The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Cynthia Addai-Robinson has revealed how season 2 of the fantasy series is more focused on the villains than season 1. The Rings of Power season 1 ended with Sauron making his way to Mordor, just after guiding Celebrimbor and the other Elves toward making the first three Rings. While it’s unclear what the next phase of his plan will be, season 2 has already confirmed his return under the guise of Annatar, no doubt to continue forging the rest of the titular objects.

Speaking with Collider, Addai-Robinson explained how The Rings of Power season 2 is going to be more focused on the villains than the first batch of episodes. The actor, who portrays Míriel, Queen-regent of Númenor, revealed how the next episodes will be a flip on the hero’s journey seen in the previous season, indicating how the season will play out because of this new focus. Check out what Addai-Robinson had to say below:

Really, in the first season, you think of the hero’s journey, and we have, obviously, many heroes in their various parts of the world and different storylines. Season 2, I call it the villain’s journey. So really, we’re looking at not just Sauron’s journey and his plans and manipulations in this part of the story, but just that tracking of the influence of the rings and also different characters’ journeys through the darkness — I’ll say that very vaguely — and just corruption, betrayal, and all of these darker themes and a slightly darker tone in general for the second season overall.

What A Villain Focus Means For The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Story

Sauron Will Have A Much Bigger Focus

Since The Rings of Power season 2 is expected to have a larger role for its villains, this means there will likely be a bigger focus on Sauron going forward. This makes sense for the story established in season 1, with Halbrand revealing himself as the Dark Lord indicating he would get a larger focus in future episodes. J.R.R. Tolkien’s work also indicates the Second Age mainly had to do with the antagonist’s rise to power, giving the show an even greater reason to put him into the spotlight.

However, he’s not the only villain season 2 will explore, as the corrupted Elf Adar has named himself the Lord of Mordor, having formed it after taking over the Southlands. He and Sauron have a history with one another, indicative that they won’t be getting along when they finally meet face-to-face. Since The Rings of Power cast could include other, smaller villains as well, there’s no telling just how many antagonists the heroes will have to contend with moving forward.

With Sauron starting to gain more power already thanks to his formation of the Rings, it seems The Rings of Power season 2 will have a much larger conflict than season 1 ever did. Given the complexities of the many antagonists now in the show, it appears there will be plenty of different storylines, even with a focus on the villains. Although the exact nature of what happens remains to be seen, it could be something unlike anything the show has done before.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 will consist of eight episodes.