The Rings of Power season 3 trailer shows Sauron becoming a real dark lord

It took almost the entire first season of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for any rings to be forged and the identity of the Dark Lord Sauron to be revealed. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay similarly took their time in season 2 as they strung along the identity of the Stranger (who, of course, turned out to be Gandalf) and focused on Sauron gaslighting the legendary elven smith Celebrimbor so he could get help making his rings. But the first teaser of Rings of Power season 3 demonstrates the series is finally getting to the good stuff in Tolkien’s epic fantasy series.

Prime Video shared a first look at the new season with 6,500 fans gathered at San Diego Comic-Con Hall H, where four Nazgnagol — the Second Age version of the Ringwraiths — showed up on stage in full armor to await Sauron’s command. The teaser trailer shows Sauron (Charlie Vickers) finally looking like a proper villain after two seasons of hiding his identity. Sauron completed the nine rings for men at the end of last season, and their bearers and one of their Black Wing mounts are a big part of the new trailer.

Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is still trying to stop Sauron, teaming up with the wood elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) and a mysterious orc named Marnukh (Adam Young). Five years have passed since season 2 ended with the fall of the elven city of Eregion, and the elven realms protected by their own rings are among the only holdouts against Sauron’s power. The dwarves of Khazad-dum have only stayed safe because they are sealed deep beneath their mountain, but the teaser shows King Durin IV getting a very unwelcome visit from Sauron’s lieutenants. Galadriel is racing to try to stop Sauron before he can forge the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, but (spoiler alert) she fails.

Besides promising more action, this season is adding some more big names to the cast. Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower will play Galadriel’s long-lost husband Celeborn, while Simon Pegg will give a voice to the Balrog for the first time.

The first four episodes of The Rings of Power season 3 will premiere on Prime Video on Nov. 11 with episodes 5 and 6 dropping on Nov. 18 and the final two episodes releasing on Nov. 25.