The Rings of Power: Will Season 2 Finally Establish the First Nazgul?

• Season 1 of The Rings of Power has been a grand prologue and the forging of the rings has only just begun.
• The 9 ring spirits, the Nazgul, are inextricably linked to this and to Sauron.
• Will we see the first of them in Season 2 and also how the Ringwraiths were corrupted by Sauron in the first place?

In the first season of “The Rings of Power” we saw the forging of the first rings. Now that the elves have their 3 only 7 are left for the dwarves, 9 for the humans and of course the one for Sauron. Directly connected to the human rings are the human kings, who were corrupted by the dark power of Sauron and were destined to perish.

The journey of the Unknown and Nori east, to the land of Rhun, could be the perfect opportunity to introduce us to a first ruler and future Nazgul. After establishing the world and its characters, the series could now increasingly build a bridge to elements known from the books and films.

Who were the 9 Nazgul?

Not much is known about the background story of the Nazgul from the previous films and also from Tolkien’s books. This would give the showrunners a lot of creative freedom to present the Nazgul in line with the events and themes of the series so far.

All that is known is that they were ancient and powerful kings of the people of Middle-earth who, out of greed for wealth and power, fell for Sauron’s ruse and took the 9 Rings. As a result, they became ever more corrupt and slaves to his will and his most powerful servants in Mordor.

During the War of the Ring, “the Nine,” as they were horrified to be called by many, searched for the One Ring. So they also hunted Frodo and the companions, even wounding the hobbit ring-bearer on Weathertop before Aragorn could chase them away.

Only two Nazgul are known to us by name. Their leader, the Witch-king of Angmar. And Khamul the Easterling. Could The Rings of Power take on this, or tell a separate story for the unknown remaining 7 Ringwraiths in Season 2?

Do Nori and the Unknown Meet the First Nazgul?

After the Unknown from Meteor Crater is revealed to be one of the Istari, his and Nori’s journey will continue to the east, in Rhun. There the magician wants to find out more about his past and mission together with the harfoot girl.

It is quite possible that they will witness the growing influence of Sauron there and try to contain it. A perfect opportunity to introduce the ruler of Rhun who will later become the Nazgul Khamul.

It is known that Khamul was once a king of the Easterlings in Rhun. Now that Sauron has returned to Mordor, he will forge more rings to subdue the people. To increase his power, he might first bind Rhun to an empire previously under the influence of evil and allegiance to the first Dark Lord.

Instant enemy and corrupted ally?

Khamul could thus be presented as the first good king encountered by the Istari and Nori. He might even help them learn more about the country and its dark past. Later, however, Sauron would work his lies and insinuations upon the ruler. Even as a victim of his own lust for power and through the Ring forged by Sauron, Khamul became more and more one of the Nazgul.

It was in him that we would see Sauron’s true power and growing strength in Season 2 of The Rings of Power. That before he invades Middle-earth with armies of orcs, through manipulation and gifts he strengthens his influence and gathers allies and servants around him. Khamul might be one of the first but not the last to become a Nazgul as the series progresses.

A start date for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Season 2 has not yet been set. Before 2024, however, we shouldn’t expect new episodes in the Amazon Prime Video news program.