The Rings Of Power Season 2 Might Debut A New Race For The Show From Middle-Earth (But Which?)

In late February, J.R.R. Tolkien fan site Fellowship of Fans posted a rumor claiming that Amazon Studios had deliberately leaked false information for Season 2 of its “The Rings of Power” series. The group, which is known for reporting scoops, leaks, and general updates from across the Tolkien landscape, launched a full investigation into which of its posted rumors were true and which ones were false.

On April 2, the site shared the results of that inquiry, revealing it believed that, of its own rumor reporting, there was only one false rumor: that Gavi Singh Chera would appear in “The Rings of Power” Season 2 as an Angelic Sauron. The rumor was plausible, as shape-shifting has an important role in Middle-earth lore, and Sauron appears in more than one guise throughout Tolkien’s stories.

Nevertheless, Fellowship of Fans is now claiming the rumor is false — even though Chera is still on the show. When Amazon Prime made a casting announcement for Season 2 in late 2022, the actor was officially listed in the group — albeit without any additional information regarding his character. Fellowship of Fans is aware of this, and along with debunking the Sauron leak, the site announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Gavi Singh Chera plays a character from a race/ group of people NOT YET SEEN in the show.” On its website, it added that this update is possible thanks to new sources with knowledge of what’s happening behind the scenes.

The obvious follow-up question to the update is, what “new race/group” from Tolkien’s world might Gavi Singh Chera represent?

What new Middle-earth race might debut in Season 2?

In a YouTube breakdown of the leak accuracy findings, Fellowship of Fans elaborated on the new update, saying, “[Gavi Singh Chera is] not a character part of any group that we saw in Season 1.” The site added that this rules out Elven groups, Númenóreans, and the human tribes we saw in the first season, concluding, “It’s actually quite a mystery as to what he is.”

While it’s a mystery, there are a few potential answers. Tolkien’s world is brimming with creatures, both humanoid and otherwise, and several could make an appearance in Season 2. With that said, the most obvious choice here is that Chera is from Rhûn. The kingdoms of Harad, Khand, and Rhûn lie on the eastern and southern edges of the Middle-earth map. Rhûn is in the east, and both Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) ended Season 1 heading off in that direction.

Fellowship of Fans adds that there were conflicting rumors that Chera may have been on the show’s sets in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. This coincides with other potential sightings of “The Stranger” on-site in that same location. Putting all of the pieces together (and assuming everything is true — which is a major caveat), Chera could be playing a character that Nori and The Stranger meet in Rhûn. The one issue here is that the three Mystics from Season 1 likely came from Rhûn too. This would mean we’ve already seen that race on the show.

Who else could Gavi Singh Chera play?

If Gavi Singh Chera isn’t Sauron and doesn’t end up being from Rhûn, what other groups have we not yet seen? There are a few additional human options here.

For instance, there are still many other people groups who live around Middle-earth during the Second Age (when “The Rings of Power” takes place). One of these is J.R.R. Tolkien’s mysterious wood people, the Drúedain. This group (who are in “The Return of the King” book but were cut from Peter Jackson’s adaptation) are around during “The Rings of Power,” and some of them even briefly make their way to Númenor.

The regions southeast and south of Middle-earth (where the Men of Khand and Harad eventually settle) are populated at this time, too. Technically, the show has already introduced the Southlanders as a human race, and the Númenóreans will eventually settle the southern coastlands. Still, other humans are living in these vast regions during the Second Age as well. Tolkien gives us very little information regarding the local tribes, but they’re there and they could appear on the show.

Another more recognizable option is the Men of Bree. “The Fellowship of the Ring” book says of the Breelanders, “According to their own tales they were the original inhabitants and were the descendants of the first Men that ever wandered into the West of the middle-world.” Chera could play a Breelander, giving us a fun glimpse into the world of Bree at a time that even Tolkien didn’t explore.

Chera could play a non-human character

Gavi Singh Chera could also play someone of a non-human race. We may have seen the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm in Season 1, but they are just one of several Dwarven groups living scattered across the Middle-earth continent. There are even official Dwarven “Houses,” some of which easily overlap with the story. For instance, both the Blacklocks and the Stonefoots live in Rhûn. These are distinct Dwarven enclaves that could be considered a “new group” for the show.

Ents are another big question mark here. Technically, we saw an Ent family in Season 1, but only for a split second. The arboreal race plays a major part in the events of the Second Age, including the Entish female counterparts, the Entwives. Perhaps Chera will be slipping on a motion capture suit, much like Andy Serkis did, to play the part of Treebeard or one of his peers.

The Eagles are another option. The Race of the Great Eagles plays a critical role in Middle-earth history. Dragons are also a possibility here, as they thrive in the far northern regions of the continent during this time. In both cases, these airborne candidates can talk, and Chera could be on tap to voice them if they play a part in Season 2. However, once again, we got a quick glimpse of an Eagle and a Dragon in the opening sequence of Season 1, Episode 1, so these don’t officially fit the “we haven’t seen them before” criteria.

Whatever Chera’s role is, there’s no doubt that he’s on the show, and time will tell what role showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have planned for him as they continue to unfold their five-season story.