Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has finally come to an end. The sophomore season of the Prime Video series took viewers deeper into the perilous age of Middle Earth, providing a glimpse of a war that would change the landscape of the region. Moreover, it also made fans realize how powerful Sauron is and uses deception to corrupt the brightest minds of Middle Earth. While the first seven episodes of Season 2 lead up to the fall of Eregion, the finale features some of the best moments of the series so far. Apart from brilliant action sequences, the finale featured an epic confrontation between Sauron and Celebrimbor, revealing important aspects of the villain’s master plan.
But the final episode of The Rings of Power season 2 was not just about intriguing characters and conversations. The war had begun, and without any guesses, it led to numerous casualties. Some of the deaths that took place in the finale felt unavoidable, as it seemed only a matter of time before these characters met their fate. These deaths would change the narrative completely and could play a vital role in how the heroes of Middle Earth change their strategies against Sauron. Let’s take a look at all the important characters who died in the final episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2.
King Durin III
King Durin III was the first person on Middle Earth who wore the rings made by Sauron and got to know about its power. He wore the ring and believed that everything it showed him was for the betterment of his kingdom. However, it was exactly the opposite. In the finale of The Rings of Power season 2, Prince Durin meets his father and tells him to stop digging the mountain. But he didn’t listen and started digging again. As a result, Prince Durin got to see why his father wanted to continue digging the mountain. The mountain was filled with Mithril and that amount of Mithril could have made the Dwarves invincible. As they continued talking to each other, a flame of fire seemed to be coming up from the very depths of Khazad-dûm and a few moments later, fans got to see Balrog.
Balrog attacks the father-son, making Prince Durin fall on the ground. Eventually, King Durin understands the magnitude of the problem and takes off the ring. He talks to his son for one last time and calls him “King Durin” before attacking the monster. The ending moments of the sequence is one of the best moments in the history of fantasy television or maybe, television.
Celebrimbor
Well, Celebrimbor’s death was inevitable. However, no one knew that it would be so brutal. For several episodes, Sauron and the Lord of the Eregion continued to outclass each other to accomplish what they wanted to. But, in the penultimate episode of Season 2, Celebrimbor realizes how Sauron lied to him about everything. The villain didn’t shy away from taking control of the situation and doing his dirty work. In the finale, Celebrimbor is badly injured because of Sauron’s actions. The Lord of Eregion is covered in arrows as Sauron wishes to inflict pain on him, so Celebrimbor tells him about the whereabouts of the nine rings. However, Celebrimbor refuses to tell Sauron about the rings and calls him a deceiver. As the conversation continues, Sauron tells Celebrimbor that he wants these rings to make Middle Earth see how it can prosper under his rule.
Celebrimbor is amused by thinking about it and says nothing good can happen if he (Sauron) takes up power. Sauron gets annoyed with how the Lord of the Eregion is talking to him, inflicting more pain on him. The conversation gets more and more intense with each passing minute, prompting Sauron to do something catastrophic. He takes a spear and pierces through Celebrimbor’s stomach. As he lay dying, the Lord of Eregion declared that the fearsome villain would never be recognized as the ruler of Middle Earth, but would forever be known only as “The Lord of the Rings.” The entire scene between Sauron and Celebrimbor is one of the darkest moments in LOTR history. Celebrimbor’s death is as brutal as it can get and would change the direction of this war.
Adar
Here’s another character whose death was inevitable and took place in the final episode of The Rings of Power season 2. Ever since his introduction, Adar has been one of the characters that has been very intriguing. His backstory made Adar a compelling name in Tolkien’s universe. The first season saw Adar leading his army of Orcs into Middle Earth to fight Elves. However, in season 2, his plans changed and as soon as he got to know about Sauron’s return, all he wanted to do it to kill him. As a result, he led his army to the Eregion and asked Galadriel to help him in defeating Sauron. Little did he know that Sauron wanted this from the beginning and needed an army to accomplish his tasks. In the seventh episode of The Rings of Power season 2, Adar finally gets hold of Galadriel’s ring and wears it. For the first time, fans got to see him without his Orc appearance and told Galadriel about how he got the name of Adar. Eventually, he realizes how Sauron can be so dangerous for Middle Earth and gives up the ring. Additionally, he gives the ring back to Galadriel and promises her to finish Sauron.
However, at the same time, the Orcs bring the body of an Uruk in front of Adar. The Uruk is about to die and as soon as Adar comes near him, the Uruk stabs him, meaning Sauron has taken complete control over the Orcs. But it didn’t stop there because the Orcs kept on stabbing Adar multiple times before stopping. It’s so ironic that Adar died the same way he and his orcs killed Sauron in the very first episode of Season 2. With Adar’s death, the Orcs now have a new master in the form of Sauron.
Uruk
In the world of The Lord of the Rings, Uruks play an important role in Sauron’s master plan to rule Middle Earth. Peter Jackson’s trilogy of The Lord of the Rings showed the aforementioned character as the strongest breed of Orc and a brutal warrior. In The Rings of Power, Uruks are considered to be children of Adar who would do anything for their father. However, the finale changes a lot of things. After Sauron kills Celebrimbor, a pack of Orcs comes inside the Lord’s chamber and sees Sauron standing there. One of the Uruks asks if his name is Sauron, to which, he replies that he has many names. A few moments later, fans see Uruks betraying Adar and taking Sauron as their new leader. In the final moments of the episode, Sauron and Galadriel engage in an epic fight on a mountain near the Eregion. Although Sauron wins the fight, he isn’t able to take the rings from the Elven warrior. In frustration, Sauron kills an Uruk in front of the whole pack and leaves him there. The other Uruks just didn’t know how to react and followed Sauron’s orders.
With Season 2 coming to an end with an epic conclusion, it also marks the beginning of a period where peace might turn out to be a distant thought. The heroes of Middle Earth have made it clear that they are ready to go against Sauron and defeat him. Meanwhile, Sauron is now more powerful than ever and, with an army of Orcs behind him, he has become a force to be reckoned with. It would be interesting to see how war continues in Middle Earth when Season 3 returns on Prime Video. Till then, let’s hope The Rings of Power continues to maintain this quality of storytelling.
All episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 are streaming exclusively on Prime Video.a
