It looks like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 may start introducing the Nazgûl, and will give one of them a sad backstory. In The Rings of Power season 1 finale, Galadriel exposed Halbrand as Sauron but continued with the forging of the rings that he had been working on with Celebrimbor anyway. This was because their magical properties could delay the fading of the Elves. Executive producer Lindsey Weber confirmed in an Empire print feature that more rings are coming to season 2, so ring-bearing Nazgûl may well be on the cards.

The Rings of Power season 2 will explore the nine rings of Men and the seven rings of Dwarves, since season 1 covered off the three Elven rings already. Although the Three were made after the rings of Men and Dwarves in canon, the show introduced them first to fit the narrative and pacing of their adaptation. The show may also introduce the One Ring in season 2, forged the last of all Rings of Power, to subject ring-bearers to its control. It was the nine rings of Men that turned their wearers into Nazgûl, immortal but enslaved to Sauron.

Theo Is The Clearest Candidate For Nazgûl After Rings Of Power Season 1

There Are Clear Signs That Theo May Become A Nazgûl

One of The Rings of Power’s new characters, Theo, may become a Nazgûl eventually. The Rings of Power introduced a lot of original characters alongside classic Tolkien characters, across disparate storylines, leading many to question where it was going with them. Theo was from the Southlands, a region with a long-lost king that provided an in-universe cover story for Sauron’s “King of the Southlands” Halbrand disguise. But Theo may be the real reason for the show’s need for the Southlanders.

In planning its end game of telling the story of The Rings of Power, the show likely planned out the recipients of its titular rings well in advance. Showrunners confirmed that King Durin III will receive a ring in season 2, in a print feature for Total Film. Speaking to Collider, showrunner Patrick McKay implied that one of the Southlanders will receive one of Sauron’s rings of Men in season 2. Theo’s dark attraction to Sauron’s sword hilt makes him the clearest candidate here, and Theo becoming a Nazgûl would help to explain the show’s need to introduce the Southlanders.

The Southlanders Will Need A Plan After The Eruption Of Mount Doom In Rings Of Power

The Southlanders Will Be Vulnerable To The Offer Of A Ring

Showrunner Patrick McKay linked the Southlanders’ refugee status in The Rings of Power season 2 to the nine rings of Men, implying that one of the Southlanders will take a Ring of Power. Sauron will manipulate Celebrimbor into helping him forge the rings for Men and Dwarves in season 2, using a different disguise to the one he used in season 1. In lore, Sauron then “dealt them out“, but Tolkien provided little detail on where or how he did this. This is where the Southlanders could come in.

McKay commented to Collider that “Southlanders who had a home in Mordor that has been utterly devastated and destroyed are now essentially refugees,” before teasing that this will play into Sauron’s overarching plan somehow. He gave a clue as to how – “Men are weak… Men eventually take rings.” Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien said of Sauron in The Silmarillion that Men were “the readiest to his will,” and the Southlanders may be open to offers of aid after the disaster of season 1.

Bronwyn Not Returning For Season 2 Makes Theo’s Need More Dire

Bronwyn Actress Nazanin Boniadi Won’t Return For Season 2

Theo’s mother, Bronwyn, may not be in The Rings of Power season 2, and her absence could be what pushes Theo to accept the offer of a Ring of Power. Bronwyn actress Nazanin Boniadi confirmed that she chose not to return for season 2, and the show has not confirmed a recast. The show could reduce her importance by focusing on other plotlines, and glazing over Boniadi’s absence. However, The Rings of Power season 2’s missing character could signify a bigger change, like Bronwyn’s death or disappearance. Losing Bronwyn would have huge consequences for Theo, and may make him desperate.

The show could explain Bronwyn’s absence by having her killed, taken prisoner, or pursued off-screen between seasons 1 and 2. Another character would have to explain this in season 2. Already in turmoil after the destruction of their home, the Southlanders would be even more vulnerable after the death or disappearance of their leader, Bronwyn. As Bronwyn’s son, Theo would bear the personal cross of his loss, plus the additional one of taking up the mantle of her leadership. He would be under pressure to find an answer to his people’s problems.

As a character who already harbored darkness in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Theo would be in the perfect position to accept the offer of one of Sauron’s magical rings. Theo could use the powers of the ring to protect his people and continue on his path towards becoming the “soldier” that he dreamed of being in season 1. As a would-be leader and warrior, Theo’s ring would enable him to start to embody the idea of an early Nazgûl as Tolkien wrote it – “mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors.”

Sources: Collider