Prime Video All But Confirms Where In Tolkien's Story The Rings Of Power Season 3 Will End

Published Oct 21, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Craig began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016 and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. After previously writing for various outlets, Craig's focus turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally became useful. Craig has previously been published by sites such as Den of Geek. Craig is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-elvy-5b31a3381/ Despite altering the timescale and adding in characters who weren't there, Amazon's The Rings of Power has still broadly followed the outline of Middle-earth's Second Age, as laid out by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings' appendices, The Silmarillion, and various other works. Sauron returns following the defeat of his master, Morgoth, in the First Age. He poses as a messenger of the Valar and calls himself Annatar, manipulating the elven smith Celebrimbor into crafting the Rings of Power, which are subsequently passed around the races of Middle-earth. Over in Númenor, meanwhile, Pharazôn gradually edges his way into power, opposing those who remain faithful to the Valar. These narrative streams flow parallel in both Tolkien's books and Amazon's adaptation, with The Rings of Power season 1 handling Sauron's comeback, and season 2 chronicling the tragic events at Eregion. The Rings of Power season 3's main storylines are the War of Sauron and the Elves, and the creation of the One Ring, which continue the show's steady course along Tolkien history. The real question is exactly how much material The Rings of Power will cover in season 3, and a scene from Prime Video's new teaser may answer that very question. The Rings Of Power Season 3 Looks Destined To End In Sauron's Capture The teaser footage for The Rings of Power season 3 yields little in the way of surprises, largely adhering to items that had already been confirmed by press releases, such as Sauron getting a Balrog assistant and the introduction of Jamie Campbell Bower as Galadriel's missing husband. The most revealing teaser shot is the interaction between Pharazôn and Gil-galad, with the former declaring, "I came to slay a god." This scene confirms Pharazôn will lead the forces of Númenor east to Middle-earth and align with the elves to bring Sauron down. The appearance of the Númenóreans represents the very final stage of Sauron's war against the elves, with the Dark Lord rather quickly overwhelmed by the alliance forged against him. The fact that Amazon is giving away Pharazôn's arrival on the shores of Middle-earth in teaser footage suggests the alliance itself won't be used as The Rings of Power season 3's grand finale. That can only mean the season will end with Sauron being defeated and hauled off to Númenor without any dessert, exactly as events transpire in the source material. Ending before that point would be anti-climactic, and since we already know season 3 includes the east-west alliance, there can't be a cliffhanger that sets up Númenor dramatically riding to the rescue in season 4's premiere. The finale has to be Sauron's surrender. The Rings Of Power Is Setting Up A Very Different Season 4 The Rings of Power season 3 signing off with Sauron being beaten and captured would pave the way for a very different, Númenor-heavy fourth season. According to Tolkien lore, Sauron spends the following years manipulating Pharazôn, elevating himself from a prison cell to the king's right hand. The Númenóreans are swayed into following Morgoth, and Pharazôn ultimately decides to assault Valinor head-on, which ends very badly for both the egotistical ruler and the entire island of Númenor. It's absolutely plausible that Sauron's time spent creeping around Númenor could sustain an entire season of The Rings of Power, not to mention, Númenor's final fate is so epic in scale, it could only ever happen in a season finale. The Prime Video series would only need to concoct a B-plot that gives the elves and dwarves in Middle-earth something to do. Covering Sauron's Númenor era in season 4 would then leave The Rings of Power one final season (the showrunners have envisioned a five-season run from the start) to adapt the last big event of Middle-earth's Second Age: the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and Isildur cutting the One Ring from Sauron's finger. Release Date September 1, 2022 Network Amazon Prime Video Showrunner John D. Payne, Patrick McKay, Louise Hooper, Charlotte Brändström, Wayne Yip Directors J.A. Bayona, Sanaa Hamri Writers Patrick McKay, John D. Payne, J.R.R. Tolkien, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Stephany Folsom, Nicholas Adams Franchise(s) The Lord of the Rings