Rings Of Power Season 2 Teases Unexpected Characters Sharing The Battlefield
Contains spoilers for "The Rings of Power" Season 2
"The Rings of Power" Season 1 got off to a slow start — something that Season 2 is set up to easily fix. As is the case with most massive world adaptations, it takes time to establish locations, introduce characters, and set up storylines. Now that the stage is set, the second installment of the show should be able to crank up the intensity.
One recent rumor that points to a more action-packed Season 2 comes from Fellowship of Fans. The fansite is a hot spot for "Rings of Power" leaks, rumors, speculation, and inside scoops. The latest tidbit of Season 2 information hints at a battle so big it could bring together characters that we last saw hundreds of miles apart on the Middle-earth continent. The exclusive scoop reads, "Arondir will be present at the 2 episode battle in The Rings of Power Season 2 alongside Elrond whilst fighting Adar's Army."
After adding that new series regular Nia Towle, will play a human named Estrid, a follow-up claim suggests that another trio of characters could also team up for a portion of Season 2. It says, "Arondir, Isildur and Estrid will be in the same plot line and share scenes together for some of the season."
The fact that major characters in a show will be present for either a climatic battle sequence or a chunk of the Season 2 story doesn't sound too surprising — until one considers how far apart some of these characters were the last time we saw them.
Where was everyone at the end of Season 1?
In a couple of sentences, the above scoop makes the bold claim that no less than five major characters from the show will cross paths in Season 2 of "The Rings of Power." Two of them will link up in a two-episode-long battle, and three of them will connect for a significant amount of the Season 2 story. Where were all of these characters the last time we saw them in Season 1?
Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) headed off to the southern Human port of Pelargir along with the Southlanders who survived the eruption of Mount Doom. Isildur (Maxim Baldry) remained behind, lost in the newly minted hellscape of Mordor. Adar (Joseph Mawle) was also last spotted in Mordor, although he was comfortably at home leading his new Orcish realm. Elrond (Robert Aramayo) was present several hundred miles north in the Elvish Kingdom of Eregion, where he witnessed the forging of the Three Rings of Power. And Estrid? Again, Nia Towle's character is new. So we don't know where she is yet. However, if she is, indeed, Human and will be linking up with Arondir and Isildur, she probably lives somewhere in or around the southern portions of the Middle-earth map.
Why does all of this matter? Because each of these locations is dozens, if not hundreds, of miles apart from one another. The fact that individuals from Mordor, Pelargir, and Eregion might end up on the same battlefield somewhere means we're probably going to get some fast-paced travel at some point in the season to bring people together.
Season 1 already moved really fast — geographically speaking
Showrunners for "The Rings of Power" already showed us in Season 1 that they're willing to cover vast geographic distances at will. In Episode 1, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) sails across the huge western sea of Belegaer off the western coast of Middle-earth ... and then starts swimming back across it as if it's no bigger than a pool at the Y. By episode three, she's picked up along with Haldir and the two are swiftly brought vast distances south to the island nation of Númenor before skipping back to Middle-earth a few episodes later in blindingly fast fashion.
Meanwhile, back on the mainland, people move about at similarly jarring speeds. The Harfoots migrate for weeks across unknown distances. Arondir hears about Gil-galad's (Benjamin Walker) proclamations (pronounced half a world away) lickety-split. Elrond travels from Lindon to visit the Dwarves in no time, and he and Durin IV (Owain Arthur) cross the mines of Khazad-dûm as if it's a few minutes away and not on the other side of a massive mountain range.
The point here? The time it takes to cross distances doesn't seem to factor into the showrunners' calculations much. So it's completely possible that they could bring together several characters who start hundreds of miles apart. Heck, based on Season 1 writing, they could do it within the span of an episode or two to ensure they have all of the right faces present when the arrows start flying.
The nagging question is, why will these two groups, in particular, be on screen together?
Why are these individuals crossing paths?
As far as Arondir, Isildur, and Estrid being together for a chunk of the Season 2 story on "The Rings of Power," that one's easier to imagine, geographically speaking. Isildur is still lost in Mordor when Season 1 ends and Arondir is right on the other side of the surrounding mountains in the area that will eventually become Gondor. It's easy to see the two linking up at some point as Isildur tries to find his way back home. Toss Estrid in as a friendly new face Isildur meets along his harrowing journey of survival, and you're good to go.
As far as Arondir, Elrond, and Adar all being at a battle together, that's a bit harder to reconcile. Adar ended Season 1 in Mordor with Arondir close by in southern Middle-earth. Elrond was way up north in the Misty Mountain kingdom of Eregion, helping forge Rings of Power. If the three are going to end up on a battlefield somewhere, our best guess is that it'll have something to do with those same Rings of Power.
In the source material, Sauron attacks Eregion to claim the Rings of Power. Perhaps the show will have Adar lead this attack in his stead, maybe even as Sauron's new lieutenant. In that case, it's possible we could see Arondir recalled from Pelargir to help protect Eregion. In the book "Unfinished Tales," when Sauron invades Eregion, it explains that the Elven king Gil-galad "sent out a force under Elrond Half-elven." Elrond tries to help the beleaguered city, and it's easy to see how Arondir could be asked to join the half-Elven general's forces. Of course, all of this is speculation. Nothing will be set in stone until Season 2 of "The Rings of Power" finally premieres at some point down the road.