LOTR: The Rings of Power Makes Stand Against Racist Backlash

Whenever diversity is introduced in something that older white males enjoy, you can always expect some kind of backlash—which is exactly what’s happening with Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While studios like Disney may take a while to make a stand against racist backlash, the official Rings of Power account didn’t stand for it.

They shared a post condemning all the racist reactions to the show, which premiered last week:

We stand in solidarity with our cast. #YouAreAllWelcomeHere pic.twitter.com/HLIQdyqLmr

— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) September 7, 2022

“We, the cast of Rings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity and against the relentless racism, threats, harassment and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis… We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.”

With the rise of internet troll culture and the trend of ‘review bombing’, Amazon has tried to combat this by suspending reviews for 72 hours to give a chance to verify if they are legitimate or coming from a place of bias with an intent to discredit the show.

For now, fans are still holding their breathes on the fate of Rings of Power. Though we already had two episodes, the fate of the series is still a big mystery. It’s too early to say that it’s all great, but that certainly doesn’t mean that the series is horrible either. Admittedly, the first episode was just full of exposition, but the second episode really started to pick up the story and introduced way more of the central characters.

Not to mention, ROP also has to compete with House of the Dragon, which is riding on IP that is admittedly more recent and popular. LOTR has the herculean task to establish a new fanbase among an existing fanbase that didn’t want a series in the first place.

Personally, I like what I’m seeing so far, and I’m willing to give the show a chance. Catch LOTR: The Rings of Power now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.