Morfydd Clark in 'The Rings of Power' Episode 6 for our article explaining its ending. She's wearing silver armor, has a sword slung over her back, and is looking out at something.

‘The Rings of Power’ Episode 6 Ending, Explained: Adar’s True Plan

The ending of 'The Rings of Power' Episode 6 takes a sharp turn for the Southlands, revealing Adar's true plans for Sauron's blade.

by Amanda Mullen

Published on September 30, 2022

3 min read

‘The Rings of Power’ Episode 6 ending, explained

The Rings of Power Episode 6, titled “Udûn,” sees Adar and his Orcs launching their attack on the Southlands. Things look dire for Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) and her people, even with the traps Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) sets for the enemy. It’s only thanks to the cavalry from Númenor that anyone from the Southlands survives. Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and her forces show up just in time to stop Adar and the Orcs from taking them out. However, they don’t prevent Adar from getting his hands on Sauron’s blade.

And the villain makes a clever choice after obtaining the object, pretending to have it so Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) will chase him down. While they’re distracted, Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) brings the key to the Elves’ watchtower and unleashes its power.

As the Southlanders and Númenóreans celebrate their victory, no one bothers to check if Sauron’s blade remains in its wrappings. By the time Theo realizes that Adar traded it for an axe, Waldreg has revealed what the key is for — and why the Orcs have been digging tunnels beneath the Southlands.

After Waldreg turns the key in its lock, waters from a river nearby flood the tunnels, traveling to a volcano on the horizon. The pressure causes the volcano to erupt, turning the Southlands into a place Lord of the Rings fans will now recognize.

‘The Rings of Power’ just turned the Southlands into Mordor

One glimpse at a map of the Southlands reveals that it’s in the area later known as Mordor. And the ending of The Rings of Power Episode 6 showed viewers how that shift came to pass.

The final moments of “Udûn” see fire raining down on the Southlanders and Númenóreans, as well as Galadriel, who can already sense things have taken a turn. We know from J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore that certain characters will survive, but there’s a chance some of the series’ leads won’t make it out of this.

The preview for The Rings of Power Episode 7 sees Galadriel coming to in a red, ashy area — one we know will stay that way. It will later become Sauron’s domain. But with Adar insisting that he killed Sauron, it wasn’t intended for that purpose.

With the Orcs unable to venture into the sunlight, it seems he’s creating a home for his “children.” Adar makes it clear that he cares about them during this week’s installment, telling Galadriel they’re “worthy of the breath of life and just as worthy of a home.”

After the volcanic explosion, it seems they’ll get the home they want. And the success of Adar’s plan will have far-reaching consequences for Middle-earth.

How episode 6 will impact the rest of the Prime Video series

That’s right, the ending of The Rings of Power Episode 6 will leave a lasting impact on Middle-earth, opening the Southlands to darkness and corruption.

The volcano that erupted is likely to become Mt. Doom. As such, it will play an important role in The Rings of Power‘s story, as well as in the Third Age of Middle-earth. The area surrounding it will also find itself conquered by Sauron, whose return will happen over the course of the series.

Overall, the Prime Video show does a solid job of connecting its story back to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other works. It will be interesting to see how Númenor and the remaining Southlanders respond to this event — not that there’s much they can do to fix it.

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‘The Rings of Power’ Episode 6 Ending, Explained: Adar’s True Plan