The Rings of Power's Stranger Needs a Future Nazgûl as an Enemy
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One of The Rings of Power's biggest strengths was its villains. Halbrand was Sauron all along, but the series was able to keep it a secret until the Season 1 finale. Likewise, Adar was a great character because he brought ancient The Lord of the Rings lore to the forefront of the Prime Video series.
Going into Season 2, The Rings of Power has an opportunity to continue its trend of great villains. Sauron will still be the big bad, and even though he's being recast, Adar's story is not over. However, with the white-robed mystics out of the picture, The Stranger needs a villain for his storyline, and LOTR has the perfect answer: Khamûl the Easterling.
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The Stranger Needs Someone To Test His Powers Against
From the beginning, The Rings of Power's most confusing character was a figure who fans called Meteor Man. He fell out of the sky in a meteor during the series' trailer, and because of that, many fans assumed that he was Sauron. Eventually, he was dubbed, "The Stranger," but his identity remained a mystery until the season finale. That's when fans found out that The Stranger was good. Even he wasn't sure of his identity, but when the white-robed mystics attacked his Harfoot friends, he snapped and protected them.
During that confrontation, the mystics realized that The Stranger was one of the Istari. That started debates on whether he was Gandalf, Radagast or one of the Blue Wizards. While his true identity is still a mystery, The Stranger has been established as a good guy, and as such, he needs a nemesis for Season 2 and beyond. He easily vanquished the mystics, so they're off the table. He needs to face someone bigger and badder who will truly test his powers.
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Future Nazgûl Khamûl Should Be The Stranger's Nemesis
Unlike LOTR's story, The Rings of Power made the three Elven rings first, but the 16 other rings must be made at some point. Eventually, Sauron will give nine of them to the kings of Men, and over time, they will become the Nazgûl. That story of Sauron giving out the nine rings and having those kings slowly decay into wraiths is a great story opportunity for The Rings of Power.
Only one Nazgûl was ever known by his name: Khamûl the Easterling. Khamûl was the second-in-command of the Nazgûl, behind only the Witch-king of Angmar. (He was even briefly the Lord of the Nazgûl in between the Witch-king's death and the rest of the Nazgûl's demise.) During the Third Age, he held Dol Guldur as his lair, and he was the Nazgûl that confronted Frodo and company at Bucklebury Ferry.
Before all that, however, Khamûl was a king of Men in the far East of Middle-earth. There, he ruled over the land of Rhûn, which happens to be the exact place where The Stranger and Nori departed for in The Rings of Power Season 1 finale. Thus, Khamûl could very well be the antagonist for The Stranger in Season 2 and beyond.
The Rings of Power Season 2 does not have a release date. Season 1 is streaming now on Prime Video.
