Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is coming to Prime Video this September and we’re gearing up for a long-awaited return to Middle-earth. The world created by J.R.R. Tolkien is steeped in history ranging from large-scale wars to literal continent-shifting power struggles. With The Rings of Power adapting the Second Age, we’re excited to see many things play out from the books. From the Harfoots and Numenor to the rise of Sauron and Galadriel, here are 10 things we’re really excited to experience in the upcoming Amazon show.

As a side note, we’re ranking this list based on our personal excitement for seeing each potential event and character. We’ll also do our best to explain certain things from the books that the series alludes to.

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10. Numenor

Numenor will arguably be the most significant location in The Rings of Power. Home of the Numenoreans, the legendary kingdom of Men in Middle-earth’s Second Age, it becomes the site of Sauron’s manipulation and deception, eventually leading to the continent sinking into the sea. Amazon’s show promises a deep exploration of Numenor’s culture and politics, which will be rife with narrative twists and turns inevitably leading to the kingdom’s demise.

9. Harfoots

Harfoots were one of the ancestors of hobbits and they’ll be playing a role in The Rings of Power – but we don’t exactly know how yet. In fact, hobbits aren’t even mentioned in Middle-earth’s history until the Third Age, but it’s possible that Harfoots could’ve existed during the Second Age. Seeing how they factor into the Age’s events will be interesting as they’re seemingly tied to another mysterious figure that we’ll discuss later.

8. Galadriel’s Development

Galadriel in The Rings of Power is presented as a “commander of the Northern armies”, wearing Elven armour and wielding a sword – fitting of a warrior type. Unfortunately, Galadriel commanded no such armies in the books nor did she have any direct involvement in battles (with one exception, more on that in a bit). Peter Jackson’s Galadriel is the more faithful version of the character, so we’ll probably see Amazon’s show present a gradual development of Galadriel’s character into the radiant and powerful Elven ruler of Lothlorien.

7. Oath of Feanor?

One brief shot in the latest teaser trailer shows a group of armour-clad Elves raising their swords, seemingly pledging something. Fans believe this could be the Oath of Feanor, an irrevocable oath taken by the Elven king Feanor and his seven sons, swearing to pursue anyone in the world who seeks to take the Silmarils, three mystical jewels that shine with radiant light. We’re particularly excited about this because it directly ties into the story of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion, accounting the First (and arguably greatest) Age of Middle-earth.

6. War of the Last Alliance

We might be jumping the gun here for what will be the climactic final battle of the Second Age and possibly of The Rings of Power. The War of the Last Alliance already (briefly) appeared in film before as it opened Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. There are actually a lot of contextual backstories that lead to this dire war, which is where Amazon’s show can step in and provide. With more screen time, hopefully, this great war is as spectacular in the series as it was in the film. (Image above probably not the War of the Last Alliance)

5. The Two Trees of Valinor

The Two Trees of Valinor, named Laurelin and Telperion, are quite significant in the history of Middle-earth as it marks a pivotal turning point for the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, and his rise to power and domination. We see these trees clearly in The Rings of Power‘s teaser, suggesting that we’ll be travelling way back in time, either through a prologue or flashbacks. It’s not clear if we’ll actually see events from The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales play out (since Amazon doesn’t own those rights), but they’re definitely teasing something.

4. The Forging of the Rings

The forging of the Rings of Power might seem like a no-brainer given the title of the show, but it only marks the middle point of the Second Age. There’s a lot that happens before and after it, spanning hundreds and even thousands of years. Needless to say, Amazon will have a tremendous task of condensing the massive timeline. The forging of the Rings is important, but what comes after is the heart of the Age’s conflict and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings.

3. Meteor Man

In the teasers, we see a man arriving via meteor, crash-landing into Middle-earth. The fanbase has lovingly dubbed him “Meteor Man”, mainly because there’s absolutely nothing from Tolkien’s works that mention this happening. Some speculate that it could be the arrival of Sauron (and the teaser’s visuals seem to suggest this), but what is he doing with the Harfoots? Why did he arrive in that fashion? So many questions here that need answering.

2. Whatever This Is…

There’s a pretty incredible shot of what appears to be an army sinking into the sea as the buildings above the surface burn in flames. This could be one of many events that happen in Middle-earth’s history, ranging from the War of Wrath to the sinking of Numenor (possibly as one of Galadriel’s visions). In our opinion, this is likely the Alqualonde kinslaying, an event that scarred Galadriel as this was the only known (and tragic) conflict that she was directly involved in.

1. Sauron

Finally, we’re very excited to see the Lord of the Rings himself: Sauron. The second Dark Lord barely had a physical presence in the Third Age (well, if you follow the films). However, Sauron has a much more involved role in the events of the Second Age, playing a key figure in the forging of the Rings, the construction of Barad-dur in Mordor, the gradual corruption of the Numenoreans and the collapse of Numenor itself, among many other treacheries. We can’t wait to see Sauron’s rise to become the new looming threat of Middle-earth, and hopefully, Amazon has a good actor to fill those big shoes.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power airs on Amazon Prime Video on 2 September 2022.