Evil does not sleep, it waits.
The much-anticipated Amazon Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has finally arrived and tells the story of the Second Age of Middle-earth.
The opening episodes set up a major conflict in the series as the Elven warrior Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) seeks revenge against the Dark Lord Sauron, who is responsible for the death of her brother and also remains a threat to all life.
So, as Sauron is the chief antagonist of the series, just who exactly is playing him in The Rings of Power?
Who plays Sauron in The Rings of Power?
At present, Amazon Studios has yet to confirm who is portraying the villainous Dark Lord himself, Sauron.
Whoever is portraying the source of Galadriel’s ire remains a mystery and has therefore inspired a few theories about who Sauron could be, with many thinking he is hiding in plain sight.
So, who exactly could be playing Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
Who could play Sauron in The Rings of Power? Theories on Lord of the Rings villain
Charlie Vickers
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Charlie Vickers has been introduced as the roguish man named Halbrand in the opening episodes of The Rings of Power.
Meeting Galadriel on the Sundering Seas, Halbrand becomes her sole companion as they are threatened by a sea beast and storms.
It becomes clear that Halbrand has a dark past and Galadriel encourages him to move on from it.
Could Vickers secretly be portraying Sauron?
We go into more details here about theories around Halbrand being Sauron – and there is some convincing evidence.
Daniel Weyman
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Introduced at the end of the first episode, the enigmatic figure dubbed The Stranger crashes to Middle-earth in a red comet.
Discovered by Harfoots named Nori Brandyfoot and Poppy Proudfellow, it is clear that this man is a magical being with a purpose, but what is it?
Could The Stranger be Sauron in disguise? It would be an interesting strategic starting point to involve himself with the Harfoots.
Joseph Mawle
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Game of Thrones actor Joseph Mawle is a member of the cast of The Rings of Power, reportedly portraying an antagonsitic character named Adar. However, some reports have called his character Oren, as was originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
We have only glimpsed Adar/Oren in the trailers and he appears to be a corrupted Elf but his true nature has yet to be revealed. Many had speculated that Mawle was portraying an antagonist in the series.
Could Adar/Oren actually be Sauron in disguise or one of his many forms?
Bridie Sisson
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Despite many speculating from trailers that her character was portrayed by actor Anson Boon, executive producer Lindsey Weber later told TIME that Bridie Sisson was the person portraying this enigmatic figure.
Additionally, Weber teased about Sisson’s role: “We are enjoying all the speculation online and can tell you Bridie Sisson is an incredible actor.
“We also thought fans might like to know that her character is travelling from far to the east – from the lands of Rhûn…”
Tolkien fans will know that Easterlings dwell from Rhûn and, in Tolkien lore, Sauron has been known to visit the land and also command armies of the people from there as his allies.
So, while it appears that Sisson is not portraying Sauron himself, she could well be playing one of his servants.
Anson Boon
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Despite being confirmed to not be the character Bridie Sisson is playing, Anson Boon could still appear in The Rings of Power despite no confirmation of a role in the show.
So, while Boon may not be one villain, he could end up being saved to be cast as the chief villain, Sauron himself. However, this is only based on speculation and hopes on social media.
Boon’s biggest roles to date include Crawl, Blackbird, 1917, The Feed, and Pistol – the limited series from Danny Boyle based on the lives of the Sex Pistols that saw Boon portray John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten.
Read more on The Rings of Power:
- Rings of Power release schedule: When are Lord of the Rings episodes out?
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order
- Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power review – Dazzling prequel doesn’t let Tolkien fans down
- Meet the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
- What is Valinor in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
- What are Harfoots? The Rings of Power Hobbits and history explained
- Who is Morgoth in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
- Who is Galadriel’s brother? Meet Finrod actor Will Fletcher
- Who is Elrond actor Robert Aramayo in The Rings of Power?
- What is the Second Age of Middle-earth? Rings of Power timeline explained
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episodes 1 and 2 arrive on Amazon Prime Video in the UK on Friday 2nd September 2022 – 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 hub.
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