The second season of The Rings of Power has brought the saga pretty far in some respects. While a few frustrating “mysteries” — like the identities of the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) — remain, Sauron (Charlie Vickers) has managed to forge nearly all of the titular rings. The latest episode of The Rings of Power saw Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) create nine rings for Mankind; now, all that remains is the One Ring, which Sauron will forge in secret to subdue the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
As Season 2 comes to an end, there’s a question of whether Sauron’s own Ring of Power has already been made. It’d certainly bring the series full circle, setting up the next part of the Dark Lord’s master plan. Realistically, though, a few dominoes still need to fall into place before the One Ring can be revealed. One in particular should be a priority for the series in its season finale: the Elves already have their Rings of Power, as do the Dwarves. Now it’s time for the Kingdom of Men to gain their rings, even if it means falling under Sauron’s influence and becoming ethereal monsters.
Introducing the Nazgûl
The Rings of Power has the freedom to interpret the finer details of Tolkien lore as it sees fit, but that doesn’t change the endgame for Sauron. The Dark Lord will come very close to conquering Middle-earth, thanks in part to his Master Ring and also to his minions, the Nazgûl (or Ringwraiths). As the story goes, the Nazgûl were once Men — nine of the greatest warriors and leaders of the Second Age. Sauron gifts them Rings of Power, which they use to amass power and glory. As the years pass, though, Sauron’s corruption will eventually dominate their minds. Their life force is later bound to Sauron’s, and after becoming wraiths, they’ll become his most loyal and ruthless servants.
The identities of all nine Nazgûl were never specified by Tolkien, so there’s no telling which characters in The Rings of Power could fall in with Sauron down the line. The series will also (hopefully) show us the full extent of Sauron’s power to corrupt since Elves and Dwarves are more or less immune to the greater effects of his magic. (They’ll still succumb to Sauron’s influence in other ways, the Dwarves especially, but only Men become Nazgûl in the Tolkien-verse.)
What’s next for Sauron?
Middle-earth is headed straight for all-out chaos, but the fall of Men might be the most exciting future development for The Rings of Power. With only one episode remaining in Season 2, and the future of the series still slightly in jeopardy, The Rings of Power has one more chance to set up Sauron’s future influence over Mankind. The final nine rings have already been made, but one more obstacle stands between Sauron and the next stage of his plan.
Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) notably smuggled the rings out of Eregion in Episode 7, and she plans to keep them as far from Sauron’s reach as possible. Given that she and Sauron are set for another showdown in the season finale, though, there is a high chance that Sauron will secure the rings before long. After that, his next stop might just be Númenor, the doomed island nation locked in a contentious civil conflict. The leaders of Númenor could very well be the first Men to earn Rings of Power — and though it may be some time before we see anyone turn into a Nazgûl, it’d be great if the series could bring us one step closer to that part of Tolkien lore.
