a variety of new characters and changes to the show. The show, which is based around the stories of the Second Age of Middle-Earth, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, has proven to be fairly divisive among the core Lord of the Rings fan base.
Even with that, it has proven to be a solid success for Prime Video, as the streamer is moving full steam ahead on the planned five-season outline for the show.
The first trailer for season two of The Rings of Power just debuted a few weeks ago, giving fans a glimpse into the darker tone of this new chapter of the show. It also unveils the newest form of Sauron on-screen, in the fair Elven form of Annatar.
While the trailer is centered primarily around the Dark Lord, the expanding story of season two will provide The Rings of Power with the opportunity to introduce many new characters. With that in mind, here are 10 major characters from the Lord of the Rings books that we believe could be included in the latest season of The Rings of Power.
10 Celeborn
One of the most crucial characters that needs to be in the second season of The Rings of Power is Celeborn, who is one of the oldest and wisest Elves in all of Middle-Earth. In the books, Celeborn is the husband of Galadriel and the two of them rule over the woods of Lothlórien together. He has already been brought to the screen once before, as he appeared briefly in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy, in which he was portrayed by Marton Csokas.
Despite Galadriel being one of the lead characters in The Rings of Power, played by Morfydd Clark, Celeborn has yet to appear in the show. In the latter episodes of the first season, Galadriel speaks of Celeborn, saying that the two of them were wed long ago but that he never returned from the war against Morgoth at the end of the First Age and was presumed dead.
It would be a major departure from Tolkien’s writing if Celeborn was actually dead, and so we expect that he will make a dramatic return at some point during the second season of The Rings of Power.
9 The Witch King
The Witch King is a character that has not been teased in The Rings of Power yet, but it’s only a matter of time before he shows up in the story. As seen in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the Witch King is the leader of the Nazgûl, the nine kings of men that were seduced to evil by the Rings of Power gifted to them by Sauron. This process reduced them to undead wraiths, and they became some of the strongest figures in Sauron’s arsenal.
With the first three Rings of Power – the three belonging to the Elves – forged at the end of season one, we are likely to see the rest of these magic rings – the nine for men and the seven for the dwarves – created in season two. Considering these rings will be gifted to nine kings of men, it’s safe to imagine that these kings will be introduced into the show sooner than later.
While the identity of the Witch King before he became a ringwraith was never confirmed in the books, The Rings of Power has the opportunity to fill that gap by introducing him as a mortal man who gradually descends into the Lord of the Nazgûl that fans are already so familiar with.
8 Círdan
One of the most substantial Elves of Middle-Earth who has yet to appear on-screen is Círdan, the Shipwright. Like Galadriel and Celeborn, Círdan is one of the oldest and wisest Elves in Middle-Earth. He was born in the earliest years of Middle-Earth’s existence, and he played a crucial role in the Great Journey of the Elves, which saw them travel from their birthplace of Cuiviénen over all the lands of Middle-Earth and across the seas to Valinor, the home of the Valar.
Círdan gained his nickname because he was a master of ships, as he crafted them and guided them across the sea from his home in the Grey Havens. He continued this task through every age of Middle-Earth, ultimately becoming one of the last Elves to leave Middle-Earth.
Despite his massive role in the overall lore of Tolkien’s writing, Círdan has yet to appear or play a substantial role in any on-screen adaptations. This is likely to change in The Rings of Power, and we are optimistic that he will appear in the second season later this year.
Círdan was one of the primary detractors that discouraged the forging of the Rings of Power, so we will likely see him in conflict with Annatar and Celebrimbor. In order to keep it safe, Círdan becomes the bearer of one of the three Elven Rings of Power, before he eventually gifts it to the wizard Gandalf upon their meeting.
7 Saruman
It’s clear that The Rings of Power is keen on incorporating some of the great wizards of Middle-Earth into its story, despite their not appearing until the Third Age in Tolkien’s writing. The end of season one confirmed that the Stranger, who had been living with the proto-Hobbits known as Harfoots, is one of the five wizards.
Though it heavily implies that he is Olórin, otherwise known as Gandalf the Grey, this identity is not outright confirmed, so he could still be any of the others, and fans are speculating that he may be one of the two Blue Wizards instead, as neither of them have appeared on-screen before and their journeys to the East seem to align with the Stranger’s oncoming journey to the land of Rhûn.
No matter which of the wizards the Stranger may be, we don’t believe that he will be the only wizard that will be introduced in The Rings of Power. In Tolkien’s writing, the wizards all arrive in Middle-Earth at approximately the same point in time, so we believe the show will introduce the other four wizards.
While we would love to see the likes of Radagast the Brown again, we’re most hopeful for the introduction of Saruman the White, the wisest of the bunch who is eventually deceived into evil by Sauron. While it would be strange to see someone other than Christopher Lee play this role, Saruman is a very complex and interesting character that we believe the show would benefit immensely from including.
6 Celebrían
Now, here is a character that may be on the more unlikely end of the spectrum. In the books, Celebrían is the daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn, born early in the Second Age.
Not only that, she eventually marries Elrond as well and goes on to be the mother of Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir. Celebrían lived with her mother and father in Eregion, though she ultimately fled to Rivendell during the war against Sauron. It was there that she met Elrond and became a key figure in one of the safest havens in Middle-Earth.
Given her connections to many of the core characters in the show, primarily Galadriel and Elrond, Celebrían may seem like an obvious choice to include in the series. However, her lack of real impact upon the story of the Second Age also makes her an easy choice to omit.
There is real potential in the idea of including her in the story though. She never received a lot of development in the books, which makes the character a bit of a blank slate that the showrunners of The Rings of Power could easily build upon.
5 Tom Bombadil
In what is sure to be one of the most controversial picks on this list, we would like to see what The Rings of Power could do with the strange and jolly fellow that is Tom Bombadil. The exclusion of Bombadil from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most talked about deviations from Tolkien’s original story, even if it was a smart choice for that particular adaptation.
That said, Bombadil is one of the most fun and interesting characters in the entirety of Tolkien’s Legendarium, and it would be a tragedy if the character never found his way to screens in one way or another.
Now, admittedly, we’re not really sure how Bombadil would fit into this story. He sort of just exists in his own bubble in Middle-Earth and has no major impact on the world around him. However, he is potentially the oldest living being in Middle-Earth, even predating the birth of the Elves in Cuiviénen. Perhaps characters like Galadriel and Elrond or the Stranger and Nori could stumble upon Bombadil’s dwelling during one of their respective adventures.
While this wouldn’t add a lot to the overall core story of The Rings of Power, it would be a nice touch of worldbuilding that would also finally bring this iconic character to life.
4 Anárion
One of the major characters of Middle-Earth’s Second Age who has yet to appear in The Rings of Power is Anárion, son of Elendil and younger brother of Isildur. In Tolkien’s books, Anárion is one of the founding fathers of Gondor and Arnor, the two most powerful Kingdoms of Men. He ruled in these kingdoms alongside his father and brother, and eventually served as a key soldier in the resistance against Sauron at the end of the Second Age.
Although his legend is far lesser-known than those of his father and brother, Anárion was still a crucial figure in the history of Middle-Earth and a direct ancestor to Aragorn.
Like Celeborn, Anárion was not featured in the debut season of The Rings of Power, though his existence within the world was acknowledged, seemingly teasing his introduction in the second season. Specifically, Anárion is mentioned in a conversation between Elendil, Isildur and Eärien (a new character who is sister to Isildur and Anárion).
Supposedly, Anárion lives on the far side of Númenor, where he remains faithful to the words of the Valar and seeks to spread this message. As the Númenorean story develops in season two, we are likely to see increasing conflicts between the Faithful and those that defy the Valar, which will be a plot that Anárion is likely to be central to.
3 Thranduil
Next on the list is Thranduil, the Elven King of the Woodland Realm whom Bilbo and the Dwarven company meet on their Quest of Erebor in The Hobbit. Though Thranduil is primarily known for his actions as an Elven King in the Third Age, as well as being the father of Legolas, his origins also date back to long before then.
He was born in the Elven kingdom of Doriath in the First Age, though he traveled with his father Oropher to the Greenwood (later known as Mirkwood) early in the Second Age. There, Oropher ruled as the first King of the Woodland Realm. Oropher, Thranduil and the Army of the Greenwood went on to play a substantial role in the climactic war with Sauron at the end of the Second Age.
The Rings of Power has already gone out of its way to explore the different Elven cultures throughout Middle-Earth. So far, this has included the Elves in Eregion, Lindon and the Silvan Elves found in the Southeast – such as Arondir. Because of this focus on different Elves throughout the land, it would not be a stretch to include Oropher, Thranduil and the Elves of the Woodland Realm in this story. In particular, they could easily factor into the adventure of the Stranger and Nori.
2 Treebeard
We’ve already gotten one glimpse at the Ents of Fangorn Forest early in the first season of The Rings of Power, as there is a quick shot of them while the Stranger is crashing to Middle-Earth in a meteor. While this could very easily be just a fun bit of fan service to include, it may also be a tease for what to expect in the next season of The Rings of Power.
The Ents are a very old species in Middle-Earth, as the Elves woke them early in the First Age, if not before then. Treebeard himself is one of the oldest beings in all of Middle-Earth, as he even remembers the Elves teaching the trees to speak in the time when Middle-Earth was completely covered in forest.
If the Ents were to be introduced in the second season of The Rings of Power, we would almost certainly get an appearance from Treebeard. This could explore more details about his character that were left out of the films. One such detail could be his actual name, Fangorn, and how the Forest of Fangorn came to be named after him.
In The Two Towers, as the Ents are preparing to attack Isengard, Treebeard states that something is about to happen which has not happened for an Age, implying that the Ents had previously been active during the Second Age at some point. The show could also shed more light on those events as well as the disappearance of the Entwives, which is potentially tied to the spread of Sauron’s evil.
1 Glorfindel
Finally, the last character we want to include on this list is a fan-favorite who has also somehow never made it to the screen before. Of course, we’re talking about Glorfindel, the legendary Elf hero that has played a substantial role in every Age of Middle-Earth.
After his death in battle with a Balrog in the First Age, the Valar sent Glorfindel back to Middle-Earth in the Second Age in order to further protect its peoples from the evils of Morgoth, which were being continued by his servant, Sauron. Later, in the Third Age, Glorfindel fought in many battles, including the Battle of Fornost, during which he proclaimed that the Witch King would not be killed by any man.
During The Lord of the Rings, he assisted Frodo, Aragorn and the hobbits in their flight to Rivendell while being chased by the Nazgûl, though this role was given to Arwen in the films.
Glorfindel is one of the greatest Elves to be found in any of Tolkien’s stories, and his return to Middle-Earth in the Second Age would make for a great addition to The Rings of Power, as it would further cement the lore and history of the world while also introducing a fan-favorite new character in the process. Glorfindel would fit best among the Elves in Lindon and Eregion, interacting with Gil-Galad, Elrond, Galadriel, Celebrimbor and others.
