Lord of the Rings Fans Slam Rings of Power Live-Action Tom Bombadil Reveal

The reveal of Men star Rory Kinnear as the live-action Tom Bombadil in the upcoming second season of Rings of Power has been met with some harsh criticism from Lord of the Rings fans. Taking to social media following the first images of Kinnear in Rings of Power season 2, those who have been awaiting the arrival of the beloved Tom Bombadil in live-action have taken issue with the depiction of the Tolkien character.

Many have targeted their criticism at Bombadil’s lack of a smile in all the images, with the all-powerful character usually depicted looking pretty happy-go-lucky. “The fact that our first official image is of him completely straight-faced instead of smiling isn’t a good sign,” says one disappointed fan, with another adding, “Tom Bombadil would never have such a serious expression as this.”

First introduced by J.R.R. Tolkien in his 1934 poem The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, the character later appeared in The Lord of the Rings novels. Bombadil’s origins remain mysterious to this day and have frequently been the subject of much debate, thanks in large part to his immunity to the influence and darkness of the One Ring.

Bombadil largely remains on the outskirts of events in the Lord of the Rings, with many now questioning how the character will be folded into the drama inherent in The Rings of Power. “The overall feel of the Amazon show is big, important, serious – don’t know how they would square that with Bombadil,” says another reaction to the recent reveal. Others, meanwhile, have taken issue with the costume, with one fan saying, “This cannot be real. This looks like a Party City costume.”

Not All the Reactions to Rings of Power’s Tom Bombadil Have Been Bad

Thankfully, not all the reactions to the new images have been negative, with one fan excited to see Tom Bombadil in live-action and saying, “my god i am so excited to hear what @bearmccreary is cooking up for tom bombadil. this is the best combination i’ve ever heard of.” While another simply adds, “Bombadil is Bombadilling alright!”

Tom Bombadil will be introduced in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. Portrayed by Penny Dreadful star Rory Kinnear, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay have explained why they think the much-loved character has largely been left out of Tolkien adaptations.

“There’s a reason why he hasn’t been in prior adaptations, because in some ways he’s sort of an anti-dramatic character. He’s not a character who has a particularly strong agenda. He observes drama, but largely doesn’t participate in it. In The Fellowship of the Ring, the characters kind of just go there and hang out for a while, and Tom drops some knowledge on them.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and takes viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.