Middle-earth returns in the first trailer for Rings of Power Season 2, but Lord of the Rings fans have been left confused about why Sauron looks so different than the first season.
Rings of Power Season 2will continue where the first season left off. The trailer reveals Sauron continuing his quest to reshape Middle-earth, but he doesn’t look like what fans remember.
While Charlie Vickers is reprising his role as Sauron, he now looks like an elf, complete with long blonde hair, pointy ears, and impeccable complexion. He looks majestic and haunting.
It led a few people confused about why Sauron is an elf. “Is that Sauron as an elf? Sauron is not an elf,”saidone fan on X/Twitter.
The answer is simple. Sauron is a shapeshifter with one fananswering, “That is Sauron in his fair guise as Annatar the Lord of Gifts, it’s how he creates the 16 rings given to men and dwarves.”
“Sauron can be whatever he wants to be. Even in the first season, he took a different form,”saidanother.
For the casual watcher, Sauron’s new look may have been a head-scratcher, with one fansaying, “Maybe you just haven’t read Tolkien.”
Rings of Power Season 1ended with the grand reveal that Sauron had been among the elves all along fulfilling his evil plans. He was under the guise of Halbrand, a supposed forgotten heir of the Southlands.
As Halbrand, he was a handsome young man with smooth hair and a beard. He revealed his true self to Galadriel in the finale by simply shifting his demeanor. Sauron is a dark, evil character; he’s arguably the epitome of evil.
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Halbrand is believed to be based on Sauron’s Annator form, also known as the Dark Lord’s fair form, from Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. But die-hard fans would have caught on to Rings of Power teasing Sauron’s new form in Season 2. When he first meets Celebrimbor and suggestscombining the Mithrilwith other alloys, he calls it a “gift.” Sauron’s Annator translates to “lord of gifts.”
Gabriela Silva was a Senior TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team, specializing in Netflix originals, K-Drama, and Disney+ shows. She also has bylines at ScreenRant, Pop Br, and Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
