The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power tells the tale of Middle-earth’s Second Age, a time described by Tolkien in The Silmarillion and other texts. That means those who have delved into the world of The Lord of the Rings in some capacity have a pretty good idea about the fates that await certain characters. Still, adaptations occasionally make changes to the narrative where relevant, and The Rings of Power has introduced many beloved original characters—more than enough to keep fans at the edges of their seats worrying over their fates. The Rings of Power is bound to have its fair share of character deaths in a season. And so, for the morbidly curious, we’ll keep track of all the The Rings of Power season two’s major characters deaths below.
Here’s who faded away in season two.
The Rings of Power, Season 2, Episode 8 Deaths
Durin III Was Killed by the Balrog
Durin III was overcome by the power of the dwarven ring Sauron gave him. Under the thrall of the ring, he dug, and dug, and dug too deep, so deep that he disturbed the Balrog, an evil Maiar twisted by Morgoth. Once he saw what he had wrought, his love for his kingdom and son overcame the power of the ring and Durin removed it. He then sacrificed himself to fight the Balrog, sending them both back into the bowels of Mount Doom and likely protecting Khazad-dûm for another age of Middle-earth.
The death of Durin III was emotional and tragic, as he bid his son Durin IV goodbye while finally telling him everything he needed to hear.
Celebrimbor Escaped Into Death, Leaving Sauron Behind
If finally happened, the Celebrim-banner emerged in The Rings of Power season two finale. We all knew Celebrimbor was slated for death, but his final scene with Sauron was absolutely and devastatingly brutal. Celebrimbor refused to give into the Dark Lord’s torture or his gaslighting words any longer. Instead, Celebrimbor held to his own peace, waiting for death to free him, content knowing that he would soon depart to a place of peace, while Sauron never will. Instead, Sauron will become a prison to the rings of his own creation as Celebrimbor predicts. In death, Celebrimbor has the last laugh on The Rings of Power—but it sure is a painful one.
Adar’s The Rings of Power Death Broke Our Hearts
Anyone who knows me knows that Adar’s death on The Rings of Power was personally heartbreaking to me. So heartbreaking I wrote a huge eulogy to the character, which you can read here. I won’t repeat myself, but I’ll just say, Adar’s death will always be the saddest The Rings of Power death and nothing will ever change that.
Technically, This Masked Man, a Gaudrim and one of the Easterlings, Died Too
Okay, we didn’t really know this character at all, but he seemed to be a mercenary who worked for the Dark Wizard (who is probably not, but could be, Saruman) on The Rings of Power. This masked man went against the wizard, though, and found out the hard way that was not a good idea. All we know about him is that he was played by Zates Atour and that he is a Gaudrim, one of the subsects of the Easterlings who live in Rhûn. The Easterlings are a people we know to be largely loyal to Sauron. RIP, we guess!
The Rings of Power, Season 2, Episode 7 Deaths
Mirdania Meets Her Doom at the Hands of Sauron
Some The Rings of Power‘s fans heavily speculated that the season two character of Mirdania was secretly Celebrían, Galadirel’s daughter in disguise. But, alas, these theories proved false when the elven smith was unceremoniously flung from a tower in Sauron’s quest to torment Celebrimbor. Having momentarily escaped Sauron’s prison, Celebrimbor tried to find solace in his fellow elven smiths, especially Mirdania.
But alas, Sauron had already wormed its way inside their heads, and Mirdania believed that Celebrimbor had lost his sanity. She chose to trust Annatar. But as Celebrimbor tried to convince her otherwise, Sauron used his powers to make it look like Celebrimbor had thrown Mirdania off a cliff, leading to her death. Of course, it was Sauron who flung Mirdania, who was then unceremoniously dispatched by an orc. We wish Mirdania a fond farwell.
The Elves Bring Damrod the Hill-Troll to His Death
Alas, Damrod did not get to be trollish for long on The Rings of Power. The combined forces of Elrond, Arondir, and Gil-galad were enough to take even this massive Hill-troll down. But not before he caused some serious damage and brought us an excellent metal theme.
Damrod seemed like he wasn’t that much fun at parties, but maybe we’d like him in a mosh pit. We did enjoy his presence, though. Farewell, trollish friend.
The Elf Rían Did Not Make It Through
Alas, we loved the elf Rían, though we barely knew her. She was a sharpshooter and a brave soul. She went down fighting and helping the elves find victory in the siege of Eregion. But alas, Rían did not survive the battle and died outside the city’s gates.
The Rings of Power, Season 2, Episode 5 Deaths
Valandil’s Death Leaves The Rings of Power Fans Shocked and Sad
Say it ain’t so! After we sadly lost Ontamo in The Rings of Power season one, Isildur has now lost his other best friend, Valandil, and he doesn’t even know it yet. We’re honestly really sad about Valandil’s death in The Rings of Power season two. Although we didn’t spend too much time with him, Valandil seemed like a great character. He was loyal, hardworking, and a little snarky. And in these dark times, he proved that he was made of some strong stuff. Unfortunately, Valandil’s loyalty was also his undoing. He just couldn’t stomach the wretched Kemen and his arrogant and humiliating ways. When Kemen came to destroy a holy shrine, mocked its priest, and disrespected Elendil, it was too much for Valandil.
Brashly, Valandil attacked Kemen, but in the end, did not kill him. Alas, Kemen has no honor and stabbed Valandil right in the back, literally, killing him in the shrine. It’s a death that makes sense for Valandil in The Rings of Power but nevertheless, one that shocks and saddens us. Sometimes, deaths are not necessary. And here, it feels like Valandil could have served a much greater purpose alive. Valandil’s death does offer a lovely evolution to The Lord of the Rings’ lore, though. Isildur’s fourth and youngest son is named Valandil in Tolkien’s world. And now we know why. Excuse us while we find some tissues.
The Rings of Power Season 2, Episodes 4 Deaths
The Barrow-wights Lead to the Elf Daemor’s Death
Alas, we barely knew him, but one of Elrond’s company is killed by the Undead Barrow-wights in episode four of The Rings of Power. Sadly, the elf Daemor meets his death.
The Rings of Power Season 2, Episodes 1-3 Deaths
Sauron’s Post-Morgoth Form “Dies”
In season one of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Adar tells Galadriel that he killed Sauron. And we do see Sauron meet a death of sorts in the opening scene of The Rings of Power season two. Sauron, played by Jack Lowden in the opener, moves to assume power after Morgoth’s defeat. But Adar and the Orcs, having suffered much mistreatment at Sauron’s hand and having endured for long enough, have other ideas for him. Instead of crowning Sauron, Adar stabs him with his very own helm and is joined in his attack by the masses of Orcs gathered at the would-be coronation. After enough hits rain down on Sauron, he dramatically explodes, turning the fortress into an icy sepulcher.
Of course, as a Maia, Sauron is much harder to kill than that, and his dark spirit lives on. We see it return to life later in the episode, transforming into the Charlie Vickers form we now know as Sauron. But, in a sense, one version of Sauron did go to his death. Gold star to you, Adar.
Waldreg Meets His Death at the Hands of Sauron
Poor Waldreg. He was so ready to serve Sauron but abandoned that desire to loyally serve Adar, his Lord Father, instead. And Waldreg was a loyal servant. Unfortunately, in episode one of The Rings of Power season two, he meets his death thanks to Sauron.
Waldreg had been in charge of torturing the prisoner whom he’d thought to be the King of the Southlands, Halbrand. And Waldreg took his job very seriously, tormenting and taunting the captive. Of course, Halbrand is really Sauron in disguise, and it’s not really wise to anger the Dark Lord. Using his considerable powers, Sauron manipulated the Warg in his cell to follow his commands. And after convincing Adar to set him free, he left a gift behind for Waldreg. On Sauron’s orders, the Warg attacked Waldreg after Sauron had gone, presumably mauling him to death in The Rings of Power episode one. Sauron, of course, found the whole affair to be very funny.
The Rings of Power Confirms Bronwyn Died From Her Season One Wounds
Alas, we saw this death coming after Bronwyn’s actress, Nazanin Boniadi, announced that she was leaving The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. But, still, it hurt when season two, episode three of The Rings of Power confirmed that Bronwyn, indeed, died. Arondir shares that even though Bronwyn appeared to heal, the orcish arrow that had struck her contained a slow-acting poison that brought about her death in the end.
Though Bronwyn and Arondir had seemed like they were heading for a happy ending, it was not meant to be for the two. In the early episodes of The Rings of Power season three, we see Bronwyn’s funeral pyre as her body is set aflame. This heartbreaking scene is gorgeously tragic and creates a new story for those Bronwyn left behind. Instead of a love story, Arondir will now grapple with grief. And the death of Bronwyn on The Rings of Power leaves a tremendous gap between her son Theo and the elven archer. We’ll see if the pair can work together to begin healing from this pain.
Many More Deaths Are Likely on Season 2 of The Rings of Power
With evil on the rise during season two of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, surely more deaths will follow. After all, even among immortal beings, the cost of war is high. We bet there will be plenty of casualties on the side of good and evil before the season is out. We guess we will just have to hope Sauron doesn’t cast his eye on any of our very favorites.
Originally published on August 29, 2024.
