Has Sauron Already Appeared In The Rings Of Power? And What Are His Future Plans?

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the first-ever TV series based on the novels of JRR Tolkien, made its Prime Video debut on September 2, 2022. As is generally the case in these cases when content is long overdue, on the one hand, there are enthusiastic and positive reactions like those of those who have seen the series in preview, while on the other there is no shortage of criticisms or other problems related to world phenomena, including review bombing.

The Rings Of Power: Has Sauron Already Appeared In Season 1?

But evaluations aside, after the release of new content what never fails are above all the theories and speculations about it. And the Rings of Power series lends itself very well to that. Because although it is not a prequel, it reports events that are part of the books of JRR Tolkien, but which have not been explored in the written texts. Consequently, it shows on the screen unedited contents compared to those present in the films, which therefore gives rise to assumptions of all kinds.

For these reasons, even those who have read the novels of JRR Tolkien can find surprises in the plot while watching The Rings of Power, especially because so many new characters have been introduced that do not exist in the books and therefore can give unexpected implications. Some of these unknown faces appeared in the first two episodes of The Rings of Power and as specified above, there was no shortage of theories about it already in the premiere of the TV series. According to GamesRadar, Halbrand, the character who meets Galadriel in the second episode of The Rings of Power, could be Sauron.

The Thousand Faces of Sauron

Sauron is the villain par excellence who appears in the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings and who will also be present in the series, as can be seen moreover from one of the trailers of The Rings of Power. This character among the various abilities has the characteristic of being a shapeshifter: as the term itself says, it means that he can take on other appearances by changing his appearance.

This ability is told in the story of The Lord of the Rings where Sauron introduces himself as Annatar, also called the “lord of gifts”, an alter ego used by the Dark Lord with whom he tricks the people of the Elves into making them the Rings of Power. The real purpose of Sauron is to forge the so-called One Ring, which thanks to his particular power allows him to bend everyone to his will. Annatar is one of the many aliases of Sauron and since the story that precedes his rise will be shown in The Rings of Power, it is plausible to assume that we will see other faces behind which the Dark Lord could hide.

Who is Halbrand?

Also according to GamesRadar, since Halbrand is one of the many unpublished characters created specifically for the series of The Rings of Power, everything about him is unknown and therefore he could hide anything, even a secret identity. However, it is not only this detail that leads to hesitation about him but also some phrases that if placed in the right context, can insinuate doubts in the viewer.

In the second episode of The Rings of Power, at a certain point, Galadriel abandons the ship he is traveling on which is headed for Valinor and dives into the water: later he comes across a raft with some people on board, among which there is also Halbrand. Not all passengers on the vehicle immediately trust Galadriel and Halbrand says in this regard:

Appearances can be deceiving.

The phrase that he addresses to Galadriel, but could also be ironically referring to himself in case he was Sauron, as he is cleverly deceiving everyone. Another particular expression to keep in mind is the one that the Elf Gil-Galad says to the Half-elf Elrond after the latter is not sure it was a good idea to send Galadriel to Valinor, to distract her from her goals that go against. peace established in Middle-Earth.

We predicted that in such a case he could inadvertently keep alive the same evil he was trying to defeat.

These are the words of Gil-Galad. Interpreted from a different perspective, they suggest that the Elf sensed that Galadriel could have helped evil without his knowledge if he and Elrond had not acted in time. If that turns out to be correct, their attempt still failed as Galadriel interrupted his journey in the middle. And fate has it that it ended up on the very same boat as the one who could be the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Is Halbrand Really Sauron?

What were only hypotheses and theories about Halbrand’s true identity, seem to have been confirmed in the season finale of The Rings of Power. Throughout the series, there have been several signs that have raised doubts on more than one occasion that Halbrand could be Sauron; but since he was not the only ambiguous character in the story, the suspicions fell on others as well.

In the final episode of the season, Galadriel arrives in Eregion along with a badly injured Halbrand, who has healed thanks to local elven medicine. Once he has recovered Halbrand is very interested in Celebrimbor’s forging work: although in previous episodes the man had already worked as a blacksmith, in the place where he is now and after he almost died, it is unusual for him to show interest in A thing like that, which, moreover, is not – theoretically – even his main vocation.

When Galadriel later confronts him to see more clearly, Halbrand manages to manipulate her mind and transports her to the world of dreams where she shows herself in other forms, including that of Finrod, Galadriel’s brother. Halbrand also tries to lead her to the dark side with promises and reveals that he wants to “save” Middle-earth and needs her to help her too.

At one point we also see a reflection of the two of them in the water, where Halbrand’s shadow looks like Sauron. Eventually, Halbrand manages to escape and the episode ends with his march to the city of Mordor: a conclusion that will most likely be the main key to the second season in which Halbrand, now unmasked, will behave like Sauron in all respects. The first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is visible in streaming as reported by the release calendar of Prime Video.

The Rings Of Power Makes A Not Too Veiled Exchange Of Words

The ending of The Rings of Power it begins with a cold opening that leaves many in awe. The Stranger – whom viewers got to know when he fell from the sky with a meteor – is captured by the mysterious trio of witches he believes to be Lord Sauron. Fortunately, they immediately realize their mistake, because this choice would certainly have compromised the emotional path that the Stranger had followed up to that moment. After Nori reminds him of the love she has in his soul, the Stranger destroys Rhûn’s travels after they label him “the Other”. L’Istar “. The use of this term confirms the speculations of many fans that the Stranger is a Wizard – potentially Gandalf or a Blue Wizard – sent from heaven to quell the evil that is rapidly rising in Middle-earth.

Halbrand Is Not The Aragorn From The Rings Of Power, After All

After the bait and the exchange with the Stranger, fans didn’t have to wait long to see the identity of the true creator of the One Ring revealed. After returning to Eregion and receiving the medical treatment that everyone is led to believe he needs, Halbrand quickly begins to bond with Lord Celebrimbor. As Halbrand subtly exploits the elven inventor, Galadriel discovers that the man is deceiving her and that he is not actually from the Southlands at all.

When Galadriel confronts Halbrand with the news, he does nothing to deny it. Indeed, he doubles down on her manipulation by saying that he never told a single lie to Galadriel and that she just refused to look deeper to find the answer and that she was always there. In Galadriel’s mind, Sauron tempts her with her power by proposing to become her queen and rule together. Whether this proposal was dictated by love for Galadriel or simply a ploy to continue strengthening her power is a matter of debate.

Sauron’s Strategy For Conquering Middle-Earth Revealed

Now that Sauron has assumed power by entering his dark and volcanic domain, what are the next steps in his conquest? After setting in motion the creation and corruption of the three elven rings, he will most likely attempt to create the One Ring to reign over them in the bowels of Mount Doom. He certainly bought time to do this by putting Galadriel to shame and hiding his true identity from the Elves.

After all, Sauron is a perfectionist who wants to restructure Middle-Earth in his image and likeness. This manic figure is a master of manipulation, and once he has his ring, there is little that can be done to stop him. In a way, he will still be the King of the Southlands, but not what Theo and his fellow villagers hoped for. Sauron will inevitably sink his claws into Adar and with him his horde of orcs. With that army, he will finally be able to recreate Middle-Earth in his image and likeness and, in his mind, save it. In reality, he will rule her with an iron fist, but as he said in Galadriel’s mind, the Dark Lord sees no difference.