The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ends with a lot of excitement, just like a series based on a great fantasy book should. After the big battles and important character moments, the tired but strong heroes decide to fight Sauron’s (Charlie Vickers) growing evil with light.
However, not every hero survives. Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards) survival seemed very unlikely after the events of the second-to-last episode. Even though Rings of Power changes some parts of J. R. R. Tolkien’s stories, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay still keep Celebrimbor’s fate close to the original:
Sauron tortures him before killing him with a spear. The themes of Celebrimbor’s brutal death are similar in both Tolkien’s writings and Rings of Power, but the details are different. Tolkien’s version is dark enough to compare with Game of Thrones.
What Happens to Celebrimbor in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Books?
In Tolkien’s book Unfinished Tales, Celebrimbor creates the elven Rings of Power after working with Sauron, who is disguised as Annatar. They make the seven dwarven Rings and the nine Rings for Men together. After finishing their work, Sauron leaves Eregion to forge the One Ring in Mount Doom.
While he is gone, Celebrimbor discovers Annatar’s true name and his real plans. The three elven rings are made without Sauron’s influence and have a different purpose than world domination. Celebrimbor gives the Three Rings to High King Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker) and Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) for safekeeping.
When Sauron finds out what Celebrimbor has done, he attacks Eregion in revenge. He tortures Celebrimbor to find out where the Three Rings are, shooting him with orc arrows.
Celebrimbor never tells Sauron where the Rings are and dies from his injuries. Angry, Sauron hangs Celebrimbor’s dead body on a pole and uses it as a war banner against Elrond’s (Robert Aramayo) army.
Why Did ‘The Rings of Power’ Change Celebrimbor’s Ultimate Fate?
The events that happen after Celebrimbor’s death in the Season 2 finale explain why Rings of Power changed his brutal fate while still honoring a famous image from fan discussions. Charlie Vickers told Vulture, “to be able to re-create that [iconic] image was my highlight of the show so far.”
Making this moment more private and less dramatic also respects the complicated relationship between Celebrimbor and Sauron. This relationship adds a lot of emotional weight to this season. Patrick McKay told Vanity Fair after the finale:
“We wanted to honor the intention of that and the thematic core of [Celebrimbor’s death in the books]. The idea that he’s shot full of arrows and hung on a pole, and paraded around by an army… it felt exploitative to a relationship that was so deeply personal between the two of them.
We’re not quite going as far or as out there as the lore. It’s rumored in the lore that happened, right? Tolkien always presents ‘accounts’ of what happened. That’s why sometimes the stories differ.”
However, McKay hints that Tolkien’s graphic imagery might still be included in a possible Season 3. Regardless, in its original context, Celebrimbor’s tragic end is as brutal as George R. R. Martin’s style of fantasy violence.
The cruel brutality, the insult to Celebrimbor’s legacy, and how Sauron uses his brave partner’s body as a power tactic against the elves make Rings of Power’s version powerful. Still, Tolkien’s idea is much more frightening.
The Rings of Power Season Two concludes dramatically as heroes confront Sauron’s darkness. Celebrimbor faces a tragic end, being tortured and killed by Sauron.
While the show modifies some details from Tolkien’s writings, it maintains the emotional depth and themes surrounding Celebrimbor’s fate, honoring the original story’s intensity.
