The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power’s Comic-Con trailer offers audiences the best look at Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings show, and it proves how unjustified a lot of the criticism aimed at the upcoming series really is. Less than two days after The Rings of Power’s first official teaser was released, a new trailer was released at San Diego Comic-Con, revealing new locations, characters, and potential storylines for Prime Video’s Middle-earth show. Despite the exciting previously released teasers and promotional pictures, there was still a portion of the audience who believed Amazon’s The Rings of Power was not being truthful to Tolkien’s vision, a complaint that the newest The Rings of Power trailer puts to rest.

After Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which by itself was never a one-to-one adaptation of Tolkien’s work, it was always going to be difficult for any production to go back to Middle-earth given how successful and impactful those movies were. This was proved by The Hobbit trilogy, which, despite also being directed by Peter Jackson, did not come any close to receiving the same acclaim as the original Lord of the Rings films. Now, ten years after The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, audiences will get a chance to go back to live-action Middle-earth in The Rings of Power. The Prime Video Lord of the Rings show will cover Middle-earth’s Second Age, thousands of years before the events of the Peter Jackson movies.

Related: Rings Of Power Just Made LOTR's Balrog Debate More Confusing

Given how far back in the timeline The Rings of Power takes place compared to Frodo's story, it makes sense for the Prime Video show to look relatively different from the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. However, that did not stop a portion of the audience from criticizing The Rings of Power as not being faithful to Tolkien’s novels – but a significant part of those criticisms was not just about the visuals and the story. The Rings of Power has been targeted with complaints about its diverse cast and LGBTQ+ representation, often masked as remarks about the show not being faithful to Tolkien’s books. While no production should have to respond or pander to such criticism, the newest The Rings of Power trailer shows that when it comes to recapturing the magic of the Middle-earth Peter Jackson adapted, the Amazon series has absolutely nailed its mission.

The New LOTR: The Rings Of Power Trailer Eases All Concerns

Three different shots of the Ring of Powers Comic-Con trailer

Whatever actual criticism audiences may have about The Rings of Power not looking or feeling like a part of the Lord of the Rings world from the movies should now be eased with the Comic-Con trailer. Despite the significant timeline differences, the Second Age Middle-earth depicted in The Rings of Power's trailer still feels like a spiritual successor to the Peter Jackson films, even if the production and creative teams are different. Obviously, every adaptation will have its own tone and aesthetic, but there is nothing suggesting that The Rings of Power doesn’t have the potential to be both a great show and a great Lord of the Rings adaptation.

With a series of teasers, promotional pictures, and an incredible San Diego Comic-Con trailer, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has set the stage for a promising first season. Despite being technically a prequel to the main story, the possibilities as to where the story can go are endless. It remains to be seen how exactly similar to previous Middle-earth movies, but also how distinct and unique, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be.

Next: Is Sauron In The Rings Of Power? Where Is He During LOTR's Second Age?

Want more San Diego Comic-Con 2022 coverage? Check out our essential content below...