The Rings of Power Should Explore the Dark Side of the Dwarves

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Season 2 of the Prime Video series ended with a lot of unanswered questions, especially surrounding the Dwarves. In the finale, King Durin III gave his life to briefly contain the Balrog hidden under Moria, making his son, Durin IV, the new king. However, Durin IV faces immediate challenges. The Dwarves from the Blue Mountains want their money back – they previously paid Durin III a fortune for Rings of Power. Plus, Durin’s brother is trying to take the throne, and is gaining followers among the Dwarven people.

The third season of The Rings of Power will likely show conflict between the different groups of Dwarves, possibly through political maneuvering or open warfare. While this doesn’t appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or his broader writings – the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains and those in Moria were always allies, and Durin IV never had a brother, let alone one who tried to take his place – these new storylines offer a compelling way to delve into themes Tolkien only hinted at.

The Rings of Power’s Final Battle Will Divide the People of Middle-earth

It’s almost guaranteed that The Rings of Power will lead to the same war we see at the beginning of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This was a huge battle between the good people of Middle-earth and the armies of the evil Dark Lord Sauron, and it ended the Second Age. The fighting mostly involved Elves, Men, and Orcs, though many other creatures participated. In his book The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien detailed the final battle of this war, known as the War of the Last Alliance, describing it as follows:

On that day, all living creatures split into two groups, with animals and birds found supporting either side in the conflict—all except the Elves. They remained united and followed Gil-galad. Very few Dwarves participated in the fighting, though those from the line of Durin of Moria fought against Sauron.

The text states that while Durin’s Folk and other Dwarven groups generally supported the alliance between Elves and Men, some Dwarves actually fought with the Dark Lord’s forces.

It’s surprising to learn that Dwarves allied with Sauron, considering they were typically his staunch opponents. Even the more troublesome Dwarves of the past never sided with the Dark Lord. Unlike many Men who served Sauron through compulsion, Dwarves likely chose to join him willingly, as Tolkien wrote that Dwarves couldn’t have their minds controlled. The Dwarf-lords who wore the Seven Rings did become greedy and hostile due to Sauron’s influence, but they weren’t completely dominated by him or turned into wraiths like the Nazgûl.

Tolkien never revealed why some Dwarves fought alongside Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance, or where they originally came from. While some fans mistakenly believe they were the Petty-dwarves – a separate, hostile group described in The Silmarillion – the Petty-dwarves existed thousands of years earlier. This means the identity of these Dwarven warriors remains unknown. The most plausible idea is that they were from the four Dwarven clans living in the eastern regions of Middle-earth, which were under Sauron’s control. However, the show The Rings of Power might provide a new answer to this question.

The Rings of Power Can Show a Darker Side of Dwarves

Future seasons of The Rings of Power will likely feature a conflict between Sauron and the Dwarves of Moria. The Dwarves previously denied Sauron’s request for more mithril to forge the Nine Rings and aided the Elves during the siege of Eregion, giving Sauron a strong motive for revenge. This could lead some Dwarves who want to remove Durin from power to align with Sauron against him, a decision that would ultimately prove disastrous. Sauron is known for betraying those who help him when it suits his purposes. The show’s writers have creative freedom with Durin’s brother, as this character isn’t part of Tolkien’s original stories, allowing them to develop his personality and storyline as they see fit.

As a huge Tolkien fan, I’m really excited about the direction The Rings of Power seems to be taking. I think it’s brilliant that they’re considering Dwarven villains actively working with Sauron. We haven’t seen anything like that in Peter Jackson’s movies, and it would really set this series apart. We saw Thorin go a bit dark in The Battle of the Five Armies, but he came back to the good side. But genuinely evil Dwarves? That would be something totally new and genuinely scary! It’s a cool idea because all the qualities we love about the Dwarves – their stubbornness and strength – could be twisted into something truly terrifying when used by Sauron’s forces.

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2025-10-25 01:07