In telling the story of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age, The Rings of Power must follow the key narrative of the source material, as per the deal it struck with the Tolkien Estate. Therefore, while the beginning and end points of many characters’ arcs must likely remain intact, their journey could diverge from the source material to fit the adaptation and its required pacing. For this reason, it is hard to predict exactly which characters from Tolkien’s iconic and influential work will enter the series and when. Nevertheless, despite this uncertainty, one character remains an exciting possibility.
Celeborn Isn’t Necessarily Dead In The Rings Of Power
Celeborn Could Have Survived The War
As The Rings of Power season 1 finale explained, Halbrand was Sauron, which damaged the intimacy he had built up with Galadriel over the season and made space for Celeborn to enter the show. Galadriel’s canonical husband was declared lost to the war in season 1 by Galadriel but importantly, she didn’t state that he was dead, rather that she “never saw him again” after he went to war. As such, Celeborn could have survived the war and could enter the show in a future season.
Galadriel never seeing Celeborn again could have been a simplistic in-universe explanation for why the show had to kill off an important character to allow a relationship to blossom between Galadriel and Halbrand. However, it’s more likely that Galadriel’s reference to Celeborn was a Chekhov’s Gun narrative point, meaning it was a setup for a subsequent Celeborn appearance. This makes sense because Celeborn appears in The Fellowship of the Ring, and the show isn’t allowed to contradict significant elements of the original source material, which such a character’s death would appear to be.
The Elves’ War Against Sauron Can Bring Celeborn To Eregion (If He’s Alive)
Sauron Will Fight The Elves In The Rings Of Power Season 2
A battle that has been all but confirmed by showrunners for season 2 offers a chance for The Rings of Power to bring Celeborn back into the narrative. In recent comments to Total Film in a print feature, showrunners confirmed that “Sauron’s agenda” will “set everything in motion” in season 2, pitting an “army of Orcs” against “armies of Elves.” This lines up with The War of the Elves and Sauron from Tolkien’s books, whereby Sauron ended up invading Eregion to demand the Rings of Power. In one version of Tolkien’s story, Celeborn was involved in the Eregion battle.
In accordance with the mystery box writing it favors, the show hasn’t disclosed clues as to Celeborn’s status or whereabouts. Celeborn could be dead, or alive and a prisoner of war. In this instance, he could be being held somewhere as a part of Sauron’s overarching plan. Alternatively, Celeborn could have chosen to stay away from Galadriel for some reason. The coming battle in Eregion would present a real threat to Celeborn’s people, which could tempt him out of hiding or otherwise disrupt events so that he could escape imprisonment.
Celeborn’s Role In The War Between The Elves & Sauron Explained
Celeborn Participated In The War In One Version Of The Story
In one version of events unpublished by Tolkien in his lifetime, Celeborn played a military role in the Siege of Eregion, defending it when Sauron invaded. In The Silmarillion, it was told how Sauron launched “open war” on the Elves and “Eregion was laid waste” but more detail was provided in Unfinished Tales, describing how Celeborn was in Eregion at the time and “made a sortie” to defend the city from Sauron’s troops. Defending Eregion in its moment of need could be a powerful entrance for Galadriel’s missing husband in The Rings of Power season 2.
And in fact, Rings of Power does seem to have taken inspiration from this tale already, as it provided lots of detail on Galadriel and her character, which the show focused on heavily in season 1. For instance, this tale alluded to “Galadriel’s remaining in Middle-earth” over a “sense that it was her duty not to depart while [Sauron] was still finally unconquered,” which season 1’s Galadriel fully embodied. However, this record of events also had Galadriel and Celeborn ruling Eregion together, so it was clearly an experimental, alternative version of The Lord of the Rings timeline.
Difficulties notwithstanding, the show may be seriously considering how to bring Celeborn back before its completion, and season 2’s Eregion battle could provide an answer.
As such, although useful as a character study, this tale’s plot shouldn’t guide a faithful adaptation of Middle-earth’s events, which the showrunners probably know. That makes Celeborn’s return in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 for the Siege of Eregion gray territory canonically, but a possibility. The show would also have to explain what had happened to Celeborn before he could defend Eregion, presenting the show with challenging narrative gymnastics. Difficulties notwithstanding, the show may be seriously considering how to bring Celeborn back before its completion, and season 2’s Eregion battle could provide an answer.
