‘LOTR: The Rings of Power’ Fan Theories: Who is Sauron?

One of the many mysteries in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power that is intriguing fans is, who’s Sauron? Who is he hiding as? Here are the internet’s strongest theories as to who Sauron may be.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is reaching the end of its first season with episode 6 having just aired. There are still so many questions fans are dying to know the answers to, one of the most prevalent ones being who is Sauron? A popular theory running amongst fans online is that Sauron, the BBEG of the show, is hiding in plain sight as one of the characters we’ve already been introduced to. It’s possible we still haven’t met Sauron, but fans are certain that we have, we just don’t know which character he’s hiding as. However, the internet wouldn’t be the internet without some solid theories.

The Stranger

People have many theories as to who the Stranger might be, the most popular one being that he’s Gandalf. However, some people believe him to be Sauron with equal fervor. The wizards, including Gandalf, are not supposed to arrive until the Third Age according to Tolkein lore. We know the Stranger seems friendly, but Adar says in episode 6 that after Morgoth’s death, Sauron wanted to “heal Middle-Earth.” The Stranger fell from the sky as a meteorite, his landing site looking suspiciously similar to the eye of Sauron. He’s now being chased down by the Mystics, worshippers of Sauron’s from the East. Is it possible that the Stranger is Sauron, weakened, suffering from amnesia, and wanting to help, but has a darkness in him that the Mystics wish to bring out? Do they wish to unveil their Dark Lord and return him to his former glory?

The Dweller

We don’t know much about the Dweller, just that they are one of the trio of Mystics following after the Stranger. It’s likely that the Dweller is simply a disciple of Sauron, but could it be possible that it’s Sauron himself? Sauron is described as having a “fair visage” when he went by the title Annatar, a persona he donned during the Second Age. Considering their pale skin and white cloak, the Dweller fits that physical description. The Dweller is clearly bad news and associated with Sauron in some way, and considering how little we know about them, the theory that the Dweller may be Sauron is not out of the realm of possibility.

Halbrand

Before episode 6, Adar was on this list as well, as he was the one leading the orcs and having them call him “Adar,” which is translated to “Father.” After episode 6, it seemed to confirm for many fans that Adar was not Sauron, but rather one of the first orcs ever created, and that he “killed Sauron.” Obviously we know that Sauron isn’t actually dead, but the suspicious scene that preceded it between Halbrand and Adar where Halbrand goes to kill him, saying, “You remember me?” as if Adar had done some terrible thing to him–betrayed him perhaps? When Adar asked who he was later, Halbrand never replied. And, just as Halbrand was declared the true King of the Southlands, Mount Doom erupted. Ultimately, Halbrand is a suspicious character who seems to have already have a history with Adar, who we have been following closely but know very little about, and who has proven to have a very violent, destructive side. There’s something in Halbrand’s past he refuses to speak of, saying if Galadriel knew she’d hate him. His closeness to Galadriel is also suspect, as he could possibly be using her to get what he wants–or if he’s serious about his path of redemption, will fall off of it and break Galadriel’s heart. Halbrand being Sauron is by far the most popular theory circulating amongst fans, and perhaps we’ll find out next week.

The seventh episode of Rings of Power airs on Amazon Prime Video on October 7th at 9PM PST/12AM EST.