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The Comic-Con news keeps rolling and with it exciting new reveals of our favorite shows. Today, Prime Video wowed the Hall H crowd with a brand new The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailer, and we caught a couple glimpses of some very exciting new participants in the series. No new cast members were announced — their ensemble is already huge. No, instead, we got a look at a Balrog! And, if the framing of his introduction is to be believed and our timelines are correct, this bad boy is going to play a major role in the upcoming Rings of Power series.
Why is that notable? Well, outside of the fact that it’s a breed of giant fire monster that successfully “killed” Gandalf — who, again, we probably won’t be seeing in Rings of Power — the introduction of the creature is curious because there’s not any mention of the Balrog in Tolkien’s Second Age. Durin’s Bane (that’s the bad boy that took out Gandalf) doesn’t awake until the Third Age. So, is Prime Video playing fast and loose with their timelines, or are we about to meet a brand new member of the small but mighty Balrog family?
Join us as we speculate wildly!
The History of the Balrog
First, it seems worthwhile to break down a quickie history of these creatures. Before they became the Balrog, they were the Maiar. In the Valaquenta, Tolkien wrote that the Maiar were “spirits whose being also began before the world, of the same order as the Valar but of less degree."
Most Maiar were unnamed, aside from the Chiefs. However, it was those of the lesser Maiar that were to be corrupted by Melkor and turned into the Balrogs. They would help their master until Melkor was captured by the Valar. They then remained in hiding until Melkor returned to Middle-earth under the new moniker of Morgoth. If that name sounds more familiar, it’s because he was the first Dark Lord of Middle-earth, and the same dude who created the Orcs. This guy just really likes corrupting things.
There have been a couple different versions of the Balrog in Tolkien’s works. In early writing, the creatures could be defeated by the likes of Elves and men. However, by the time The Lord of the Rings trilogy came around, only the likes of Gandalf or Saruman could destroy the creatures. Fly, you fools, indeed!
But, the story of the Balrog extends much further than their battles with Wizards. Let’s talk about the two key Balrogs named in Tolkien’s works.
Gothmog
Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs, was not the first of his kind but was one of the first to get a proper name. It's the one responsible for mortally wounding Fëanor, creator of the three Simarils. It's also the murderer of Fingon, High King of the Noldor. Gothmog left quite a trail of bodies in his service to Morgoth, but its rein of terror ended when he fought Ecthelion of the Fountain. The two would kill each other in combat.
Durin’s Bane
Perhaps the most famous of the Balrog to most fans, Durin’s Bane is that big guy we meet in the Mines of Moria before Gandalf the Grey falls and becomes Gandalf the White. But it had a whole life before The Fellowship crossed paths with it.
The War of Wrath took place at the end of the First Age. Many of Morgoth’s Balrogs and Orcs were lost in the war, with the latter thought to be extinct by the rest of Middle-earth. Durin’s Bane, as one of the battle’s few survivors, fled underneath the Misty Mountains to hide. The creature would remain sleeping until the Third Age when the Dwarves would become too greedy in their quest for Mithril and dig too deep in the Mountains of Moria. Their greed would result in the death of their king, Durin VI, which is how the nasty bugger earned his name.
What Does the Introduction of the Balrog Mean for Rings of Power?
Tricky question, that! Could Durin’s Bane have awoken sometime during the Second Age and there was simply no record of its ascension? And, perhaps most importantly, who does the hand dropping the leaf to rouse the Balrog belong to? As far as we know, Morgoth was defeated in the War of Wrath, closing out the First Age. So, in theory, we won’t be seeing the Balrogs’ creator awakening them from their sleep. We’re going to assume that ol’ blue eyes wasn’t Sauron (though we’ve technically never seen him armorless) so it seems unlikely that it was him, and Sarumon has certainly never been any younger than hundreds of years old (and isn't even on the planet yet)!
What other evils await in Middle-earth? Guess we’ll have to tune in on September 2nd when The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres to see!