Owain Arthur as Durin IV next to a Balrog as seen in The Rings of Power season 1 (2022)
The Balrog’s inclusion in The Rings of Power season 2 will lead many to wonder what becomes of the dark creature. The Balrog was first teased to be part of the Prime Video adaptation in The Rings of Power season 1’s ending. The Balrog was shown to have been awoken by the dwarves of Khazad-dûm, lurking deep beneath the mountains. This foreshadowed the Balrog’s destruction of Moria teased in the timeline of the Lord of the Rings movies, begging the question of how integral to the show the creature would be.

The ending of The Rings of Power season 2 seems to have answered that question, with the Balrog making its biggest appearance yet. As Durin III succumbed to the greed of the dwarven Ring of Power, the Balrog made itself known. Durin IV could only watch as his father leaped to face the Balrog, sealing the dwarven king and the creature of shadow and flame deep within Khazad-dûm’s chasms. With The Rings of Power season 3’s story on the horizon, the question of what becomes of the Balrog is more prevalent than ever.

The Balrog Is Unlikely To Return In The Rings Of Power Season 3, According To Canon

Tolkien’s Books Indicate The Balrog Remains Hidden For Much Longer

Gandalf fighting the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings

Although it is not clear what direction The Rings of Power will take the Balrog, there is somewhat of a roadmap based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novels. The Balrog was first mentioned as the creature responsible for destroying Khazad-dûm and rendering it the ruined mine of Moria. Interestingly, the Balrog’s awakening was said to happen well into Middle-earth’s Third Age, thousands of years after The Rings of Power, which is set in the Second Age.

After the Balrog destroyed Khazad-dûm and routed the dwarves from the Misty Mountains, it was said that the creature slumbered alone for around 500 years. Only then did the Fellowship of the Ring enter Moria on their journey to Mordor, leading to the Balrog’s fateful confrontation with Gandalf that saw it eventually destroyed. The Rings of Power takes place millennia before this, meaning that – should the show follow Tolkien’s writings – the Balrog will likely not return in season 3.

How The Rings Of Power Can Break Canon To Bring Back The Balrog

The Rings Of Power Has A Condensed Timeline

A Balrog with his mouth open in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RIng.

Despite Tolkien’s timeline, The Rings of Power could go against this and see the Balrog return. Many would see this as a slight against Tolkien, a criticism that is often aimed at the show, yet The Rings of Power has already established that it sports a condensed timeline in comparison to the source material. The events of the Second Age are happening much quicker than they do in Tolkien’s works, meaning a change could also be made to bring back the Balrog

Tolkien’s books do not outline events of any significance between The War of the Elves and Sauron, depicted in The Rings of Power season 2, and the destruction of Khazad-dûm…

The timeline of the dwarves in Middle-earth could be altered so that Khazad-dûm is destroyed at the end of the Second Age. After all, Tolkien’s books do not outline events of any significance between The War of the Elves and Sauron, depicted in The Rings of Power season 2, and the destruction of Khazad-dûm. As such, it could be the case that The Rings of Power simply moves forward the Balrog’s destruction of the dwarven kingdom as this would not make much of a difference to Tolkien’s writings aside from when exactly the event happened.