Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to be a massive show for Prime Video. It's sporting a huge budget and an expansive story. From everything that is known about the series, it will predominately focus on the Elves and their story during the Second Age of Middle-Earth. And it seems like the series may show a different side to Elves than the audience is used to, a darker side.
The Rings of Power is based on various writings of J.R.R Tolkien and will focus on telling a bigger story of Middle-Earth. It's moving away from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and telling a never before seen story. This has caused anticipation and nervousness to grow around the new series. The lore of Middle-Earth that Tolkien created is, after all, precious to a lot of people. While Prime Video is making some changes, it does seem like they're trying to adapt all aspects with respect. However, it will be interesting to see the reactions if the Elves of the series are indeed portrayed in a different way.
The show will feature the Elf Celebrimbor, an Elf of great power who, along with Sauron, made all the rings of power. It's likely that his fall from grace will show the darkness that lurks within the Elves, who are normally associated with light and grace in the Lord of the Rings universe. Seeing how one of them could be tricked, corrupted, and fooled into creating something evil would demonstrate how they aren't beings of pure good -- no one is. They live for thousands of years, which means that there's potential for both a lot of good and a lot of evil in their long lives.
Galadriel, in turn, has always been a mysterious figure in the Lord of the Rings universe. She is incredibly old, powerful, and wise. She is respected and feared, yet fans of just the films or the main books don't know why. This show may touch upon that. From The Rings of Power trailer that was released, it seems that Galadriel is set on bringing down the dark power that is rising. Other Elves seem oblivious to it, but she won't be silenced. This may lead her to go behind people's backs, create shaky alliances, or even break the laws of her people. Seeing how the politics and agendas of the Elves play into the story may show a different side to them.
There is also that belief that Orcs are created from corrupted Elves. That brings up the possibility that the creation of Orcs could be shown during the series. The Orcs in The Rings of Power have been described as "baby versions," since they aren't as tortured or scarred. It may be that the corrupted Elves sought power but ended up being destroyed by it. Seeing Elves being corrupted by the dark powers of Middle-Earth would destroy the stereotype that Elves are almost invincible. By making them have weaknesses and flaws, they can become more interesting.
The Elves of Middle-Earth have always been perfect. The most beautiful, the most powerful and the wisest. The Rings of Power may move the line on their stereotypes and portray them as much darker and less perfect. Seeing the Elves become more flawed and seeing ranks of them fall to corruption can help the audience connect with them and make them more intriguing.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiers on September 2, 2022 on Prime Video.