The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has significantly changed many details from J.R.R. Tolkien's works, but the alterations made to Gil-galad's character are certainly among the worst. The High King was only in Lord of the Rings for a brief scene, but his rule is prominent throughout The Silmarillion. For this reason, viewers were eager to see the character finally portrayed on screen in The Rings of Power - but many were disappointed to see someone completely unrecognizable.
In The Silmarillion, Gil-galad is described as the wise and immensely strong High King of the Elves in Middle-earth. He came from important parentage, but that wasn't all that made him worthy of the position. Gil-galad was an excellent military leader, and he bravely fought alongside his soldiers against the likes of Morgoth and Sauron. Additionally, he was one of the few Elven leaders who distrusted Sauron when he was disguised as Annatar. All of this is in stark contrast to what has been seen so far in The Rings of Power, where Gil-galad is nothing more than a clueless politician.
Gil-galad Is Very Different In The Rings Of Power
So far in The Rings of Power, Gil-galad has been nothing like his intelligent and cool book counterpart. Instead, he is portrayed as the typical politician – requiring his underlings to write his speeches for him and misleading people into thinking everything is okay. This is especially seen in his relationship with elves, who should have been considered among the most highly respected in Middle-earth. The High King is threatening, condescending, and deceitful toward the legendary elves of Lord of the Rings, like Galadriel and Elrond, effectively making him come across as a downright jerk.
It's hard to imagine that such a person would one day unite the forces of Elves and Men and sacrifice himself on the battlefield for the cause of taking Sauron and his One Ring down. It's also difficult to imagine that if these things were to happen in future seasons of Rings of Power, audiences would even care. Gil-galad would need to make major changes in season 2 to live up to his canon legacy.
How The Rings Of Power Season 2 Can Fix Gil-galad
It could be that Rings of Power's intention is to show how Gil-galad became the badass elf he is supposed to be in canon. Season 2 could reveal him to have learned from his mistakes and changed the way he ruled. Galadriel and Elrond have now proven themselves with the creation of the Three Elven Rings, and the High King may be humbled by the supposed salvation of his people. Ultimately, Gil-galad must show audiences that he has grown since season 1 and that he is dedicated to the forces of good.
If Gil-galad were to grow from the pompous idiot seen in season 1 to a badass warrior King in later episodes, it would create a more involved character arc than he had in Tolkien's books. This could potentially be the plan since more relatable development has been successful for Lord of the Rings characters like Aragorn. However, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has set the bar so low for Gil-galad's story that the series will have to work hard to bring him up to his book counterpart's standards.