The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2’s trailer has been dislike-bombed since its release online, with many fans pointing out one particular gripe they have.
After The Rings of Power Season 1 was released on Amazon Prime Video in 2022, the fanbase was largely split on whether they viewed the show as a success.
However, since it ended on such a cliffhanger with Sauron finally making it to Mordor and staring at the recently erupted Mount Doom, many eagerly awaited the arrival of Season 2.
Why Is The Rings of Power Trailer Being Dislike-Bombed?
The official trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 was released on May 14, giving fans a first look at the upcoming installment.
Unfortunately, as of writing on June 6, the trailer has been dislike-bombed on YouTube, with it currently being disliked by over 560,000 users as opposed to only 101,000 likes.
It is important to note that many fans didn’t like Season 1, which could have contributed to their dislikes. But most comments point to one particular issue with the show’s main antagonist.
As fans will remember, in Season 1, Sauron had not revealed his true identity. Instead, he went by the name Halbrand and took the saying “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” to heart as he was by Galadriel’s side for most of the season.
In the Season 2 trailer, however, it was revealed that Sauron will take on his Annatar form. In the source material, Annatar (or Sauron) calls himself the Lord of Gifts and an emissary from the Valar; he directly influences Celebrimbor and the creation of the Rings of Power.
In Season 1, many fans expressed their desire to see Sauron in his Annatar form, and now that it has been confirmed that he will be showing up in that way, fans are still disappointed.
In the comments under the trailer, many expressed that Charlie Vickers’s wig looks cheap, especially considering the show’s high budget.
For example, user @accepthisname pointed out a “$1,000,000,000 budget” for the show and only a “$2.00 wig.”
Other fans, such as @battlegoff_8319, took a more jokingly approach while still expressing their disappointment, taking one of The Lord of the Rings‘ most famous quotes and putting their spin on it:
“But they were all of them deceived, for another wig was made…”
@BMG_Giving took a similar route, also using a quote from The Return of the King:
“Galadriel: No man can fool me.
Sauron: puts on wig* I am no man.”
Another fan, @SusanBolding, jokingly talked about how Sauron will “disguise himself as a dwarf” in Season 3 by donning “a cheap Santa beard:”
“Season 3: Sauron disguises himself as a dwarf by keeping his height and wearing a cheap Santa beard. And he will have been mining with the dwarves for years.”
@Dexidoodlealso went the route of using a quote from The Lord of the Rings as well:
“One wig to rule them all. One wig to hide him. One wig to fool them all. And now they can not find him.”
@Geertemaa also jumped on the dislike train, stating Amazon should “just call it the Wigs of Power.”
How Dislike-Bombing Will Affect The Rings of Power
Some fans may think that, since The Rings of Power trailer was dislike-bombed, Amazon may take a step back and assess the show’s future.
However, even though the dislikes were high, they still count as views, and the same goes for the show.
Even if people dislike the content, if the show earns high viewership numbers, Amazon will still see that as a success.
The current plan is for The Rings of Power to run for five seasons, so the dislike-bombing likely won’t affect what will happen.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video on August 29, and fans can stream Season 1 on the platform.