Rings of Power Season 2 Makes a Scary Lord of the Rings Villain Even More Terrifying

A major attraction in many of JRR Tolkien's stories are the creatures he put on the page. Whether it was trolls, eagles, or the golem known as the Balrog, they added so much to this medieval fantasy realm. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power uses some from the original material, while creating new ones at the same time.

A familiar face appears early in season two: the fearsome spider, Shelob. While she's not as big or old, she's much more terrifying. Meanwhile, Shelob sets up the potential for her origin story outside Sauron's tower at Barad-dûr.

What is the story of Shelob in the Lord of the Rings?

Shelob was an unwitting watchdog outside Mordor

When Sauron operated from Mordor, he had many prisoners, and sometimes even his own Orc soldiers, whom he wanted punished. He would feed them to Shelob, the guardian of the pass known as Cirith Ungol. She was the “last daughter” of Ungoliant: a giant spider from the First AgeAs Shelob grew, the spider even fed on her own children, demonstrating that she had a sadistic appetite that developed around the Second Age of Middle-earth.

Sauron considered her a pet when the Third Age came. He knew that anyone who trespassed on his territory would be eaten. She had occupied that territory for thousands of years at that time. Shelob set traps with her web. Out of the sticky threads she spun, if she saw prey running away and worth pursuing, she would show off her apex predator skills and hunt it. That is, once they had not taken it too far from her rocky conclave.

In time, Gollum would come across her, but he managed to broker a deal. Besides being too bony to be eaten, he promised to bring her a better meal. This laid the groundwork for Frodo and Sam to be brought to the lair. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King he detailed it by pushing it back from the Two Towerstradition. Gollum's plan was for them to die and for him to steal the One Ring.

Shelob would have webmed Frodo and prepared a meal. But fortunately, Sam used Frodo's sword, Sting, and a magical vial Galadriel had given them to defeat their enemies. Sam stabbed the monster, and it is assumed that once their ordeal of the ring was over, the spider was dead.. Coincidentally, his descendants had also fought Frodo's ancestor, Bilbo Baggins, years before, creating an intrinsic bond with the Hobbit clan. In the second season of Rings of Power In the Second Age, audiences see the younger version of Shelob in action.

Shelob from Rings of Power tries to kill Isildur

Shelob Wants Human and Orca Meat in Season 2

Rings of Power In the first season Isildur was near death in the Southlands after his army attempted to fight the orcs of Adar. Isildur wakes up to cobwebs, but there are not only men around. There are also orcs, which confirms that Shelob is feeding on everything she sees.. Whether people are alive or dead, he makes no distinction between species. Isildur must first defend himself from an orc and receives help from his horse, Berek, only to unleash more chaos. Baby spiders attack the horse, but the real threat is Shelob. The spider leaps out of the shadows and tries to bite Isildur.

She uses her claws and pincers to try to tear Isildur apart. It's very frenetic, giving the series a real sense of horror. It's not as big a spectacle as when a larger, bigger Shelob fought Sam and Frodo. But in this smaller, claustrophobic area, there's a more suffocating feeling. Shelob has that energy of a Facehugger and a small Xenomorph from the Alien movie. He's faster, more agile, and jumps around. She follows him from the shadows, uses the rock walls of the cave and jumps on his back. No matter what, he can't knock her down..

Luckily, after dragging and shaking it, he manages to get a blade and stabs the creature. The monster hisses and runs away. Isildur runs to his horse to get out and avoid being killed. Shelob, wounded, tries to chase it, but she doesn't want to leave her border area and doesn't want to go into the light. The darkness is her friend, so she'll have to make do with the people she already has as prisoners of war. All in all, it's a quick fight that doesn't last more than five minutes. This is one of the most intense sprawls the show has ever had.

Rings of Power's Shelob highlights a major strength of the franchise

Shelob proves that Rings of Power is taking monsters into consideration

Rings of Power Season 2 is doing the right thing for all these monsters. It shows more of the kaiju that attacked Sauron's ship, ate people, and sent him to become Halbrand. That flashback is a prime example of how flawless the character design and CGI is in this series. Sauron later encounters a wolf-like beast in the Adar internment camp. He charms the monster into helping him escape, a talent he showed when it also seemed to be keeping the kaiju away.

Then there is the Eagle who helps the people believe that Pharazôn should rule Númenor. Also, the giant troll, Damrod, presents himself in place of Adar for an alliance. All these sequences feel polished and contribute to the escapist energy of the series.This is very welcome at a time when even Marvel and DC content sometimes gets things wrong when it comes to practical and special effects. Rings of Poweron the other hand, he mixes both with ease, as the mother orca and her son further demonstrate.

This gives young Shelob more character and personality than in Peter Jackson's film.. It comes off as much more cerebral, as she clearly wants a taste of Isildur. Admittedly, the trailer and marketing should have done a better job of keeping the spider a surprise. While some critics think she was forced into the mix, her presence does suggest she’s close to Mordor. She might find the gateway and create the house people saw on the big screen.

Rings of Power's Shelob May Meet Sauron

Sauron may find and enchant Shelob in season 2

Sauron is now disguised as Annatar at Celebrimbor's Forge in Eregion, but he will be multitasking. He must ensure that no messengers from Elrond's Lindon reach the Forge. He must also secure more space around Mordor for his inevitable coup. So, he is ready to be around Shelob.

This could see Sauron tame the beast, as the series is heavily tinkering with Tolkien canon. With the continuity reshaped, Sauron could find more heroes and villains to throw at the spider. He could easily move it into his lair and what would become a deadly trap for his enemies. In this way, the Prime Video series, even if it does so indirectly, bridges the gap with Jackson’s films.

It would make Sauron more sneaky and stealthy, while giving Shelob more opportunities for eating scenes and being intimidating.. Ultimately, this is what most fans want to see. The bricks are laid to inform the movies, retcons, and all that. It helps with the connectivity and overall worldbuilding into a tapestry where fans want the backstories, origins, and motivations of all these iconic figures: both good and bad.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two debuts with new episodes on Thursdays on Prime Video.