Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2Amazon's The Rings of Power casts a blinding new light upon Galadriel's The Lord of the Rings movie ending. Played by an ethereal Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson's big screen trilogy, Galadriel takes a back seat during The Lord of the Rings, helping indirectly while defending her realm of Lothlórien from Sauron. Once the War of the Ring is finished, Galadriel joins Elrond, Gandalf, Frodo, and more sailing for the blissful Undying Lands of Valinor - the place of her birth.
Set over 3000 years earlier, The Rings of Power introduces a much younger Galadriel played by Morfydd Clark, who's hellbent on teaching Sauron a lesson after he killed her older brother. As a reward for diligently hunting down evil remnants (and probably to stop her causing trouble too), High King Gil-Galad decrees Galadriel and her company are permitted to sail west for the Undying Lands of Valinor. While her fellow warriors are delighted, Galadriel still feels an urge to stab orcs. Just before she's enveloped by Valinor's light, Galadriel goes for a swim, grabbing her blade and leaping into the water for a long journey across the Sundering Seas back to Middle-earth.
In The Rings of Power episode 1, Galadriel admits to Elrond how she yearns for a return to Valinor, so the significance behind her last-minute change of heart cannot be understated. Galadriel jumps because she can't rest and enjoy eternal bliss in the Undying Lands until her mission to defeat Sauron is complete. Leaving Valinor is even more troublesome than entering, so any outstanding Middle-earth business needs to be addressed beforehand, and Galadriel evidently believes vanquishing evil is more important than paradise. Galadriel's selfless decision makes her ending in the Lord of the Rings movies even better. In the Second Age, Morfydd Clark's Galadriel sacrifices a glorious homecoming to continue fighting for Middle-earth; over 3000 years later, after Frodo Baggins has toppled Sauron, Cate Blanchett's Galadriel finally steps aboard a Valinor-bound ship that she has absolutely no intention of leaping from. The Rings of Power proves how long-awaited and hard-fought Galadriel's departure during The Return of the King's final moments truly was.
How Much Of Galadriel's The Rings Of Power Story Is Canon?
Morfydd Clark's Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shares a loose relationship with J.R.R. Tolkien's source material, to say the least, but her uncertainty over Valinor isn't completely removed from the author's mythology. Galadriel's brother is indeed killed by Sauron, but only in the name of fulfilling an oath to a friend, meaning Galadriel doesn't inherit his cause, develop a deeply personal grudge against the Dark Lord, or seek revenge with Finrod's blade tightly in hand.
Jumping out of a boat isn't quite how Tolkien's story played out, therefore, but Galadriel did refuse a one-way invitation to Valinor. After Morgoth's defeat at the end of the First Age, elves like Galadriel were pardoned and offered a return to the land they abandoned. Galadriel refused, partly because she believed her people had no reason to need pardoning, but more because she always wanted to witness Middle-earth and rule a kingdom there. Killing Sauron wasn't a factor in her decision, since the possibility of his rise wasn't yet perceived.
One could, however, argue that the reason Galadriel stayed in Middle-earth so long thereafter - and then departed in the aftermath of Sauron's defeat - is because she wouldn't abandon her people and realm to darkness - similar to The Rings of Power, albeit without the personal edge. Tolkien supports this in his Unfinished Tales collection, writing, "she deemed it her duty to remain in Middle-earth while Sauron was still unconquered." While vast swathes of Galadriel's The Rings of Power story is an original composition, it's easy enough to spot where Amazon's live-action adaptation has drawn inspiration from authentic lore.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.