The ending of The Rings of Power season 2 adequately wraps up most major storylines, though not without teasing what is to come in the future. The various characters spread across Middle-earth are dealing with their own darkness, from the shadow of Sauron lingering over the elves and Númenor to the Balrog threatening Khazad-dûm and the Dark Wizard aiding in the reveal of The Stranger’s identity as Gandalf. Amid war and the creation of the titular jewelry, many storylines could be included in The Rings of Power season 3, both from Tolkien’s writing and those of an original nature.
The War Between Sauron & The Elves Grows Larger
The Battles Of Eriador Will Rage In The Rings Of Power Season 3
The main conflict between Sauron and the elves in Tolkien’s books is aptly named The War of the Elves and Sauron. In the Second Age of Middle-earth, this war began with the Siege of the Eregion as Sauron sought to claim the Rings of Power. After doing so and sacking Eregion, Sauron’s armies spread further across the realm of Eriador and waged several other battles against the elves. This was teased by Gil-galad in The Rings of Power season 2’s final scene.
In The Rings of Power season 3, it is highly likely that the two other major battles of The War of the Elves and Sauron will be depicted. The first of these is the Siege of Imladris, as Sauron attempts to rob Elrond of his newly built stronghold of Rivendell. The second will be the Battle of the Gwathló in which Gil-galad holds the line of defense between Sauron and the elven capital of Lindon.
10Sauron Begins Choosing His Ringwraiths
The Nine Rings Of Men Will Find Their Bearers
While Sauron’s armies wage their war on the elves, the Dark Lord will turn his attention to the kingdoms of Men. The Rings of Power season 2’s ending saw Sauron retrieve the Nine from Galadriel after declaring his intent to give them to the strongest lords of Men. Upon doing so, Sauron will be able to bend these lords to his will until they become all the more familiar to fans of the original books and Peter Jackson’s trilogy and turn into The Lord of the Rings’ Ringwraiths.
Who these lords of Men will be remains to be seen, but there are a few possibilities after The Rings of Power season 2…
Before the Nazgûl become Sauron’s servants, however, the Dark Lord must find the Men who are doomed to die. Who these lords of Men will be remains to be seen, but there are a few possibilities after The Rings of Power season 2’s ending. Common theories have stated that Theo, dubbed lord of Pelargir in season 2, will be a recipient of one of the Nine. Others have claimed that Kemen, now establishing a stronghold in Theo’s town, will also be a victim of Sauron’s corruption.
Pharazôn & Númenor Confront Sauron In Middle-earth
Pharazôn’s Corruption By Sauron Is First Preceded By War
While Kemen establishes a Númenórean foothold in Middle-earth, his father Pharazôn continues to rule as the new king of the island nation. In the books, Pharazôn’s timeline is slightly different than it is in The Rings of Power. Tolkien wrote that Pharazôn and his civil war against the faithful came after The War of the Elves and Sauron, leading Sauron to come to Númenor himself and orchestrate the downfall of the kingdom.
The Rings of Power changed this timeline somewhat, with Númenor’s civil war already happening as The War of the Elves and Sauron broke out. This means that Pharazôn’s Rings of Power season 3 storyline will be a complex one that begins with him fighting Sauron in Middle-earth during the aforementioned Battle of the Gwathló. This is necessary to establish Sauron’s fear of Númenor regarding a military threat, leading him to corrupt Pharazôn later and begin the destruction of the kingdom of Men.
Elendil Reunites With Anárion & Isildur & Travels To Middle-earth
The Númenórean Civil War Will Lead Three Major Figures To Middle-earth
On the other side of the Númenórean civil war are the likes of Elendil and Míriel. Although the latter will remain to oppose Pharazôn, Elendil ended The Rings of Power season 2 by traveling west to his hometown and his second son, Anárion. Just as Elendil flees Armenelos, Isildur takes a ship back to Númenor, teasing a reunion between him, his brother, and his father.
This foreshadows the three eventually leaving Númenor to settle in Middle-earth. As is known from Tolkien’s books, Elendil becomes the High King of Gondor and Arnor, creating the two kingdoms of Men alongside his sons. In The Rings of Power season 3, Elendil is in possession of the sword of Narsil and has turned his back on Númenor, potentially taking him and his children from members of the Faithful to kings of Middle-earth.
Gandalf Confronts The Dark Wizard & Confirms The Villain’s True Identity
Gandalf’s New Identity Offsets The Dark Wizard’s Mystery
A major reveal in The Rings of Power season 2’s ending was The Stranger’s identity as Gandalf. This coincided with the Dark Wizard imploring his fellow Lord of the Rings Istar to help defeat Sauron, only for them to rule as malevolent tyrants in his stead. Gandalf, of course, opposed this, setting up a clash between the two wizards going forward.
Lord of the Rings Wizards
Maiar/Valar Name
Color
Gandalf
Olórin
The Gray
Saruman
Curumo
The White
Radagast
Aiwendil
The Brown
Unknown
Alatar
The Blue
Unknown
Pallando
The Blue
Aside from their confrontation in the Middle-earth lands of Rhûn, The Rings of Power season 3 will also likely answer the true identity of the Dark Wizard. He is evidently one of the Istari, yet which remains to be seen. Radagast is incredibly unlikely, with the most probable outcome being that the Dark Wizard is an early version of Saruman. This would explain the parallels between his and Gandalf’s antagonistic relationship in The Lord of the Rings but leaves T he Rings of Power with the task of explaining how they lose their memories and are reborn later.
Durin IV Faces Dwarven Rebellion & The Balrog
Khazad-dûm’s Future Is As Uncertain As Ever
In the dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, massive changes took place in The Rings of Power season 2’s ending. Durin III sacrificed himself facing the Balrog, trapping both of them in a great chasm as Durin IV looked on. Now the king of Khazad-dûm, Durin is facing a power struggle, claims over the dwarven Rings of Power and the wealth of his kingdom, and the creature wreathed in flame and shadow lurking beneath the mountains.
One of the claims against Durin’s newfound power is said to come from his brother, marking an interesting change in the status of Khazad-dûm for The Rings of Power season 3. Where the Balrog is concerned, Durin has seen it now, and it is hard to imagine him simply ignoring it going forward. Given that little story of worth is provided between the Siege of Eregion and the fall of Khazad-dûm at the Balrog’s hands in the Third Age of Tolkien’s writings, the destruction of the dwarven kingdom could be moved forward and begin as early as The Rings of Power season 3.
Nori Leads The Stoors & Harfoots To The Shire
The Harfoot Storyline Is Seemingly Coming To A Close
In The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, Nori and Gandalf seemingly parted ways. Nori inducted the Stoors into the art of wandering as Gandalf returned to Tom Bombadil. This leaves the storyline of Nori and the Harfoots somewhat unclear, but finding The Shire could be a way of wrapping it up. The origin of Lord of the Rings’ Shire was teased by the Stoors in Rings of Power season 2, and Nori finding it alongside the other tribes of Hobbit would be a neat way of tying her storyline up.
The Construction Of Rivendell With Elrond As Its Lord
Rivendell Will Finally Become A Reality
The final scene of The Rings of Power season 2 saw Elrond lead Gil-galad, Arondir, Galadriel, and the elven survivors of the Siege of Eregion to a hidden valley at the foot of the Misty Mountains. This valley will forever be known as Imladris, or Rivendell, from this point on. In The Rings of Power season 3, Elrond will likely construct the buildings of Rivendell as seen in The Lord of the Rings before Sauron lays siege to it.
Galadriel Will Reunite With Celeborn
The Thought-Dead Husband Of Galadriel Will Return
Since The Rings of Power season 1’s premiere, one of the biggest questions has surrounded Galadriel’s husband, Celeborn. The Rings of Power season 1, episode 7 made mention of Celeborn, with Galadriel stating he went missing during the War of Wrath and is thus believed dead. This cannot be true based on Tolkien’s writing, as Celeborn is alive during Th e Lord of the Rings.
In The Rings of Power season 3, Celeborn will likely return. This will reunite Galadriel with her husband, leading her to be more like her character in The Lord of the Rings. Furthermore, the creators of The Rings of Power hinted in an interview with IGN that Celeborn could show up across the 50-hour story that the Prime Video show is telling.
Sauron Turns Mordor Into His Fortress & Begins Building Barad-dûr
Sauron Needs A Base Of Operations
As The War of the Elves and Sauron erupts in The Rings of Power season 3, the Dark Lord will need somewhere to operate from. In The Lord of the Rings, that place is the fortress of Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower located in Mordor. This tower was built as Sauron forged the One Ring, before The War of the Elves and Sauron. Given the different timeline of The Rings of Power, Barad-dûr will likely be built as the One Ring is forged, establishing Mordor as the seat of Sauron’s power.
Sauron Crafts The One Ring
The Dark Lord Cements His Power
The final storyline that will likely end The Rings of Power season 3 is the crafting of The Lord of the Rings’ One Ring. Sauron now has all the Rings of Power he can possess under his control and needs One Ring to bind them. As a means of ending The Rings of Power season 3 on an incredibly strong note, Sauron’s One Ring could be forged in the fires of Mount Doom in the Dark Lord’s final bid to bring all the free peoples of Middle-earth under his control.
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