Who is Adar in The Rings of Power? Joseph Mawle character theories

By Lewis Knight

Published: Friday, 09 September 2022 at 12:00 am

There’s a dangerous new villain in Middle-Earth.

The Southlands are under attack in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video as hordes of Orcs are enacting a dark plan for a new master.

The one they call “Adar” has emerged as a dangerous threat to life in the Southlands and has already resulted in many dead Elves and Men.

So, who just is this Adar character and who portrays him?

Here’s everything you need to know about Adar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

**Spoiler warning for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power**

Who so Adar in The Rings of Power?

Adar appears to be a corrupted Elf who is leading a band of Orcs in the Southlands where they are destroying the natural environment to build tunnels to exist in and are using prisoner labour.
The character is not seen until the end of the third episode and even then is shown out of focus as we learn Arondir is being brought to him by the Orcs.
Adar is thought to mean “father” in the Elvish language of Sindarin, so perhaps the Orcs are referring to him as this due to his standing among the community.
The Watchwarden Revion speculated that Adar may be the latest form of the Dark Lord, Sauron, himself.

Who plays Adar in The Rings of Power?

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Joseph Mawle attends dunhill’s pre-BAFTA filmmakers dinner and party at dunhill House on March 9, 2022 in London, England.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for dunhill
Adar is portrayed by Joseph Mawle in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Fantasy fans will know Mawle for his role as Benjen Stark in the first, sixth and seventh seasons of Game of Thrones.
Mawle is also known for his roles in The Passion, Ripper Street, Birdsong, and Troy: Fall of a City.

Adar theories for The Rings of Power

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Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
New Line Cinema
Of course, the first major theory is that Adar is indeed Sauron himself.
The casting for the Dark Lord has yet to be confirmed and there are many theories over who will be portraying Sauron in the series.
In fact, it seems that the series itself is positing this as an assumption make – in which case, it seems less likely to be true.
Watchwarden Revion notes that he could be a new form taken by Sauron himself, but is this really the case?
In Tolkien lore, Sauron does take on multiple forms, including as the fair Elf named Annatar.
The Elven identity of Adar also appears to rule him out as one of the Nazgul (or Ringwraiths) who go on to follow Sauron in the Lord of the Rings saga as these Nine were Kings of Men.
Some had wondered if Adar would be the Witch-King of Angmar but his Elven ears make this less likely.
In this case, it is also possible that Adar is actually an entirely original character created for the series to give us another antagonist for our heroes to face before Sauron shows up.
Will he be in league with Sauron? It certainly seems likely.

Read more on The Rings of Power:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episodes 1 and 2 are available now on Amazon Prime Video – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Fantasy and Sci-Fi hub.

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