Fans eager to see a Galadriel/Sauron reunion in the second season of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be thrilled to see the pair meeting in hand-to-hand combat in the final trailer. The trailer also hints at Sauron’s growing dark powers and an unlikely alliance between elves and Uruks.

(Spoilers for S1 below.)

As previously reported, pretty much everyone guessed long before the S1 finale’s reveal that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), king of the Southlands, was Sauron in disguise. Fans even dubbed him “Hot Sauron.” He took advantage of the fact that the elvish light of Valar was fading, putting the race of elves in danger of extinction unless they returned to Valinor to preserve their immortality. The discovery of the precious ore mithril gave the elves another option championed by Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), and the elven smith Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards).

But there was only a little mithril available. Galadriel unwittingly brought Halbrand into the fray, and he suggested bonding the mithril with another metal, claiming it would amplify the mithril’s power—when the opposite was true. The season ended with the forging of the three elven rings out of an alloy of mithril and the gold and silver of Valinor: Narya (the Ring of Fire), to be worn by Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker); Nenya (the Ring of Water), to be worn by Galadriel; and Vilya (the Ring of Air), to be worn by Elrond.

S2 will explore the consequences of Galadriel’s actions in the S1 finale, and we already know there will be a major battle spanning two episodes. The first S2 teaser dropped in May and offered a tantalizing shot of “Hot Elf Sauron” creating Barad-dûr toward the teaser’s end. Prime Video debuted the official full trailer in late July during San Diego Comic-Con. We were also treated to a bonus featurette introducing a host of creatures: Barrow-wights, Hill-trolls, and Sea-worms, as well as Orcs, Ents, and the youthful version of the ravenous giant spider Shelob.

This final trailer opens with an ominous warning of war coming to Middle-Earth, punctuated by scenes of a fiery battle against Sauron’s forces. Elrond and his fellow elves fear Sauron cannot be defeated by their armies, particularly given his emerging powers: “Once the deceiver obtains a being’s trust, he gains the ability to sculpt their very thoughts.” We get further warnings about how the rings will “work an evil beyond reckoning” in Sauron’s hands. Celembrimbor seems to be catching on to the cost of forging the rings for Sauron (“What have you done to me?”), and we see the Uruk Adar approach Galadriel about a possible alliance: “Sauron is my enemy as much as yours,” he says. “I can help you destroy him.” And then we get a brief final glimpse of Galadriel and Sauron clashing swords.

The second season of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on August 29, 2024, on Prime Video.

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