Summary
- Fans finally get to see Sauron's true form in LOTR after years of mystery.
- Sauron takes on deceptive forms Halbrand and Annatar to infiltrate and deceive.
- Artwork from Weta Workshop reveals a terrifying depiction of Sauron without armor.
Throughout The Lord of the Rings' massive trilogy over the years, fans have seen many versions of Sauron, the Dark Lord. After 24 years since his first appearance in the 2001 The Fellowship of the Ring, Sauron still causes confusion about what he actually looks like under his robust and deceptive armor, but thankfully, fans will wonder no more as his true form can finally be seen.
The Lord of the Rings' legendary author, J.R.R. Tolkien, had always been cloak and dagger about what Sauron looked like. Whether that was deliberate in a bid to spark his readers' imagination or whether he felt like leaving his description vague added to the villains' mystery, fans of the franchise never really got a good look at his true form in the movies. A highly gifted Maia, originally an apprentice of Aulë, Sauron was created long before life began, and by the Second Age, the Dark Lord had already conjured up a powerful ring, known as the One Ring, in a bid to help him take control over Middle-earth, as well as every soul that walks on it. In the Third Age, after he lost the Ring, Sauron never appeared as his true self, opting to immerse himself as the Great Eye, or the Eye of Sauron, during the War of the Ring, which gave him the ability to see and influence events across Middle-earth and, in turn, terrify those who looked into it.
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The Lord of the Rings’ Sauron Is Just as Frightening in His True Form
In Amazon Prime's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the creators of the show showcased that Sauron shifted fluidly between the forms of Halbrand and Annatar. Of course, being an evil, power-hungry villain, Sauron took on the form of "Halbrand" and "Annatar" to deceive the Elves, and initially Galadriel, thus making Eregion his home as the starting point for his devious plans. The Elves, not realizing who Annatar really was, welcomed him with open arms, allowing the door to be opened for Sauron to infiltrate every corner with his calculating tactics. Since The Rings of Power season 2 ended in August 2024, fans of the series have wondered what Sauron's true form really looks like.
In a thread on Reddit, one Lord of the Rings fan posted an image from Weta Workshop's concept art book for the third Hobbit movie, which shows off what the Necromancer looked like. Although the film didn't go with this depiction of Sauron in the end, it's very interesting to see his "true form" without all of his armor and lines up with Tolkien's vague "very terrible, like a man but of greater stature" description from the books. One impressed Redditor said that the "second image is how I’ve always envisioned Sauron - an almost faceless and completely inhuman-looking entity, appearing as more of a demonic apparition than anything tangible," while another expressed that Sauron "looks pretty damn awesome and frightening in those depictions."
Amazon officially renewed Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for a third season, which will see the return of Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Robert Aramayo as Elrond, and, of course, Charlie Vickers as Sauron. In season 3, Sauron will be at his most powerful yet, having taken control of the Nine Rings for Men as well as gathering the Orc army under his dark wing.
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- Release Date
- September 1, 2022
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video
- Showrunner
- John D. Payne, Patrick McKay, Louise Hooper, Charlotte Brändström, Wayne Yip
- Directors
- J.A. Bayona, Sanaa Hamri
- Writers
- Patrick McKay, John D. Payne, J.R.R. Tolkien, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Stephany Folsom, Nicholas Adams
- Franchise(s)
- The Lord of the Rings
Cast
-
Morfydd ClarkGaladriel -
Charlie VickersHalbrand -
Charles EdwardsLord Celebrimbor -
Markella KavenaghNori Brandyfoot
Source: Reddit