Lord Of The Rings' Most Powerful Character In Rings Of Power Season 2 Is A Huge Risk
It's official. Tom Bombadil is going to be in "The Rings of Power." Over a year ago, the rumor mill churned out the tidbit that Bombadil was cast for Season 2. On May 29, 2024, Vanity Fair confirmed the speculation with a First Look report that revealed Bombadil (played by Rory Kinnear) in all his Middle-earth glory.
The news is kind of a big deal. Bombadil plays a significant role in the earlier part of "The Lord of the Rings" books. Yet, Ralph Bakshi didn't adapt the character in the '70s. Peter Jackson skipped out on the enigma too — although he did hint at Tom Bombadil in a deleted scene. When Bombadil struts onto the screen in Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne's adaptation, it will be the first time he plays a significant part in any cinematic adaptation to date.
The question is: why? Why is J.R.R. Tolkien's overpowered and unexplainable character so hard to adapt, and will he fit into a Second Age story set thousands of years before the canon text where Tolkien originally put him?
Part of the answer is right in the question. Bombadil really is an enigma in any context, let alone a visual one. In a letter in 1954, Tolkien stated, "As a story, I think it is good that there should be a lot of things unexplained (especially if an explanation actually exists). ... And even in a mythical Age there must be some enigmas, as there always are. Tom Bombadil is one (intentionally)."
Bombadil isn't easy to understand or to adapt, which gives Payne and McKay a fun challenge. Let's look at what we know about the merry fellow, and why this move has huge "boom or bust" potential for "The Rings of Power."
Who is Tom Bombadil? The secret origins of a LotR God
Who is Tom Bombadil? In a nutshell: no one knows. J.R.R. Tolkien considered him a purposeful enigma. But he did provide a few scraps of information beyond that cryptic description.
For instance, Bombadil pre-dates "The Lord of the Rings" and was inspired by a Dutch doll that belonged to the author's children. In a letter in 1937, Tolkien also called him "the spirit of the (vanishing) Oxford and Berkshire countryside." This extra Middle-earth origin means Bombadil doesn't fit into the story in the same way as everyone else. He exists outside of the story.
This has led some to suppose that Bombadil represents God in Middle-earth. But that doesn't fit either. In another letter in 1956, Tolkien clarified that Bombadil is not, in fact, God in his world. The author stated, "There is no embodiment of the One, of God, who indeed remains remote, outside the World."
Instead, throughout Tolkien's writings, the enigmatic Bombadil stubbornly remains just that: a mystery. Of his origin in the story, the most we get is a brief line in "The Fellowship of the Ring" book, where Elrond says, "But I had forgotten Bombadil, if indeed this is still the same that walked the woods and hills long ago, and even then was older than the old. That was not then his name. Iarwain Ben-adar we called him, oldest and fatherless." Tolkien confirmed this genesis in a letter in 1961, where he said, "Bombadil is 'fatherless', he has no historical origin in the world described in The Lord of the Rings."
While Bombadil has an unexplainable beginning, though, he does have some very distinct capabilities and powers.
How powerful Tom Bombadil is in LotR and his power over the One Ring
Tom Bombadil's otherworldly status gives him a unique sense of power in J.R.R. Tolkien's world. For instance, when Frodo and his Hobbit friends first encounter him, they're trapped by an Ent-like tree and Bombadil frees them — get this — by singing at the tree. Later in the story, he saves the Hobbits again from a Barrow White (a kind of ghost), again by singing his heart's song.
When Frodo and company are staying at his house, Bombadil comes in from the pouring rain waving his hands in the air and — hey, presto! He's quite dry, except for his boots. Tom is married to a river spirit named Goldberry, too, adding even more mystique to his magical prowess.
And then there's the matter of the One Ring. When Tom asks Frodo to see the One Ring, he laughs and pops it on his finger. "The Fellowship of the Ring" book reads, "For a moment the hobbits noticed nothing strange about this. Then they gasped. There was no sign of Tom disappearing!"
The One Ring, which is tempting and dangerous for everyone else, has no power over Tom Bombadil. This seems to stem from his disconnect from the primary fabric of the story. He isn't on the same playing field as everyone else. He's a superior being, observing and only occasionally interacting with his surroundings and remaining generally disinterested in the overall drama. That last bit is important. When it's suggested that the One Ring be given to Bombadil to keep safe, Gandalf points out, "If he were given the Ring, he would soon forget it, or most likely throw it away."
Could Rings of Power Season 2 ruin Tom Bombadil for Lord of the Rings fans?
Now we come to the great question. Will integrating Tom Bombadil into the "Rings of Power" story make it better or will the move backfire? Let's start with the possibility of the latter.
As we already pointed out ad nauseam, Bombadil is a complicated and convoluted character. He has no origin, only appears at one point in Tolkien's writings, and operates in many ways outside of the narrative. An excessive amount of involvement or influence from the character has the potential to overstep Bombadil's mystic aura. If the show provides a "man behind the curtain" view of the character, it could upset fans who enjoy his ambiguous nature.
This is a concern because, in the Vanity Fair report, J.D. Payne says, "When he finally crosses paths with the Stranger, you could say he has a desire to try to keep the destruction that has happened [in Rhûn] from spreading to his beloved lands in the West. He nudges the Stranger along his journey, which he knows will eventually protect the larger natural world that he cares about. So I'd say our Tom Bombadil is slightly more interventionist than you see in the books, but only by 5% or 10%."
To be fair, while J.R.R. Tolkien positions him as a neutral character, Bombadil isn't afraid to get hands-on at times in the books, like when he saves the hobbits more than once and hosts them in his home. But, there are clear, unspoken limits to his involvement. If the show doesn't respect that nebulous nature, the character could quickly morph into something unrecognizable — and upset a legion of fans in the process.
Tom Bombadil could be awesome — if done right
There are also ways to adapt Tom Bombadil correctly. The tricky thing here is walking the line between pandering fan service and over-using the character. The former doesn't seem likely, as it appears Rory Kinnear's Bombadil will be at least moderately involved in guiding and teaching The Stranger (Daniel Weyman). In the First Look Interview, Patrick McKay says that while the character is a bit much for a film adaptation, "[W]e have the advantage of a television show, and hence we are going to find a way to tap into that."
As far as overuse or an overtly descriptive presentation of the character goes, this is on the showrunners' radar too. Vanity Fair summarized, "Payne and McKay have decided not to answer any questions about the character that Tolkien himself left deliberately unresolved." If they can truly resist the urge to explain Bombadil, they can capture some of the magic that makes him so special to Tolkien fans.
At the same time, if they can use Bombadil to lighten rather than enlighten the narrative, they can leave audiences feeling uplifted and positive about the encounter. Payne references this when he explains that the storytelling structure is in place heading into Season 2. Sauron is revealed, and he's building up his presence in Middle-earth. "Really," he adds, "Tom is sort of a curiosity within that structure because while it is darker, Tom Bombadil is singing and saying lines that could be nursery rhymes from children's poems. So he sort of defies the tonal shift of the rest of the season and is a real point of light amidst an otherwise sea of darkness."
It's a nice sentiment, but Payne, McKay, and their crew will really need to stick the landing for this one to work.