In a few short weeks, Prime Video will premiere the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, its flagship epic fantasy series based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The first two seasons of The Rings of Power took their time establishing all the players on the board, and playing coy with the identities of figures like Sauron and Gandalf. But here at last, the gloves are off, and war has come to Middle-earth.
This week we saw the first full-length trailer for The Rings of Power season 3, and it was packed with scenes that teased a massive journey ahead. From glimpses at new characters and monsters, to series mainstays in ominous locations and new alliances to shake up the balance of power, there's plenty to sift through before the show's November 11 premiere date. Let's go over eight key takeaways from the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3.
1. Sauron will make the One Ring this season
The largest plot development coming our way in The Rings of Power's third season is that Sauron will at long last forge the One Ring that he uses to control all the others that races like Elves, Dwarves, and Men are already using. We see part of this moment at the very end of the trailer, where Sauron puts the Ring on his finger for the first time, lifts his hand to the fires of Mount Doom around him, and watches as they erupt as though he's the conductor of some terrifying molten symphony.
At some point in The Rings of Power season 3, everything will hinge around Sauron finally having his ultimate weapon. But however that shakes out, we can say with certainty that he will create the One Ring this year.
2. Sauron has new monsters at his command
Another large development for Team Sauron heading into season 3 is that his forces have never been stronger. Five years have passed since The Rings of Power season 2, and it's obvious that the Dark Lord has been very busy building up his army in the interim. He's got many monstrous creatures at his beck and call, some of which we've never seen before. Yes, there are familiar beings like orcs and trolls, but this season the Ringwraiths will make their debut as well, albeit in an earlier form that still retains the tiniest shred of their humanity. We also get a look at a winged fell beast, as well as a meeting between Sauron and the Balrog. It's not looking good for the peoples of Middle-earth.
3. The Elves and Númenor will finally form an alliance
Sauron isn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve, though. The trailer confirms that at last, the Elves of Lindon led by Gil-galad and the Men of Númenor, led by Ar-Pharazôn, will form an alliance. This will be the first time we've seen these two factions team up in a substantial way, and it's one of the few things that could actually give the Dark Lord pause.
Of course, it's complicated somewhat by the fact that Pharazôn recently couped his cousin, Tar-Míriel, out of her place as Queen Regent of Númenor. With figures like Elendil likely to oppose Pharazôn's rule, it stands to muddy the waters on this new alliance from the jump. Regardless, for as long as it can stay together, it will be formidable.
4. Khazad-dûm is under pressure from Sauron, with Durin IV as king
While the Elves and Men are teaming up, the Dwarves are cloistered up in their stronghold of Khazad-dûm, hoping to withstand the storm. If you've seen Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, you know that doesn't go well for them. Last season ended with the king, Durin III, delving a bit too greedily and too deep, until he woke up the Balrog that was slumbering in the caverns beneath the city. That threat will grow even worse in season 3.
However, the Balrog isn't the Dwarves' biggest problem. With Durin IV now sitting the throne, he'll have to contend with Sauron himself, who is shown in the trailer coming into Khazad-dûm and forcing Durin to kneel before him. Remember, Sauron needed mithril from the city for the rings he created in season 2; as such, keeping those mines open is going to be an important concern for him as he seeks to create his own ring to rule them all. We also see the Dark Lord facing off with the Balrog, which can only mean bad news for the Dwarves.
5. There will be a quest into Mordor
Another very interesting shot that happens in the trailer shows a group of heroes fighting off orcs in a ruin, while an eagle falls from the black sky above. Earlier in the trailer, we hear the mysterious new orc character Marnûkh reveal to the Elves that Sauron is crafting the One Ring. Putting these two shots together, it seems very likely that we're going to see a group of warriors undertake a mission into Mordor to try and stop Sauron from completing it.
The painful thing is that we know they'll fail, because so much of the rest of the Lord of the Rings mythos hinges on Sauron making the ring. But I have a feeling this desperate quest won't be any less compelling because of it.
6. The Stranger is finally acting like Gandalf
For most of its first two seasons, The Rings of Power tried to play up one of the most obvious mysteries in the franchise's history. The show begins with an amnesiac man known as the Stranger falling from the sky, and while the show kept his name ambiguous for a while, many fans clocked fairly quickly that he was supposed to be Gandalf. We finally got confirmation that's the case at the end of season 2, and now at last in season 3, he's not acting like an amnesiac who doesn't know anything about himself, but like the wizard we knew and loved from Tolkien's other works. That should make for far more interesting material once he finally crosses over with other well-known characters like Galadriel or Isildur.
7. The Dark Wizard and the Easterlings are already serving Sauron
While Sauron will have plenty of new monsters at his command this season, he'll also be locking in some human allies as well. We see multiple shots of oliphaunts, which are the war mounts of the Easterling people of Rhûn, as well as a few glimpses of Khamûl the Easterling, a new character who will become one of Sauron's Ringwraiths. In the shot above, we see Sauron standing with Khamûl as well as the Dark Wizard, who has seemingly fallen under the Dark Lord's sway.
For as dangerous as trolls and orcs may be, a warlord in command of the Easterlings and a wizard of nigh-unsurpassed power are even more so. They represent a serious obstacle for our heroes to overcome.
8. Galadriel is in a full-blown love triangle
While The Rings of Power season 3 will have lots of world-ending stakes, there will also be some of a more personal nature that are just important. This season features the return of Celeborn, Galadriel's long-lost husband she believed was dead since the end of the First Age, when the Elves defeated Sauron's former boss, Morgoth. And while it should be a happy reunion for the pair, we see even in the trailer that Sauron still holds some sway over Galadriel's subconscious. The Rings of Power has played up the romantic tension between Galadriel and the Dark Lord since almost the beginning of the series, and now it will come home to roost. Can she actually love fully again, after everything she's endured?
We'll find out! The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres November 11 on Prime Video.
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