Summary
The villain inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 will call back to a Frodo Baggins line fromThe Fellowship of the Ring. As one of the manyupcomingLord of the Ringsprojects,The Rings of Powerseason 2 is highly anticipated. In comparison to theorder ofLord of the Ringsmovies,The Rings of Powertakes place millennia before the events of Frodo Baggins' journey to destroy the One Ring. Despite the distance between the two,The Rings of Powerstill has several overt connections toThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy.
For instance,The Rings of Power’s cast of charactersincludes some figures integral to Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, from Galadriel and Elrond to Isildur and Sauron. The latter is the primary villain ofThe Lord of the Ringsand will appear inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 in a new form. While Frodo Baggins is not born until thousands of years after the show,The Rings of Powerseason 2’s storyand its depiction of Sauron will link to a line the hobbit utters inThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Sauron’s Annatar Form Links To Frodo’s Description Of Strider From Fellowship
The Elf Form Of Sauron Connects To Frodo’s Description Of Middle-Earth’s Villainous Characters
InThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2, Sauron will reappear as Annatar. This was confirmed by thetrailer forThe Rings of Powerseason 2, which saw actor Charlie Vickers shed the rugged, bearded look of Halbrand for the regal, long-haired elvish form of Sauron. In the mythology crafted by J.R.R. Tolkien,Annatar is the fair elf form Sauron took to infiltrate the elven kingdom of Eregion. Using this form, Sauron manipulated Celebrimbor and the other elven smiths into crafting the Rings of Power, allowing himself to craft the One Ring in secret.
The One Ring was used by Sauron to bend all Rings of Power to his will, except the Rings of the elves, who sensed his treachery.
InThe Rings of Powerseason 2, Annatar will appear to Celebrimbor and will likely lead to the construction of the Nine Rings of Men, and Seven Rings of the Dwarf Lords. Through Annatar’s appearance,The Rings of Powerwill link to Frodo’s words about Strider fromThe Fellowship of the Ring, one ofThe Lord of the Rings' best movies. Before Frodo and the other hobbits realize they can trust Strider, a.k.a. Aragorn,Frodo states"I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer, and feel fouler."
Audiences will be aware of Annatar’s true nature as Sauron from his introduction, meaning he will feel foul and evil despite his fair appearance, just as Frodo describes servants of the enemy inFellowship.
This line will perfectly apply to Annatar/Sauron inThe Rings of Powerseason 2. Annatar is known for being a fair-looking elf, using his grace and promise of gifts to befriend the elves in Tolkien’s works. As evidenced in the trailer forThe Rings of Powerseason 2, Annatar will certainly look fairer than Halbrand did in season 1. However, audiences will be aware of Annatar’s true nature as Sauron from his introduction, meaning he will feel foul and evil despite his fair appearance, just as Frodo describes servants of the enemy inFellowship.
Halbrand’s Season 1 Story Arc Was A Reversal Of Annatar
Halbrand’s Arc Saw Him Depicted As A Hero From The Beginning, The Opposite Of Annatar
InThe Rings of Powerseason 1, Sauron presented himself as Halbrand, a human man. Halbrand was introduced early in the show and accompanied Galadriel in the battle against Adar and the orcs of the Southlands, now known as Mordor. However, it was eventually revealed that Halbrand was Sauron the entire time and had silently been manipulating everyone. Halbrand manipulated Adar into creating the land of Mordor and building an army of orcs, as well as trying to win Galadriel over to his side.
This arc from initial hero to ultimate evil will be the opposite of Annatar’s inclusion inThe Rings of Powerseason 2. While Annatar will present himself as a benevolent being to the elves of Eregion, it will be clear from the beginning that he is secretly Sauron. There will be no transition between good and evil like there was with Halbrand, flipping the story arc of Sauron from season 1 on its head inThe Rings of Powerseason 2.
Why Sauron Looks Different In The Rings Of Power Season 2
Sauron returns in The Rings of Power season 2, but looks vastly different compared to his season 1 appearance, and there’s a very sinister reason why.
Sauron’s Annatar Form Fixes A Major Rings Of Power Season 1 Complaint
The Rings Of Power Season 1’s Sauron Complaints Will Be Fixed By Season 2’s Annatar
Undoubtedly the biggest criticism ofThe Lord of the Rings:The Rings of Powerseason 1 was that the show strayed fairly heavily from J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. While the overall plot points of the show matched Tolkien’s writing, the showrunners took creative liberties in some places and crafted somewhat original stories, one being the creation and inclusion of Halbrand. This was primarily due to complications with the Tolkien Estate, with Amazon Prime only able to legally adapt elements included inThe Lord of the Ringsbooks, their appendices, andThe Hobbit.
Most events from the Second Age - the setting of The Rings of Power - were detailed in works outside of those Amazon could legally use.
One of the elements that Amazon therefore did not have the rights to use was Annatar, Sauron’s elvish form, hence the creation of Halbrand. Regardless,The Rings of Powerseason 2 will include this version of the Dark Lord. This could be because the Tolkien Estate granted Amazon more legal leeway with what could be adapted, or simply thatThe Rings of Powerwill include the elvish form of Sauron mentioned inLotRappendices without saying the name Annatar. Either way, the inclusion of the character fixes a major complaint about season 1 where faithfulness to Tolkien’s writing is concerned.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
