News: Tom Bombadil is in Rings of Power? What?

I know I just did a Rings of Power post a few weeks ago, but as it keeps getting worse, I’m going to keep talking about it. After all, Rings of Power has become possibly one of the most infamous case studies in why no one likes modern Hollywood and why big companies are losing so much money. Just look at how much money they’re blowing on keeping up this hellish adaptation of one of the most beloved authors of all time’s work and how angry it’s making the true fans. Now, after the release of the teaser trailer that the internet has seemingly dubbed “The Wigs of Power”, we have yet another update and that is that Tom Bombadil has officially become cannon in the Rings of Power universe.

For those of you who don’t know who Bombadil is, neither do the fans of Tolkien’s work. Though he has his own story called The Adventures of Tom Bombadil dedicated to him and appears in or is mentioned in a few chapters of The Lord of the Rings, his story is a complete mystery, one that fans have been speculating about for years. Many people believe Tom to be one of the Valar in disguise (the most popular guesses being Aule or Manwe), there to help the Hobbits when they are in need, while others believe that he is Eru Illuvatar (the God of Tolkien’s world) thanks to his statement that he was there basically before the world was created. A more recent theory is that Tom is a representation of Tolkien himself, though that’s a bit far-fetched. There’re other theories surrounding who he is, but most of them are so whacked out that I don’t care to elaborate on them. Nonetheless, he is still a beloved character in the books, partially from the mystery that surrounds him, but also because of his cheery, pacifistic nature that stands in contrast to the drama ahead.

Because of this, he’s the perfect character for Amazon to attempt to ruin. Because of the mystery around him and his past, Amazon can easily use him as someone to project their messaging onto and then give the audience the excuse that their version of Bombadil is just their idea of what he might actually be. If you don’t like it, that’s just because you don’t like other people’s opinions and you’re a “toxic fan” and “patently evil.”

This is Amazon’s goal. They are trying to rage bait people into attacking their show so they can get the media to rally around them. This is seemingly their plan to get people to watch their show, but it’s already backfiring into their faces as they get ratioed online.

Until next time,

M.J.