*Warning: This article contains spoilers for the first two episodes of The Rings of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had a terrific opening weekend, and fans of the show are already busy coming up with shocking theories.
The new fantasy series on Amazon Prime Video opened to 25 million views in its first weekend – the introduction of one character has really got fans thinking.
Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), introduced in the second episode as part of a small crew that rescues Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) from the sea, becomes a reluctant ally to the elf.
Once the pair are free from a giant sea creature that wipes out the rest of Halbrand’s crew, he provides his backstory – and subsequently fans have come up with plenty of new theories.
On Reddit, one user is convinced that Halbrand might well be the Witch-King of Angmar, one of the main antagonists from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Posting on the social media website, the user said: ‘Halbrand is the future Witch-King. Hear me out here.’
‘Halbrand says he’s from the Southlands, where his land was destroyed by Orcs. Galadriel asks him about his king and he says his people had no king.’
The user continued: ‘The writers included her asking that question for a reason. Perhaps Halbrand is the king of a destroyed land – the king of a destroyed land might want power to avenge his people.’
‘Eventually someone gives Halbrand – a king of men – a ring of power to avenge his people, which slowly corrupts him into darkness.’
Other users on the website appeared to agree with this theory, with one stating that Halbrand may become one of the Nine, the group lead by the Witch-King in the films.
The Witch-King was defeated in iconic style by Eowyn of Rohan (Nellie Bellflower) in the final Lord of the Rings movie, The Return of the King.
On Amazon Prime Video, users are currently unable to give a star rating to The Rings of Power like they still can with other TV series.
The new fantasy series enjoyed a massive opening weekend on the streaming service, but has reportedly been the target of online trolls.
According to a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter by an Amazon source, the streaming company are attempting to ensure that reviews are legitimate before opening the voting system again.
Watch The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video now.
