Warm up your vocal chords and put on your finest pointed hat, because a true legend of Middle-earth is coming to Amazon. Tom Bombadil, one of J.R.R. Tolkien’s strangest, most notorious Lord of the Rings characters, will appear in season two of Prime Video’s The Rings of Power. But we don’t have to wait for the show to return to see him. The studio has already shared its first images of the strange character. Let’s take a look at Tom Bombadil in The Rings of Power.
Tom Bombadil Joins The Rings of Power Season 2
Vanity Fair has the exclusive first look at an almost unrecognizable Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die, Men) as the mysterious Tom Bombadil. (Some fans would say “maddening” over “mysterious.” Others would say “delightful.” He’s a polarizing figure.) This The Lord of the Rings character is well-known to readers of Tolkien’s seminal trilogy. However, in the lead up to his The Rings of Power appearance, Tom Bombadil has been excluded from some of the books’ most famous adaptations. That includes Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films.
Bombadil, a very ancient being with a fondness for singing who some believe is the living embodiment of nature itself, appears early in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. He aids and guides the traveling Hobbits during a time of great danger. However, the long-haired, bearded figure expresses little concern for the outside world. He instead prefers his woodland life free of the worries the living deal with.
Here Are First-Look Images of Tom Bombadil From The Rings of Power
The Rings of Power will introduce Tom Bombadil during an era long before Frodo carried the One Ring. And these first images show that Daniel Weyman’s The Stranger, a wizard ( we’d bet a lot of money is definitely Gandalf) will visit Tom on his journey with Nori and Poppy. Why are these two powerful figures meeting? What knowledge does Tom Bombadil have for a member of the Istari? And how will that factor into both season two and Middle-earth’s coming war with Lord Sauron?
Tom Bombadil’s Role in The Rings of Power Season 2
Co-showrunner J.D. Payne offered some insight into Bombadil’s role on the show.
When he finally crosses paths with the Stranger, you could say he has a desire to try to keep the destruction that has happened there from spreading to his beloved lands in the West,” Payne told Vanity Fair. “He nudges the Stranger along his journey, which he knows will eventually protect the larger natural world that he cares about. So I’d say our Tom Bombadil is slightly more interventionist than you see in the books, but only by 5% or 10%.
Does that mean he’ll also sing 5% or 10% less, too? It better not. Fans haven’t waited this long to see Tom Bombadil without also hearing him sing.