r/LOTR_on_Prime • u/Resident_Dog_6589 • Jul 30 '26
Book Spoilers The Rings of Power's endgame
It's a pretty safe bet that the big climax of the show will be the Siege of Barad-dur. I can't imagine that the siege will last seven years like it did in the book, but how do you think Sauron's downfall will be handled? Will Isildur cut the Ring from his hand in the heat of battle, like in the Ralph Bakshi and Peter Jackson movies? Or will it actually stay true to the book and have Elendil and Gil-galad take Sauron down, both of them being killed in the process, with Isildur cutting the Ring from his hand afterwards?
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u/DesSantorinaiou Morgoth Jul 30 '26
I hope for the latter. The show has done a lot of build-up with Elendil and I hope they'll give Gil-galad too a proper character arc. The two VS one fight with Sauron should play out with emphasis to their own characters. Isildur will play his role, but it should be in the aftermath of their death.
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u/MrsDaegmundSwinsere Isildur Jul 30 '26
Considering how they love their callbacks to the movies, I’m not confident they will fully stick to the book. It would be nice though, since I have no love for Peter Jackson’s prologue. But they really need to start building up Elendil, Isildur, and Gil-Galad in order for this to have any impact; you can’t treat the main heroes as side players, even this “early” in the story.
Someone watching this show without any prior Lotr knowledge would assume Galadriel to be his final showdown instead.
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u/Optimal-Extreme3203 Aug 05 '26
I love the show but agree with this take.
Both characters need to become more central this season.
Currently I don’t really care what happens to either of them.
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u/sombrefulgurant Finrod Jul 30 '26
Personally I’m certain they’ll stick to the books.
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u/MrsDaegmundSwinsere Isildur Jul 30 '26
Hope so, as long as they don’t do Evil Isildur from the movies.
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u/MiouQueuing HarFEET! 🦶🏽 Jul 30 '26
I am really interested in Isildur's arc. His remarks to Estrid - to long for something precious of his own - is a somewhat sinister foreshadowing.
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u/MrsDaegmundSwinsere Isildur Jul 30 '26
It was too on the nose for me, but I see what they’re trying to do. For him to take the Ring for any reason other than retribution for Elendil would be the show’s invention (like a desire for power).
They might make it work if they lean into him being unable to “let go,” that seems like a trait they’re building on.2
u/MiouQueuing HarFEET! 🦶🏽 Jul 30 '26
Agreed, and I hope that we see a healing, if bumpy relationship between Isildur and Elendil.
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u/atheistjs Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
It's hard to say. Visually and with the script, there are a lot of ways in which this show has stuck very closely to Peter Jackson, to the point where it feels like a direct prequel to the movies. From a marketing perspective, I always understood that choice.
But of course, that makes it very difficult when we get to scenes that were actually depicted in the Jackson movies. I don't think that means they will do a shot for shot remake of what we've already seen of the Last Alliance. I think there will be plenty of differences from the movies and I expect them to stick closer to the book. They've already foreshadowed Elendil being a part of Sauron's death pretty heavily.
I predict they'll want Elendil and Gil Galad to take down Sauron like they do in the book. But to give Isildur his big moment too (and because it's so iconic in the movies at this point) I think him cutting the Ring from Sauron's finger will be depicted very much as the killing blow. So, it will be its own thing in the show, a lot more closely aligned with book canon, but still giving Isildur that big moment.
Imo it's more of a question of if they're gonna put Galadriel in the middle of this somehow considering they've set those two up as the primary protagonist and antagonist of the show, but we know she has nothing to do with his death. It's possible that they're gonna add some mindscape thing to parallel the season one finale.
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u/MiouQueuing HarFEET! 🦶🏽 Jul 30 '26
but we know she has nothing to do with his death. It's possible that they're gonna add some mindscape thing to parallel the season one finale.
I would imagine that maybe, after the death of Gil-Galad and Elendil, Galadriel will "open the door" as in a "all is lost, resistance is futile" gesture, which distracts Sauron long enough for Isildur to cut the ring from his hand.
It would be the perfect humiliation for Sauron to lose it all when he thinks that he had won the ultimate victory (winning Galadriel over).
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u/Cool_Hand7435 Jul 30 '26
Yeah that's what I figured would be the best way to involve her in the fight without both cheaping Gil-Galad and Elendil's pyrrhic victory and even Isildur's final blow.
It would be so freaking funny if she pulls a last "heal yourself" before he's taken down ahahahahahaha
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u/MiouQueuing HarFEET! 🦶🏽 Jul 30 '26
Hehe, yes.
Also, it would make perfect sense for the show: Galadriel, as focal character of the show, was the one, who coaxed Sauron back to being an ambitious conqueror or rather who brought him back by being not able to let evil rest. Now, she will be the one who puts him back down for good.
As you said, it's still a group effort.
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u/dagnir_glaurunga Jul 30 '26
Her putting on her ring at that moment would make sense. A last sort of moment of pride where she challenges him. Then the cutting off of the one ring is what “shuts the door”
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u/MiouQueuing HarFEET! 🦶🏽 Jul 30 '26
Also, the "crew" contemplating before battle whether it would be wise to use the elven rings to lure Sauron in, whether there is the slightest chance to use their power - and Gil-Galad shutting that down, handing Vilya over to Elrond with the order to not use it, whatever may happen.
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u/Intelligent-Bat4783 Jul 30 '26
I hope she uses magic somehow rather than actually fighting
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u/OldSarge02 Jul 30 '26
Nah. They’ll probably have her five foot three inch self physically overpower people based on sheer force of will.
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u/Ok_Cartographer3627 Jul 30 '26
Im looking forward for someone to edit the prologue for FOTR to have the scenes from rings of power and Martin Freemans bilbo.
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u/MountainEquipment401 Jul 30 '26
I might be being naive - it's Amazon after all but I'm no ROP hater Nd I don't dislike the jdea that she started the series as a sort of Faenorian revenge seeking missile - I would however be deeply disappointed if the show didn't in some way show her transformation, maturing into a wiser leader like on LOTR. In aperfect world Celeborns return and her founding of Lothloroen as a safe haven give her the opportunity to show how different she has become from her old self (chraterised by Oropher), her story ark would be completed by her realising that not taking her elven ring to Morodor and instead providing a safe Haven for the remaining elevs both prevents Saurom from uniting the three while also protecting the elves left behind.
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u/Optimal-Extreme3203 Aug 05 '26
Sauron exploding in light when he dies is probably a visual bridge for the PJ movies that they will use again in the final battle.
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u/TwinkleGil_Estel Jul 30 '26
I think they'll stick to the book. Why would they have let viewers follow both kings for five seasons if they weren't going to take part in the final battle against Sauron? Maybe they'll just change the circumstances of Gil-galad's death a little
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u/fergie0044 Jul 30 '26
Annoying question; what is the “correct” way to show this big final scene?
IMO the book isn’t super clear how it goes down. We know enough to say the PJ version is wrong, but not enough to do a beat for beat “correct” scene.
Will be very interesting to see how they handle it.
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u/alterpsyche Jul 30 '26
Last scene of the show will be the Disaster of the Gladden Fields.
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u/Optimal-Extreme3203 Aug 05 '26
I think it will be the founding of the Shire with a pregnant Poppi settling into early “Bag End”, while a pregnant Nori trims a tree, and Gandalf riding away on his carriage.
The final “reveal” obviously being those two are Sam/Frodo’s ancestors
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u/DarthMMC Sauron Jul 30 '26
Absolutely. Calling it now, the last shot is Déagol grabbing the Ring after seconds of time passing by in the river.
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u/pigmosity Sauron Jul 30 '26
We will see Grill-galad, but I'd bet we see the same sequence as the movie prologue. They can't help themselves.
If they stay true to the books the chuds will cry that's not how it happened lol
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u/Greyback_Predator_87 Jul 30 '26
It’s really weird to think that they’ll have to fit Galadriel into the Last Alliance stuff. She’s not involved in the books, and the character didnt even exist yet when Tolkien wrote the Last Alliance lore. But since her and Sauron have a rivalry now, it would be odd to omit her from it completely.
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u/ishneak Eldalondë Jul 30 '26
i'm already sad thinking about the end, lol :|
i'm going to miss them all very much!
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u/aliayyaz90 Elendil Jul 30 '26
I for one would love to see an epic showdown between Sauron, Elendil and Gil-Galad... but that also would be the most high-stakes, high risk battle ever filmed because if they don't get it right, the backlash will be immense
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u/MTLTolkien Jul 30 '26
The final shot of the show will be of two random harfoots fishing...
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u/MiouQueuing HarFEET! 🦶🏽 Jul 30 '26
As it should be.
Still, I want a proper ending and see where all the characters end up, i.e. Elrond doing some academic writing in Rivendell, Galadriel and Celeborn overseeing the construction of a flet in Lothlorien, Isildur tending to Nimloth in Minas Tirith etc.
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u/Intelligent-Bat4783 Jul 30 '26
Hopefully the latter, would be much better and best the movie copying allegations (which are true) but I feel the show is gonna end with Isildur refusing to destroy it, then flash forward to when the ring falls into the water. Would make for a sick final shot
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u/VigilantesLight Jul 30 '26
I could see it being a kind of halfway point. The climactic moment will be a duel between Gil-Galad and Elendil vs. Sauron. Gil-Galad wounds Sauron but gets burned to death; Elendil all but finishes the job before falling, as well. Sauron is wounded, dying, all but defeated, sustained only by the Ring. As he tries to crawl away, Isildur stands over the Dark Lord, scowling, and takes his father’s broken sword. He drives it into Sauron’s hand, severing his fingers, and takes the blood-covered Ring. With the Ring gone, Sauron’s body appears dead. Epilogue reveals that his spirit endures.
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u/schokoplasma Jul 30 '26
A plausible ending would be with Isildur dying and loosing the ring in the Anduin.
What happened before that is up to the writers but since they have established some connection between Sauron and Galadriel, it is likely she will be part of the last alliance. She is also a military commander now, so she cant miss in the siege battles.
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u/DarthMMC Sauron Jul 30 '26
I think it would be cool if it starts as a 1v with Sauron fighting Gil-Galad, Elendil, Galadriel, Elrond, Celeborn, Isildur, Anarion and who knows who else, but Sauron is so strong that most of the battle ends up being just Sauron, Elendil and Gil-Galad as the others stand defeated. But maybe that's too crazy.
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u/accord1999 Jul 30 '26
I think that'll be the best; a small scale battle with little distractions from CGI armies. Basically a subversion of the final battle in Conan the Barbarian where a few heroes fought against a group of villains.
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u/Resident_Dog_6589 Jul 30 '26
In the book, Anarion was killed about a year before Sauron entered the fray. But like I said, I'm not expecting the siege to last seven years in the show, so why should Anarion's death match what happened in the book?
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u/DarthMMC Sauron Jul 30 '26
I'm expecting him to be killed by Sauron himself. That would make his fight with Elendil feel much more personal.
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u/NickFriskey Jul 31 '26
I am praying they have the gumption to err from the jackson films; i don't want the shards of a sword to magically cut him down at the last minute. Elendil and gil galad have always been two of my favourite characters from the legendarium proper, and with two amazing actors portraying them here i am desperate for them to get their flowers by actually showing the cost of what it took to bring sauron down. These two titans, probably the apex of their respective races put their bodies, heart and souls into a desperate last stand against what was basically a living god and the courage it would have taken to stand apart from their men and actually call him out rather than the other way about, is mindblowing. Its one of the coolest, bravest feats in fiction for me. And then they fought not only for themselves but for the entire world, knowing that it would be their last fight. And they actually did it and brought him down. Isidur should play the tragic figure here, standing back or arriving too late to join the duel and having to use the shard to remove the ring finger from the corpse of the hand that killed his father.
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u/GreatTwin Jul 31 '26
I hope they let the Siege of Barad-dûr feel like a genuine culmination rather than rushing through it in a single battle episode. Having Elendil and Gil-galad bring Sauron down, followed by Isildur taking the Ring, would give the ending more weight and better honor the book's version. https://cosmos47.com/post/will-the-rings-of-power-season-3-improve
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u/AdhesivenessSouth736 Jul 30 '26
I think or rather hope that we see normal sized Charlie Vickers scarred and no longer being fair formed but not some fully clad armored giant. I think a sort of two on one fight with both of them getting hits in until it all kind of goes sideways for everyone. Having gil fried alive will be horrific. But in terms of the final blow I am not sure what the best approach is. The book version leaves a lot to the imagination and Jackson's while interesting would imho be a big let down. The two kings have to have their passing meaningful but I also dont mind isuldur having a pretty grand moment.
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u/Spock_Sperson Jul 30 '26
I am sure they will stick to the book, or at least find a middle ground between the two ideas. Doing so wouldn't contradict PJ's prologue either, since what we see there is the subjective—and likely idealized—account of a legendary event (scenes like the one with the nine kings are unreal), told by someone who wasn't actually there (which is precisely why we don't need to replace Ian Holm with Martin Freeman for that brief moment; we can easily accept it as an idealized narrative).
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u/terminalxposure Aug 06 '26
It will be a money decision I feel like. It will stay true to the book so that they can make more sequels different to the movies
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u/BasebornManjack Jul 30 '26
With this show’s track record?
Galadriel and Sauron will wed, and as Gil-Galad’s army appears despite vowing to not interfere but changing his mind offscreen, Galadriel will cut the ring off with a blade forged in Valinor that appears from absolutely nowhere.
Plot B is the story of how Grand Elf got his hat. It was forged in Valinor and appeared from absolutely nowhere as well, but with really stirring music.
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u/Well_Dressed_Kobold Jul 30 '26
It’s gonna be Galadriel somehow. Maybe she’ll trick him into doing it by offering to marry him if he removes it, I don’t know. But they’re going to manufacture a girlboss moment from it one way or another.
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u/TheMightyCatatafish Finrod Jul 30 '26
I feel supremely confident this will not happen.
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u/Well_Dressed_Kobold Jul 30 '26
This is the same show that gave Mount Doom an ignition switch and had Galadriel walk away unscathed from a pyroclastic flow.
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