The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powershowrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay discusswhether Rory Kinnear’s Tom Bombadilmay is Middle-Earth’smost powerful deity. Returning to Middle-Earth during the Second Age, season 2 sees the fully returned Sauron (Charlie Vickers) begin to manipulate key players and influential figures of Middle-Earth in his rise to power. As episode 4, “Eldest,” continued The Stranger’s (Daniel Weyman) journey,the character crosses paths with Bombadilas he tries to learn his purpose.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Payne and McKay dove into a long-held debate surrounding Bombadil’s true nature. While they were asked whether the character was indeed the god of Middle-Earth, the pair carefully responded, avoiding a direct answer and affirming thatthey would remain just as silent as J R.R. Tolkien had on the matter. Check out both showrunner’s response below:
Payne: We would have no problem if that question was being asked. Because people say that about the character in the books.
McKay: And I think people asked that of Tolkien himself. Tolkien chose to remain silent on it and so shall we.
Just What Is Tom Bombadil?
Many Have Offered Answers To What Tom Bombadil Is
Within Tolkien’s original text, long beforeThe Rings of Power,Bombadil is established as an all-powerful figurewho aids the Hobbit in their journeys.He was immune to the charms of the One Ringand, therefore, not invested in the surrounding conflicts, even after the battles had been fought, and the Ring had been destroyed. It is clear thatBombadil is more powerful than even the Dark Lord, and these implications have left many scholars and Tolkien analysts discussing it.
With many theories given andThe Rings of Power’s showrunners keen on maintaining the mystery, there may never be an answer.
While Tolkien never gave a definitive explanation for what Bombadil is and purposefully left him a mystery,many commentators have taken his quotes to suggest that he is God. Others have hypothesized that his immunity to the Ring and independent nature free of desire make him a direct parallel to Sauron, or a representation of the fading natural world in the face of the destruction of Mordor that represents industrialization. With many theories given andThe Rings of Power’s showrunners keen on maintaining the mystery, there may never be an answer.
Every Lord Of The Rings Theory About Who Tom Bombadil Is
Tom Bombadil is a man of mystery in The Lord of the Rings, with Tolkien never explicitly revealing his true nature. Here are all the best theories.
Tom Bombadil’s long-awaited debut inThe Rings of Powerhelped address a long-held critique by even the most dedicatedLord of the Ringsfans towardsBombadil’sFellowship of the Ringsabsence. As such, while keeping the character within its Second Age setting,Payne and McKay carefully incorporated elements of his tale into the series. With the showrunners keen on keeping the character an enigma, it is clear that they have taken great care to be faithful to the character’s core features.
How Will Tom Bombadil Factor Into The Rest Of The Rings Of Power Season 2?
He Will Be Crucial To The Stranger’s Journey Moving Forward
Following on from events inThe Rings of Power’s season 1 finale, season 2 picks up with The Stranger on a quest to discover who he is. This quest takes him to Rhûn with Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards), wherehe is haunted by dreams of a powerful staff while the emissaries of the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) pursue them. The Stranger’s meeting of Bombadil arguably raises just as many questions as it answers, but Kinnear’s character could have an important role to play in the events to come.
Kinnear will be best known to many viewers for his roles in recentJames Bondmovies likeSkyfall(2012) andNo Time To Die(2021), as well as other titles likePenny Dreadful(2014 – 2016) andMen(2022).
The most likely role that Bombadil will play inThe Rings of Powerseason 2is as a mentor and trainer. The Stranger seeks to understand his magical abilities, and a handful of scenes inside Bombadil’s dwelling make clear that Kinnear’s character, though not a wizard, has a magical touch.By spending time with Bombadil, The Stranger could come to understand his true purpose and identity. Many have theorized that The Stranger is Gandalf, and it could be through Bombadil that this is finally officially confirmed.
Bombadil seemingly won’t however, engage in any actual fighting against the forces of evil. The Stranger explicitly asks a question to this effect in episode 4, and Kinnear’s character more or less reveals that it’s not his place to interfere in these grander struggles happening in Middle-earth.As a prequel,The Rings of Powermay also set up Bombadil’s eventual role inThe Fellowship of the Ring, which sees him living in the valley of Withywindle in the Old Forest and not in Rhûn.
Our Take On Tom Bombadil In The Rings Of Power
Even byLord of the Rings' standards, Bombadil is an odd, quirky character, and one who is immensely challenging to get right on-screen.Tonally, introducing Bombadil intoThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s castof characters had the potential to feel at odds with the show’s often dark and more serious tone. Kinnear, however, has managed to slot perfectly into this tonal balance, giving the character an aura of wisdom and mystery while also maintaining that sense of charm.
The show’s writing for Bombadil, too, is obviously a major reason for the success of his depiction,with the character retaining key elements from Tolkein’s writing while also being evolved to fit within the specific vision for Middle-earth that McKay and Payne have created. Bombadil’s live-action debut has been a long time coming, andThe Rings of Powerseason 2, thankfully, has nailed it.
“The Eagle and the Sceptre”
TBA
Jun 25, 2025
New episodes ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 release on Thursdays on Prime Video.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
