Neil Gaiman shuts down Elon Musk's criticism of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Nori in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has already broken records for Prime Video, and racked up some rave reviews. Although, not everyone has been impressed with the show, which reportedly cost more than a billion dollars to make

Elon Musk was among those vocal about their distaste for the series, which in his mind wasn’t true to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. "Tolkien is turning in his grave," Musk wrote on Twitter. "Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk, or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart, and nice."

While some agreed with his perspective, The Sandman author Neil Gaiman wasn’t too impressed with Musk’s take. After a fan pointed it out to him on social media, the writer shut it down, with a reference to Musk’s ongoing bid to purchase Twitter. 

"Elon Musk doesn't come to me for advice on how to fail to buy Twitter," Gaiman wrote, "and I don't go to him for film, TV, or literature criticism." Many of his followers praised his response, with the tweet receiving more than 300,000 likes.

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The Rings of Power is only two episodes into its 10-episode first season on Prime Video. It takes place centuries before the events of The Lord of the Rings, during Middle-earth’s Second Age. So far, we’ve met a cast of characters grappling with an evil that seems to be brewing once again.

For more on the show, check out our guide to all of the characters you need to know about, who that mystery figure is at the end of episode 2, and our best theories about The Stranger’s identity. We’ve also compiled a Rings of Power release schedule to make sure you don’t miss a moment of the new series.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.