The first trailer for their first look at this massive streaming series. Set in the Second Age, the series will explore the forging of the titular Rings of Power by Sauron. The biggest reveals from the trailer show that the series is both connecting to the past in powerful ways and also charting unexplored territory.
Though brief, at only a minute long, the Super Bowl trailer gave fans intriguing glimpses of places and characters never seen in live-action, but are major elements of the legendarium created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The trailer also hints at strong connections to the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies, suggesting that this series could be set within the same cinematic world as they were.
The Series Shares Design Elements With The Peter Jackson Movies
It was unclear from the announcement of the Rings of Power series whether it would have any connection to the cinematic adaptation of Tolkien's works by Peter Jackson, some of the best fantasy movies of all time. The trailer makes clear the series shares design elements with the movies.
This is most clear in a brief shot of several elves fighting what appear to be orcs at night in the rain. The elves are wearing very similar golden armor to the elves from the prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring. Their shields share a distinctive shape.
The Last Alliance
The golden armor of the elves directly recalls that of the elves at the epic battle of the Last Alliance, seen in the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring. Given that several characters involved in the battle are present in the new series, the battle may play out in the show.
The series could culminate in the battle, where Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron and triggers the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Isildur, Elrond, and other major characters have been cast in the series.
Gil-Galad
One of those characters is Gil-Galad, the last High King of the Ñoldor in Middle-Earth. He cameoed in the prologue but some fans might have thought he was a character who deserved better in the LoTR movies. They'll get their wish as the trailer reveals his presence.
He's bound to be a major player in the series as the King of Lindor in this period. As one of the most powerful elves in Middle-Earth, he has a direct link to the events that lead to the Rings of Power and the Last Alliance.
Númenor
The kingdom of Númenor is a foundational locale in the greater mythology of Tolkien's legendarium. The Super Bowl trailer reveals the kingdom will appear for the first time in live-action, with a brief shot of a very advanced stone city by the sea.
This island kingdom was destroyed in the Second Age, leading to the diaspora of humans. This ultimately led them to settle in Middle-Earth, forming the kingdom of Gondor that played a central role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Harfoots
An intriguing shot early in the trailer reveals a character is most likely a Harfoot. This character is Nori Brandyfoot, played by actress Markella Kavenagh. These early ancestors of Hobbits are an intriguing addition to the series for many reasons.
The most significant is that Hobbits were absent from the very intricate history Tolkien created for Middle-Earth until the Third Age. The presence of the Harfoots during major events of the Second Age creates a lot of questions.
The Warrior Galadriel
Galadriel is one of the most powerful supernatural beings in Lord of the Rings, but the trailer reveals fans are getting a very different version. This much younger version is a warrior and perhaps a knight who is on some kind of quest.
Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark in the new series, is the focus of the brief trailer and could be the main character of the show. She's seen riding into battle on a horse in one fleeting image, possibly leading others against Sauron.
Intriguing Dagger
One of the most fascinating shots of the new trailer shows Galadriel scaling an icy mountain with only a dagger. It's a very ornate dagger though and one that hints at even deeper lore from the mythos of Middle-Earth that the series could potentially explore.
Two trees grow together on the golden hilt, a likely reference to Laurelin and Telperion, the twin trees of Valinor. Valinor is the ancient origin point of the elves, the Maiar, and the Valar, all mythic beings from the very beginning of Middle-Earth.
Castaway
At some point in the series, Galadriel's journey across Middle-Earth will leave her a castaway. A brief shot in the trailer shows her on a wooden raft with a man who lifts her hair to reveal her Elven pointed ears.
This man is likely Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers. He is a human man who could play a significant role in the story, though this is an original character for the series and doesn't have any obvious source in the original books.
A Young Elrond
One character in the trailer who does have a great history in the books and movies is Elrond. Fans get a glimpse of a much younger Elrond, played by actor Robert Aramayo in the series, as he takes hold of a sword leaning against a block of stone.
Elrond was a heroic figure in the Lord of the Rings, but this shot shows some possible deviousness. That could be linked to where he is and who he is dealing with, which other shots in the trailer help illuminate.
Khazad-dûm
The rock Elrond is near could be the same one in another shot, which is the subject of a dwarf's anger. This dwarf is likely Prince Durin, the ruler of Khazad-dûm, a major location in the books and in the Peter Jackson movies and now again in the series.
In the movies, Khazad-dûm is abandoned and mostly ruins. In the Second Age, it was the greatest kingdom of the dwarves in all of Middle-Earth and fans will finally have a chance to see it in all of its glory.