Amazon's SDCC 2022 trailer for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is packed with strange and confusing moments. We attempt to decode them all.

What's going on with these confusing moments from Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power SDCC 2022 trailer? One of the most eagerly anticipated (and most expensive) television endeavors of all time has almost arrived. Striking a deal with J.R.R. Tolkien's estate, Amazon's search for its next Prime Video fantasy franchise ended in Middle-earth, as Jeff Bezos snapped up the live-action adaptation rights for Lord of the Rings' Second Age - an era set over 3000 years before Bilbo Baggins spots a golden ring innocently lying in a cave and asks himself, "What's the worst that can happen?"

Scheduled to premiere in September 2022, The Rings of Power features familiar faces such as Galadriel, Elrond and Sauron, but will blend elements from Tolkien lore (many of which are recounted in The Silmarillion) alongside brand new tales crafted especially for screen. As a result, decoding Amazon's The Rings of Power SDCC 2022 trailer is a thankless task, and rifling through pages of Tolkien's original text for reference material can still leave one feeling like a fool of a Took.

Related: Every LOTR Kingdom In The Rings of Power (& Middle Earth Explained)

The Rings of Power's SDCC 2022 trailer proudly shows off its stunning visuals, massive ensemble, and attention to detail, but what about the mysteries awaiting within? From buzzcuts to Balrogs, we break down the most confounding, beard-stroking moments.

Amazon's Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power SDCC 2022 trailer includes several curious shots of a black sword hilt, the broken blade magically reconstructing itself in fiery dark mist. One popular theory suggests The Rings of Power's black sword is Gurthang - a legendary weapon wielded by Túrin Turambar, but broken during the First Age. Gurthang possessed magical properties, and the young child holding the hilt in The Rings of Power could be a distant descendant from the same house as Túrin. Gurthang slaughtered many of Morgoth's evil beasts during the early wars of Middle-earth, so as Sauron begins to stir in The Rings of Power, the dormant hilt may start responding in kind.

On the other hand, Gurthang should be buried with its owner according to Lord of the Rings mythology, not languishing around some Second Age human village. Additionally, the hilt bears a symbol that later appears elsewhere in The Rings of Power's SDCC trailer, etched onto an anvil in ice. This portentous omen leans more toward the black sword being forged for evil purposes, so the shattered weapon could actually be an original Rings of Power creation that belonged to Sauron or one of his more prominent followers.

The Rings of Power brings together Morfydd Clark's Galadriel with Cynthia Addai-Robinson's Tar-Miriel, seemingly on the isle of Númenor. Galadriel is encouraged to peek into a palantir - one of the magical all-seeing balls memorably used by Saruman and Pippin in Lord of the Rings. A rapid-fire string of images then races through the SDCC 2022 trailer, but what scenes do they depict, and what does the sequence mean for Galadriel?

Related: Rings Of Power Just Made LOTR's Balrog Debate More Confusing

The vision begins with a massive, fire-strewn battle, but the long shot offers little clue as to where or when this clash takes place. A close-up of an orc briefly invades the frame, before switching to Will Fletcher's blond character, widely believed to be Galadriel's brother, Finrod. This shot could happen during the aforementioned fiery battle from the start of Galadriel's palantir trip. Next comes the image of floating elf corpses, most likely revealing the First Kinslaying. The Rings of Power's SDCC trailer then ends its palantir business with Galadriel standing solemnly by Finrod's corpse, injuries caused by a wolf visible on his left arm.

Lord of the Rings' palantir stones typically show events happening elsewhere, not flashbacks from the past. This means The Rings of Power's trailer footage could be misleading viewers intentionally, and the montage is actually comprised of snippets from elsewhere. Galadriel must see something else when her hand touches the palantir in the actual show...

Among the many sinister figures featured in The Rings of Power's SDCC trailer, a creepy Slenderman-esque villain skulks around haunting poor humans. Only a large hand bestowed with long, sharp fingers is actually visible as the menace lurks beneath floorboards and torments its prey, but who/what could it be?

The image coincides with The Rings of Power's very first mention of Sauron, and while not necessarily the safest bet, it's certainly possible that finger-man is some ghostly apparition from the Dark Lord - not Sauron's actual physical body, but the manifestation of his will, perhaps. On the other hand, this suspenseful Rings of Power scene feels eerily reminiscent of the Ringwraith moments from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. While this point in the Second Age is too early for Nazgûl, the ghoul could be a high-ranking follower of evil - an orc in need of a manicure, or some other leftover denizen of Morgoth's (entirely possible, given the beast that appears later).

Related: Is Sauron In The Rings Of Power? Where Is He During LOTR's Second Age?

Much of the discussion surrounding The Rings of Power's SDCC 2022 trailer revolved around a mysterious light-haired figure covered by a white cloak, overwhelmingly presented as season 1's main villain. Speculation immediately claimed the character was Sauron, played by Anson Boon, before later reports identified Bridie Sisson as the actor, casting doubt over whether the initial wave of Sauron excitement was accurate.

The jury remains out on this particular matter. The cloaked figure possesses magical powers, an evil aura, and some degree of influence. According to Tolkien lore, Sauron can switch forms in the Second Age, and possessed a "fair" alter ego known as Annatar. The prospect of The Rings of Power's white-haired baddie being a disguised Sauron cannot be ruled out completely, therefore. On the other hand, Annatar is supposed to appear beautiful and trustworthy - enough to fool even the wisest elves. This character looks about as trustworthy as those dastardly Sackville-Bagginses, so they could be a simple champion of Morgoth who knows a few magic tricks.

Fueling The Rings of Power's Sauron speculation, a tall villain wearing a pitch-black spiky glove strides through a procession of orcs. At the risk of Mephisto-ing, this hand (which was first unveiled in The Rings of Power character posters) could belong to Sauron, since there's an unmistakable visual resemblance to the famously pointy armor worn by The Lord of the Rings' Dark Lord in Peter Jackson's movie trilogy.

Having said that, The Rings of Power season 1 feels too early for Sauron to be personally leading his armies. The villain should be recovering, rebuilding his strength, and hiding in the shadows instead. Consequently, the gloved hand may belong to Joseph Mawle's Adar. Reportedly a villainous leader of orcs, Adar can be briefly spotted in The Rings of Power's main teaser (if you turn the brightness way up) leading an orc army over a bridge. Adar's left hand is covered by a black glove in this particular freeze-frame, strongly implying he's the figure from The Rings of Power's SDCC trailer.

Related: Oh No, The Rings Of Power Has Teased The Oath Of Fëanor

As seen in previous Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power trailers, Galadriel will find herself involved in a shipwreck - probably around the time of her voyage to Númenor. Amazon's SDCC 2022 trailer shows Morfydd Clark's elf hurriedly swimming away from a vicious sea monster lurking beneath the waves, but only provides sparse glimpses of limb, without any body or face shots that could help identify the creature.

J.R.R. Tolkien makes numerous passing references to sea monsters in Middle-earth, albeit without ever providing clear details. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and The Lost Road & Other Writings both mention foul beasts of the sea, with the latter specifically referencing sea-serpents. Even in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf argued against tossing the One Ring into the ocean because of unknown creatures dwelling at the bottom. Galadriel's new friend could be one of these mythical beasts - perhaps even related to the Watcher in the Water encountered by the Fellowship at Moria.

Wait, why is there a Balrog in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?! Balrogs were originally Maia who fell under Morgoth's influence and became corrupted into the demon-like beasts fans know and love. Morgoth commanded many Balrogs during his initial First Age reign, but after their master was imprisoned, the survivors retreated into the shadows of Middle-earth, finding dark nooks (like the bottom of Moria) to hide within. The Balrog in The Rings of Power could feature as part of a First Age flashback. Trailer footage has already confirmed a surprising amount of material from Morgoth's era, and his Balrogs would be a welcome, logical addition to these history lessons. Alternatively, someone in The Rings of Power's present-day timeline may disrupt a sleeping Balrog, just as the Fellowship eventually will a few millennia later in The Lord of the Rings.

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig's interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own. Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS. Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer. Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.