The Rings of Power Season 2?

The second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is preparing for release toward the end of this summer, and fans have received several key clues as to what they can expect from the sophomore outing of the Prime Video series. After the show premiered in 2022, fans were quite divided over how it adapted the Second Age Lord of the Rings stories written by J.R.R. Tolkien. However, the show’s second season appears to adhere closer to the text in more ways than one.

One way The Rings of Power is shifting in its second season is by introducing new characters. We recently got our first look at the fan-favorite character Tom Bombadil, who will make his first appearance in any Tolkien adaptation in Season 2, where he will be played by Rory Kinnear. Another major character debuting in the newest season of The Rings of Power is Annatar, a mysterious elf-like figure portrayed by Charlie Vickers. Annatar is a key figure in Tolkien’s biggest Second Age story, and he is likely to be a central figure throughout the entirety of this season and even future seasons. So, who is Annatar, and how can we expect him to factor into this story? Here’s what you need to know.

Annatar Is Sauron in Disguise

To get right to the punch, Annatar is none other than the Dark Lord Sauron himself. In Tolkien’s writing, Sauron takes on the fair form of an Elf to disguise himself, gain the trust of those he wishes to deceive, and make it easier for him to spread his lies and evils across all of Middle-Earth. Sauron’s ability to disguise himself has already been established in the first season of the series, in which he spent most of his time operating under the visage of a man named Halbrand. Under the name of Halbrand, Sauron gained the trust of many key characters, such as Galadriel, Celebrimbor, and Queen Regent of Númenor, Tar-Míriel.

While Sauron’s identity is revealed to Galadriel at the end of The Rings of Power’s first season, which then results in him fleeing the Elven city of Eregion and returning to his newly desolated home of Mordor, it appears that Sauron will continue to disguise himself in Season 2. While Halbrand was an original character created specifically for this show, Annatar is a visage of Sauron’s with plenty of material to pull from Tolkien’s writing. Because of this, many fans seem to interpret his inclusion as the show shifting to be a closer adaptation of Tolkien’s books and stories.

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As for Annatar’s appearance, Vickers has returned with a new look to portray the fairest iteration of Middle-Earth’s great villain after playing him both as Halbrand and Sauron last season. While some fans have objected to this, saying that the characters in-universe would recognize him, as he looks too much like Halbrand with a long blonde wig on, there is clearly a suspension of disbelief that needs to be taken here. It’s apparent that the showrunners want the audience to be aware that this is Sauron in disguise, and having Vickers return to play the character again is an easy way to make that clear right away.

Why Annatar Lives Among the Elves

The end of the first season of The Rings of Power already depicts Sauron living among the Elves for a time while he is still disguised as an injured Halbrand in recovery from battle wounds. At that time, he stirred Celebrimbor’s ambitions and assisted in forging the first three Rings of Power. However, after his return to Mordor at the season’s end, why would he return to Eregion under a new name? Well, Sauron likely believes that his work and deceit in Eregion was interrupted by Galadriel unearthing his identity, and he seemingly returns to Eregion to finish what he began there.

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While Sauron, as Halbrand, assisted with the forging of the first three Rings of Power, fans of the books will know that there are still many more to go. Specifically, the nine great rings that will go to kings of men, the seven that will go to the dwarf lords, and the numerous minor rings that are created in the same process. Only after the forging of all these rings does Sauron return to Mordor to forge the One Ring in secret to assert his dominance over all who bear one of the other 19 Rings of Power.

Will Annatar Stick Around in The Rings of Power?

Considering Halbrand only stuck around for a single season, it would stand to reason that Annatar may just be the appearance that Sauron will take on in the second season of the show. However, when looking at Tolkien’s writing, it becomes clear that Annatar may stick around for the long haul in The Rings of Power. Sauron consistently uses a fair disguise throughout the Second Age of Middle-Earth. While he is most famous for taking on the appearance of Annatar while among the Elves in Eregion, which appears to be what we will see in this new season, it is not the only time he has taken on such an appearance.

Without going into too many details for fear of spoiling the story for those who haven’t read the books, what we do know from Tolkien’s writing is that Sauron does ultimately return to the island kingdom of Númenor to further his evils and sow division among the people who live there. While he does not disguise his name in Númenor, instead existing openly under the name Sauron, he does take on a fair appearance that could easily be the same as Annatar. He does this to more easily win the trust of the Númenorean people and their leaders. Ultimately, this leads to what is likely to be one of the climactic events of The Rings of Power later in the series. The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video. Season 2 will debut on the streaming service on August 29, 2024.