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This article contains Major Spoilers for Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power season 2, episode 8

Two years after the conclusion of season 1, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 has drawn to a close. And to be perfectly frank, this season's eighth and final episode did not turn out very well for our heroes (unless of course you viewed Sauron as a hero, in which case... congrats?). But just because things are looking dour doesn't mean there's no more story to tell. In fact, even though Amazon Prime has not yet officially greenlit season 3, there are plenty of questions that remain about the show's future. And now, using what we know from the season 2 finale, Popverse is going to attempt to answer them.

But be cautious as you proceed. Spoilers, both for season 2 and a potential season 3, are going to be all we talk about here, even though our futurecasting is mere speculation. If that troubles you, well, maybe take a lesson from our pal Durin III and don't dive to deep.

Which, if you're OK with spoilers, is actually a great place to start....

What happens to Khazad-dûm in Rings of Power?

The season finale of Rings of Power season 2 saw the long-awaited awakening of the Balrog of Moria, also known as "Durin's Bane" in Tolkien's legendarium. Appropriately, Durin III met his end in this episode going toe-to-toe with the Balrog in battle, an event that makes little sense in the context of Tolkien lore BUT is a satisfying, redemptive end to Durin III's character in the context of the show.

All that said, the episode leaves things looking pretty grim for new King Durin IV. Not only is the Balrog not dead, but more dwarves have been tempted by the seven Rings of Power granted them by Sauron, and are on their way to make a power play for control of Khazad-dûm. With that in mind, Popverse is predicting the fall of Khazad-dûm and exodus from Moria, which Tolkien writes about in the appendices of Lord of the Rings, to take place in season 3 of Rings of Power. Or at the very least, we expect that the fall of Khazad-dûm under Durin IV will begin, perhaps with another Balrog attack.

What happens to the Elves after Eregion falls in Rings of Power?

While Khazad-dûm may still be kicking, one of the civilizations we've absolutely seen fall by the end of Rings of Power season 2 is Eregion, previously presided over by master craftsman Celebrimbor. Popverse's prediction that Celebrimbor would die by the end of season 2 has indeed come true, but even if he had lived, there would be no realm for him to rule over. Adar, Sauron, and the Orcs have laid waste to Eregion, slaughtering many of its Elven warriors and Citizens.

However, not all the Elves of the realm are dead, and we don't expect them to be without a home for very long. Popverse predicts that season 3 of Amazon's Lord of the Rings series will feature the rise of Rivendell and/or Lórien, following the same path Tolkien laid out when he established two of the greatest Elven realms of the Third Age. We expect these will be important character arcs for the characters of Elrond and Galadriel, since they play an important part in the founding of and ultimately lead both of those realms, respctively.

And speaking of Rings of Power's most controversial kissers...

What happens to Galadriel and Elrond in Rings of Power?

Perhaps the most fan-criticized moment in this season came from episode 7, when Elrond and Galadriel shared an unexpected kiss. To be fair, this was partially so that Elrond could slip Galadriel a lock-pick as she was in shackles at the time, but it still set up a romance between the two that Tolkien fans know could not be farther from canon. 

Galadriel, Lord of the Rings readers will recall, is the mother of Celebrían, who will one day marry Elrond and give birth to Arwen. We can't imagine that the Rings of Power will deviate away from this extremely important aspect of The Lord of the Rings, so we speculate that the Elrond/Galadriel romance will come to an end. But what would keep Galadriel from being with the Elf that will one day be her son-in-law? Well, her husband, probably.

Popverse predicts the introduction of Celeborn in the Rings of Power season 3. Technically, the Elven warrior has already been mentioned in the series, but is said to be presumed dead after joining the Elves' war against Morgoth. We expect that presumption to be false, and that the future Lord of Lórien will come back into Galadriel's life to challenge, and eventually end, the non-canon romantic relationship she finds herself in. 

That is, provided she doesn't end up picking Sauron.

What happens to Númenor in Rings of Power?

Speaking of, what's ahead for our boy, the True Lord of the Rings, in season 3? Especially after he accomplished much of what he wanted to achieve in this season? Our guess is that the occasional Halbrand and Annatar is going to turn his sights away from the Elves and focus on a different conquest: the men of Middle-Earth. If so, Popverse predicts that Sauron will go to war with the kingdom of Númenor in season 3. 

The battle between false king Pharazôn and Sauron is a pivotal one in Tolkien's writings, leading Sauron to surrender, be taken back to Númenor, and, eventually, corrupt the kingdom to its doom. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here; we expect the Númenorians' arc to last until close to the series finale of Rings of Power, especially with its cast growing by at least one in the future, as the Queen-loyal warrior Elendil name-checked his son Anárion in this season's finale.

And besides, Sauron's still got a long way to go before he's pulling an Annatar on Pharazôn. Especially since he's finally succeeded in a project he was trying to complete for the entirety of season 2...

What happens to the 9 rings for Mortal Men in Rings of Power?

That project is, of course, the Nine Rings for Men, Doomed to Die (so the poem goes). After successfully spreading his corruption to the dwarves, Sauron was insistent that Celebrimbor help him do the same to the kingdoms of Men via their own Rings of Power. Sauron got his wish in that the Nine Rings have been unleashed upon Middle-Earth, and where those Rings go, willing users follow. Which is why Popverse predicts the introduction of the Nazgûl in Rings of Power's season 3. 

Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Maybe. After all, the Nazgûl in their Ringwraith forms aren't technically possible until after the creation of Sauron's One Ring, which has not yet happened on the show. However, with the Nine Rings now a reality in their world, we do believe that the powerful humans that will become the Nazgûl will at least start receiving their Rings in this upcoming season, especially since at least a few of them are Númenorians. It's hard to argue that King Pharazôn becomes a Ringwraith in Tolkien's text, but perhaps we'll see Sauron offer a Ring of Power as a token of surrender to Pharazôn's obnoxious son Kemen or, even worse, Elendil's daughter Eärien?

Only time (and the Amazon writer's room) will tell. For now, you can watch the entire first and second seasons  of Rings of Power streaming on Prime Video. And if you're a Popverse member, you can go deeper into the series via our interview with both director Charlotte Brändström and Sauron himself, Charlie Vickers. But don't worry, neither Vickers or Brändström go deep enough to unleash a Balrog.

Unless...?

Whether you're Shirefolk, Elven, Dwarven, or something else, there's a good reason to love Lord of the Rings. We do! With that in mind, we have a dragon's horde of goodies for you from a Lord of the Rings reading guide, a Lord of the Rings watch guide, details on the upcoming animated film Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim, a full the Lord of the Rings reunion panel you can watch, how the OG Hobbit actors stay in touch every day on a groupchat, and the true message of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, according to Gimli himself - John Rhys-Davies.