The Balrog vs Sauron Fight Is Either Blasphemy or Awesome, Depending on Where You Stand on The Lord of the Rings Adaptations

One of the large stories coming retired of San Diego Comic Con 2026 was that the Balrog successful Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power not lone speaks, but fights the Dark Lord himself, Sauron.

Simon Pegg plays the Balrog, celebrated for his conflict with Gandalf successful The Fellowship of the Rings. In Season 3 of The Rings of Power, Sauron confronts the Balrog, seeking the powerfulness to forge the One Ring. They person a fight, which, arsenic we spot successful the video below, sees Sauron usage the Crown of Morgoth to deflect the Balrog’s occurrence sword attack. The video does not see the Balrog speaking, but we bash get a hint astatine a enactment of its dialog via a prompter that Pegg uses to supply dependable over. "Crawl backmost to your satellite above," the Balrog volition say.

None of this is successful immoderate Middle-earth-related substance J. R. R. Tolkien wrote, of course. In nary publication did Sauron either conscionable the Balrog — oregon immoderate Balrog for that substance — nor did the Balrog speak. Neither did Tolkien’s enactment see Sauron wielding the Crown of Morgoth similar a shield. He ne'er adjacent had it to statesman with.

The Rings of Power has signifier erstwhile it comes to deviating from the root material, truthful anyone who watched the archetypal 2 bid of the Amazon amusement astir apt won’t beryllium amazed to perceive the Balrog talk. I’ve been keeping a adjacent oculus connected absorption from The Lord of the Rings fans to spot what they deliberation of this latest — and astir apt astir astonishing truthful acold — deviation from Tolkien’s work. From what I’ve seen determination are 2 reactions: disgust and excitement.

Let’s commencement with the excitement. There are a batch of radical who deliberation the clip we spot of Sauron warring the Balrog looks awesome, and they can’t hold to spot more. They don’t attraction if it ne'er happened successful 1 of Tolkien’s books, they’re conscionable looking guardant to immoderate chill TV acceptable successful the Lord of the Rings universe. And determination are besides immoderate large fans of The Lord of the Rings lore who are perfectly good with however this is each going down, and consciousness it makes consciousness wrong the canon established by Tolkien himself.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3 Photos

The Nerd of the Rings, for example, said “this changeable goes truthful hard,” successful a tweet astir the Sauron versus Balrog fight. “While this is archetypal to the amusement (Sauron & Durin’s Bane look to face) I springiness them a batch of recognition for playing w/ thing countless fans person asked: ‘why doesn’t Sauron squad up with the Balrog?’

“For the grounds there’s nary crushed a balrog can’t speak.”

That’s a somewhat astonishing instrumentality from The Nerd of the Rings, who has 1 of the largest Lord of the Rings YouTube channels astir and is known for broad lore videos. But I deliberation it’s besides an absorbing one. This is idiosyncratic you’d expect to beryllium archetypal successful enactment to constituent to Tolkien’s books and accidental 'it ne'er happened!,' but they're excited to spot it nonetheless.

I’ve besides seen radical importune this brushwood really could person happened successful the lore. While Tolkien didn’t make these scenes, their beingness successful the amusement doesn’t needfully override the lore helium has established. The Rings of Power is acceptable successful the Second Age, thousands of years earlier the events of The Hobbit. It is an property that wasn’t explored overmuch by Tolkien, truthful determination is plentifulness of country for caller ideas. Who’s to accidental Sauron didn’t larn however to forge the One Ring from the Balrog? Who’s to accidental the Balrog didn’t talk erstwhile helium wasn’t being disturbed by annoying dwarves? Not Tolkien, who didn't accidental overmuch astatine each astir the Second Age.

I’m playing devil’s advocator to a grade here, due to the fact that it indispensable beryllium said that determination is simply a batch of propulsion backmost connected what The Rings of Power is doing with the Balrog and Sauron successful Season 3. There is simply a vociferous statement astir whether the Balrog oregon a Balrog (we’re inactive not definite if this Season 3 Balrog is the Balrog from Season 2 oregon from The Fellowship of the Ring) should beryllium capable to speak. Some are pointing to a missive Tolkien wrote that rules retired the anticipation of the Balrog speaking, but this whitethorn subordinate to the country connected the bridge, specifically, alternatively than generally, oregon adjacent successful theory.

Should the Balrog adjacent beryllium progressive successful the Second Age? Some deliberation not, due to the fact that it doesn’t marque consciousness successful the timeline Tolkien established. Durin's Bane is the sanction fixed to the Balrog that hid heavy beneath the Dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm, the precise aforesaid we spot successful The Fellowship of the Ring. Has Durin's Bane gone for a small locomotion to agelong his legs mid-hibernation? Even horrible monsters request to get distant from their table each present and then.

And however astir comparing powerfulness sets? By pitting the Balrog against Sauron, The Rings of Power volition marque a telephone connected however almighty the 2 beings are, which isn't thing Tolkien ever did. Who would triumph successful a combat betwixt the Balrog and Sauron has been discussed by fans for years. Amazon is astir to astatine slightest effort to reply this question.

"This looks truly cool, but a Balrog attacking Sauron? Both were Maiar. Both served Morgoth. Tolkien ne'er had them fight," 1 professional of the country said. "At this point, The Rings of Power feels similar it's adapting itself much than it's adapting Tolkien."

"Except the Balrog and Sauron ne'er met (canon)," added different critic. "And Morgoth’s crown was bushed into a concatenation to imprison him astatine the extremity of the First Age (canon). The infantilisation and bastardisation of Tolkien’s root worldly to 'make caput blowing s**t' is utterly repugnant. It’s perfectly f***ing barbaric and a large insult to a antheral who toiled his full beingness to springiness america these beauteous stories." Yes, radical truly attraction astir this stuff!

My large question of Season 3 is whether it improves upon what’s gone earlier successful presumption of quality, aft a mates of — successful my sentiment — alternatively disjointed seasons. Sauron is the champion happening successful Season 2, truthful I’m looking guardant to seeing Charlie Vickers reprise the relation — and bash horribly evil things successful the process, adjacent to the Balrog. And if the Balrog speaking and warring Sauron is upsetting for you, past you’re going to emotion the Nazgnagôl, which the showrunners person invented for Season 3.

Here’s the authoritative blurb:

In Season 3, Middle-earth is astatine war. Five years person passed since the autumn of Eregion. Sauron’s armies person marched crossed the full of the world, conquering each successful their path. Only a fewer isolated pockets basal betwixt the Dark Lord and full triumph — Khazad-dûm, wherever the Dwarves are present sealed heavy wrong their upland halls, and the elven realms of Lindon and Rivendell, which are protected by their Three Rings. But heavy successful the onshore of Mordor, successful his recently completed operation of Barad-dûr, the Dark Lord toils time and night, obsessed with harnessing a powerfulness that volition bring the past of his enemies to their knees: One Ring to regularisation them all... Now, each the escaped peoples of Middle-earth — Dwarves, Elves, Men, and Wizards alike — indispensable find a mode to travel together, successful a contention against clip to forestall Sauron from achieving his extremity of utter domination of each life…

The archetypal 4 episodes of Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power volition premiere connected November 11, 2026. Episodes 5 and six volition beryllium disposable to watercourse connected November 18, and the last 2 episodes of the play volition beryllium released connected November 25.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].