What is the Chance of the Valar Fighting for the Free People During the Third age?

[Aiwendil]

Originally Posted by Andsigil

Arguably, mankind and Middle Earth were in more danger in the Second Age (from themselves and Sauron) than the Third, and it took Ar-Pharazon attempting an amphibious assault of Valinor for them to act.

And even in that case, the Valar themselves didn't act; they merely petitioned Iluvatar to intervene, and Iluvatar took action.

It seems that the Valar had been somewhat traumatized by the destruction wrought in their earlier wars with Melkor. In the later versions of the legends, they don't even come themselves at the end of the First Age; the host they send is made up of Maiar and Elves led by Eonwe.

That's not to say that they would necessarily have abandoned Middle-earth entirely. I think that if Sauron had achieved total victory at the end of the Third Age, the Valar would have responded by sending more covert emissaries along the lines of the Istari to try to work against him. But I don't think they would have come against him in force.