7 Rings of Power moments that were not at all anticipated

Prime Video’s The Rings of Power expanded the fantasy world of Middle-earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien. By introducing the series, we witnessed the history of Middle-earth during the Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the War of the One Ring.

The Rings of Power narrates the time in Middle-earth before Sauron became the Dark Lord. The fantasy series introduced us to the events that surrounded Sauron’s creation of the rings of power and how they were distributed. It further depicted Sauron becoming the evil lord that we see in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and also showcased how the Balrog that became Durin’s Bane in Moria was awakened. While including specific events that we were looking forward to, it also included surprising elements that made the narrative more intriguing.

Here’s a list of 7 such moments from The Rings of Power that were not anticipated at all and caught us off guard with their impact.

Disclaimer: This entire article is based on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

7 Rings of Power moments that were not at all anticipated

7) Introducing more rings

The Elven rings in The Rings of Power | Image via New Line Cinema

The Rings of Power’s most anticipated moments were the creation of the rings that were finally forged at the end of Season 1 and belonged to the Elves. It was already known that mithril would be used to forge these rings, but at that point, it was not anticipated whether the other rings would be shown or only mentioned.

However, Season 2 answered all those questions by introducing more rings, as King Durin III also received a ring of power that became his bane. Furthermore, in the penultimate episode of Season 2, Celebrimbor creates the nine rings of power for Men, introducing more rings in the series that were not anticipated.

6) Rían destroys the Ravager

Selina Lo in The Rings of Power | Image via Instagram: theringsofpower

The Rings of Power has introduced many non-canonical characters who, however small or big their on-screen presence, got to have their epic moments. One of these characters is Rían, played by Selina Lo, an Elf archer who was introduced in Season 2 of the Prime Video series.

In the penultimate episode of Season 2 of The Rings of Power, the siege of Eregion was depicted, showcasing the epic battle between Elrond and his army and Adar and his Orc army. As the Orc army tried to break Eregion’s walls with their war machine, known as the Ravager, Elrond asked his Elf archer to use an arrow to destroy the machine.

Mirroring the Boromir sacrifice from The Lord of the Rings film, Rían sacrificed herself while destroying the machine. She, covered in countless arrows, pulled out one of them, dipped it in oil, and fired the arrow toward the machine, destroying the Ravager with just one shot. This was not one of the anticipated moments from the battle, but it became one of the best moments of the season.

5) Arondir’s escape

Ismael Cruz Córdova in The Rings of Power | Image via Instagram: theringsofpower

Arondir, played by Ismael Cruz Córdova, was another non-canonical character introduced in The Rings of Power. The Elf and his friend, Revion, were captured by Adar’s Orcs and forced to dig trenches in order to reach the human villages, as they are sensitive to sunlight.

In one of the most intense scenes of the series, Arondir fights with a Warg when the captives, including Arondir and Revion, try to escape. He kills it, and as they make a run to get out of the construction camp, Revion gets killed by the Orcs in front of Arondir, resulting in the failure of the escape attempt. It became one of the intense moments of Season 1, which no one anticipated, and Arondir became one of the popular new characters from The Rings of Power.

4) Sauron becoming Annatar

While Sauron fooled everyone with his disguise as Halbrand in Season 1 of The Rings of Power, and successfully forged the three rings of power, his real identity was eventually revealed. Celebrimbor was made aware of it by Galadriel, making the task of forging more rings difficult.

Therefore, he had to take another disguise and shapeshift into Annatar, the messenger of Valar, to convince Celebrimbor to forge more rings. Annatar’s appearance might not have been anticipated at first, since Halbrand still appeared at the beginning of Season 2. However, his arrival in Eregion put the series on the right path toward the forging of the One Ring and Sauron becoming the Dark Lord.

3) A glimpse of Barad-dûr

Barad-dûr in The Rings of Power | Image via New Line Cinema

While many new places were introduced in Middle-earth through The Rings of Power, my attention was caught by the Season 2 teaser. The teaser trailer of Season 2 of the Prime Video series gave us a glimpse of Barad-dûr, the black tower where Sauron resided.

While only three rings were forged in Season 1, many more were expected in the upcoming seasons, including the creation of the One Ring. The appearance of Barad-dûr in the trailer itself was a surprising moment and was not at all anticipated at first.

2) Introduction of the Stranger

Another surprising moment from Season 1 of The Rings of Power was the introduction of the Stranger. As his identity was still a mystery, many guessed correctly that it might be Gandalf, which was revealed later in the season finale.

However, Gandalf appearing as a mysterious wizard out of nowhere was one of those moments that was not anticipated but later became an exciting part of the show’s narrative. Just like Sauron, we might also witness more of Gandalf’s Istari magic and his friendly relationship with the Hobbits.

1) Celebrimbor’s speech

The Lord of Eregion, Celebrimbor, became the instrument through which Sauron created havoc in Middle-earth, which would become one of the major causes of battles and the destruction of countless lives. However, his death became one of the most symbolic moments in The Rings of Power due to his speech.

As he accepted his flaw of being manipulated by Sauron, which he had easily given in to, he also predicted Sauron’s future defeat. He said that the strength of the Elves might not be enough to defeat Sauron, but only one thing—light—would be able to conquer the evil force of darkness.

Both Hobbits were left alone in their journey and became each other’s strength, protecting one another as they reached Mordor to destroy the One Ring—ultimately defeating Sauron forever. This moment from Season 2 was not one of the anticipated ones, but it became a foretelling of what was to come for Sauron in the future.