Amazon Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powermay be about to reveal one key Sauron mystery in its coming seasons.Sauron is the Lord of the Ringshimself and comes with his fair share of mysteries. Neither readers nor viewers were ever put through events from his perspective, with the book keeping him a terrifying, distant force and the movie trilogy making him a giant, disembodied eye. Fear of the unknown was an effective tool for both J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson, butRings of Powermay take a different approach with the character.
With the first episode launching in 2022,The Rings of Powerseason 1 endingconfirmed that original character Halbrand had been Sauron all along. Now that Sauron has been thoroughly introduced and cycled through at least three forms, he is truly ready to take the world by storm in season 3. The show has already dived deep into his shapeshifting abilities, which the legendarium touched on but didn’t describe in graphic detail. Now, season 3 could be about to confirm what Sauron actually looked like under his armor.
The Rings Of Power Can Finally Show What Sauron Looked Like Beneath His LotR Armor
Sauron’s Appearance Under The Armor Was Unknown In Lord Of The Rings
Peter Jackson’sHobbitandLord of the Ringsmoviesleft Sauron’s face and body a mystery, butRings of Powercould solve the riddle for the first time on-screen. J.R.R. Tolkien confirmed in his magnum opus,The Lord of the Rings, thatSauron had four fingers on a blackened hand. This novel, released in three parts between 1954 and 1955, supportedThe Silmarillion’sdescription of Sauron being “Terrible” to look upon after he lost the ability to take a fair form.Rings of Powercould explore this form near its end.
“It Keeps Him Going”: The Rings Of Power’s Sauron Motivation All But Guarantees A Rematch With Galadriel
Charlie Vickers' Sauron and Morfydd Clark’s Galadriel are set to maintain their intense dynamic in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Sauron’s charred flesh and four-fingered form was his final one, beforethe Lord of the Rings' One Ringwas destroyed by Frodo and Gollum in the fires of Mount Doom. Sauron lost the ability to take fair form after the fall of Númenor, but he lost the ability to shapeshift once and for all in his final, terrifying form.Rings of Powercould work in a premonition, flash forward, or tease of the final form awaiting Sauron after he meets his fate in the season 5 finale, as this will take him close to his final form.
The Lord Of The Rings Movie Only Answered This Question In Concept Art
Warner Bros. Did Consider Sauron’s True Appearance
The question of Sauron’s final form underneath the armor was actually explored by Warner Bros. in a little-known official publication.Sauron’s armored form only appeared in the prologuetoTheLord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringmovie, not giving much away about the actor underneath. Skillfully played by Sala Baker, who captured the villain’s delirious megalomania without so much as a line, Sauron was fully covered from head to toe. But aHobbitconcept art book forThe Desolation of Smauggave his appearance away.
Sauron was voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch inThe Hobbittrilogy.
One of a few books in a concept art series available online,Chronicles: Art & Design (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug)offers a window into the mind of Weta designer Andrew Baker (Weta Workshop). Baker put one of his drawings into the book, signaling what Sauron may have looked like under his armor. Thislittle-known concept art reveals Sauron with a pallid, flattened, Reptilian facethat recalled another famous fantasy villain - Lord Voldemort fromHarry Potter. Baker had obviously been inspired by theHarry Pottermovies that had come out previously.
This Sauron Reveal Would Make The Loss Of His Shape-Shifting Even More Powerful
Sauron Will Lose His Shapeshifting Ability Gradually In Rings Of Power
Sauron will lose his shapeshifting ability gradually inRings of Power, andshowing his final form would seal the deal in terms of showing his decline. The show has exploredSauron’s fair form inLord of the Ringsby faithfully adapting his Second Age Annatar form in Eregion and by adding another form described as “fair” by Galadriel in season 1 - Halbrand. The journey from Halbrand to Annatar depicted Sauron’s ability to deceive whoever he wanted. This was a quality Sauron really did have in spades, although Halbrand was an invention of the show’s. Sauron’s fall from this power will be satisfying.
Tolkien wrote about Sauron’s shapeshifting ability and regenerative ability inMorgoth’s Ring.
Now thatThe Rings of Powerseason 2 endinghas left Sauron holding the Rings of Men, he only has to forge the One before he can start weaponizing the rings. This will leave him able to take any form he wants, sincehe is no longer trying to disguise himself to appeal to Galadriel or Celebrimbor. He may soon start slipping into the demonic armored form that audiences know from the movies to impress the Orcs he must now lead.Rings of Powershowed itself happy to use the movies' design for Sauron in its opening episode.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris willing to bring Peter Jackson’s design back for one of Sauron’s upcoming forms.
The opening episode ofRings of Powerincluded an initial flashback to the First Age, although most of the show is set inLord of the Rings’Second Age. This flashback showed an armored figure silhouetted against the door of what appeared to be Sauron’s Forodwaith fortress while Galadriel’s voice mentioned Sauron. Although this tyrannical monster could actually be Morgoth, if it is Sauron, it proves thatThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris willing to bring Peter Jackson’s design back for one of Sauron’s upcoming forms.
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.
