“That is one scary looking…”: The Rings of Power’s New Monstrous Character, An “eater of dragon bones”, Has the Most Unexpected Connection to Breaking Bad
A fantasy television series developed by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, is based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s history of Middle-earth. The series is set thousands of years before the events mentioned in the novel The Lord of the Rings and showcases the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age.
The Rings of Power was released on Amazon Prime and was known to be the most watched of any Prime Video’s original television series. It received positive comments from the critics and the audience. The second season, which is scheduled for release in August, will feature a horrifying new villain.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’s new villain has a connection to Breaking Bad
The very popular and successful fantasy show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is all set to return with season 2 in August 2024. Ahead of the show’s release, a new villain, Damrod the Hill-troll, will be seen stomping his way into the lives of The Lord of the Rings’ watchers.
Empire magazine revealed the new pictures of the villain and described that the Hill-troll is not someone an individual should mess up with. The publication noted that the show-runner refers to the new villain as the ‘eater of dragon bones’ and will be voiced by Benjamin Walker. Interestingly, J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay were inspired by one of the beloved fictional characters from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. McKay shared,
He was inspired in part by Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul if you look at the way he moves and his casual sense of strength.
Mike Ehrmantraut was played by actor Jonathan Banks and is an incredible character whose presence is terrifying even when he ain’t speaking. The first season included a Snow-troll, which was followed by a cavetroll from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
1. That is one scary looking troll
2. Cgi is done extremely well
3. He eats dragon bones!!?! Oh I pray for the elves of eregion— EreinionGchad 🍁 Herald of Lindon 🍁 (@starkzayob49) July 1, 2024
A big hill troll fully voiced AND a unique personality? Yes, for those who are wondering, that is a Tolkien trait right from his legendarium.
— tree herder 💍 (@Bliss_Hughes) July 1, 2024
Wow. Just wow. Nothing like the Middle-Earth's Trolls we've seen so far because, except William, Tom and Bert, due to them and this one looking slightly more human-like. I like it!
— Tuomas Pöllä (@TuomasPolla) July 1, 2024
ScreenRant suggested that Hill-troll will be given a personality and a story with a purpose beyond just being a large enforcer. Fans reacted to the Hill-troll being inspired by Mike Ehrmantruat and wrote, ‘That is one scary-looking troll’, praising the CGI. Another user mentioned, ‘A big Hill-troll fully voiced and with a unique personality? Yes, for those who are wondering, that is a Tolkien trait right from his legendarium.
Just Wow 🔥🔥🔥
— Gihan Chanmidu (@GChanmidu90942) July 1, 2024
It's so so so awesome, here we go ROP 🔥🤌
— Mohammadamin (@mohhmdamin) July 1, 2024
Some fans questioned why the inspiration wasn’t taken from Tolkien’s book, but a lot of them expressed that they’re looking forward to watching Hill-Troll in season 2.
Show-runners claim The Rings of Power Season 2 will be about the villains
In a conversation with Games Radar, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay revealed that the upcoming series is going to focus more on the villains than season 1, which focuses on the heroes. They said,
This time, Sauron’s agenda sets everything in motion: Adar and his army of orcs; Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-galadand’s armies of elves. All of these will come crashing together in the most ambitious battle our show has seen yet, a battle from which many big players may not make it out alive.
Teasing the storyline for season 2, the show-runner mentioned that a recurring motif in mythology centers around a king’s failing health leading to a sickness in the land that tends to threaten the kingdom. They added that the upcoming season will see a fractured relationship between King Durin and his son.
Collider reports that McKay noted that they love a good battle, and for season 2, they’d want it to be bigger and on a grander scale that would take place not just overnight but over multiple weeks, days, months, and episodes.
Season 1 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video. Season 2 arrives on 29th August 2024.
