Who plays Sauron and Annatar in The Rings of Power?
We meet a new version of Charlie Vickers's chilling villain in season 2.
It's time for Sauron to return in The Rings of Power season 2, with Charlie Vickers's chilling villain returning in multiple forms.
The finale episode of The Rings of Power season 1 confirmed what many had theorised – that Halbrand, played by Vickers, was actually Sauron and the Dark Lord had been right under Galadriel's (Morfydd Clark) nose all this time, manipulating and using her.
His manipulative ways are far from over, though, as we enter season 2, with Sauron set to use the unsuspecting elf Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) for his bidding – to create more Rings of Power and ultimately control every being in Middle-earth.
In doing this, he takes on a new form, as Annatar, also known as the Lord of Gifts. But, as Celebrimbor asserts in the trailer, which appears to show him realise Sauron's true form, not every gift is well-received.
Here's everything we know so far about Sauron/Annatar in The Rings of Power season 2, and actor Charlie Vickers.
Who is Sauron in The Rings of Power?
Sauron is the main antagonist in The Rings of Power, and is set on his mission to rule Middle-earth by means of controlling the minds of all its beings – Elves, Dwarves, and men alike.
To do this, as Galadriel asserts in the season 2 trailer, he needs not armies, but rings – the Rings of Power.
As any Tolkien fan knows, Sauron has many names and forms. So far, Sauron has taken the form of:
- Halbrand, a blacksmith and companion of Galadriel
- Annatar, an Elf who encourages Celebrimbor to create the Rings of Power
As for whether he could take even more forms? That remains to be seen and we're certainly not ruling it out.
One of the most iconic literary villains of all time, Sauron is known as the Dark Lord and for lengthy periods has over the land of Mordor in Middle-Earth.
Sauron, originally named Mairon, was one of the angelic beings known as the Maiar who was made by The Creator before joining in the evil Morgoth against him.
Prior to his fall into evil, Mairon studied the Aule – the Smith of the Valar – to learn his ways and served as a spy in the Valar's home of Valinor.
Sauron served as Morgoth's chief lieutenant in the great war of the First Age until Morgoth's defeat. Sauron escaped and later became the second Dark Lord.
In Tolkien's lore, Sauron soon took on the form of a beautiful elf named Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts" and helped Lord Celebrimbor in the creation of the Rings of Power until the discovery of his "One Ring to the Rule Them All".
The great war of the Second Age would go on to follow after Sauron also helped bring about the destruction of Numenor. Sauron would go on to be defeated by The Last Alliance of Men and Elves when Isildur, the son of Elendil, cut the ring from Sauron's finger.
The character previously appeared on-screen in his physical form in the prologue of the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, before appearing across the trilogy as a disembodied fiery "Eye of Sauron".
The Dark Lord also appeared as a shadowy entity in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, appearing in The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies as the Necromancer in Dol Guldur before his true identity was exposed. In these scenes, Sauron was voiced by actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
What will happen to Sauron/Annatar in The Rings of Power season 2?
Recently chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Vickers teased what we can expect from Sauron in season 2.
He said: "He now has to adjust and find a new way of achieving his goal and that is to go to this person he met at the end of the first season, Celebrimbor, and try and get him to help him make some rings.
"And the rings are this manifestation of this idea that he has the power, not of the flesh, but over flesh, and that is to heal Middle Earth. So this focus has turned from Galadriel to Celebrimbor now."
Of course, Vickers is playing a completely new version of Sauron for season 2, as Annatar, the Lord of Gifts.
He explained: "I chose to adjust some things that aligned more with the vision that I think Tolkien had for the Annatar character. He talked of him being very regal and fair, and it's how you interpret those words.
"But I wanted to portray someone that has a lot of wisdom and strength, and [Celebrimbor] is the greatest of Elven smiths, and [Annatar is] someone that can appear to him and say, 'Listen to me.' It would need to be someone that held a lot of gravitas. I changed the way I talked and the way I moved, and I also I wanted the character have some differences from Halbrand."
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Edwards, who plays Celebrimbor, added that the Annatar/Celebrimbor relationship becomes "intense" and "torturous".
He exclusively told RadioTimes.com: "It becomes torturous. It becomes very intense, because these two minds that meet to create this apparently common goal, one one of apparently a beneficial goal, initially, at least, become very, you know, they work together very intensely, and they become snappy with each other, they argue and that. And it gradually gets more and more intense and, yeah, fiery."
Who plays Sauron/Annatar in The Rings of Power?
Sauron/Annatar is portrayed in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power by Australian actor Charlie Vickers.
In the finale of The Rings of Power season 1, Galadriel discovered that she had been deceived by Sauron when she met Halbrand and later believed him to be the rightful King of the Southlands.
It turned out that this line of kings died long ago and Halbrand was just an elaborate deception by Sauron.
The Dark Lord offered Galadriel the chance to join him and be his queen but was rejected. Ultimately, he escaped to Mordor in the finale.
A relative newcomer, Vickers previously appeared in the film Palm Beach and in the television series Medici as the character Guglielmo Pazzi.
Who did people think was playing Sauron in The Rings of Power? Previous theories on the Lord of the Rings villain
Charlie Vickers
Charlie Vickers was 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.
However, theories around Halbrand being Sauron quickly emerged and there was some convincing evidence.
The third episode appeared to confirm Halbrand as an heir to the title of King of the Southlands, who had fled his home and wished to find a new life.
However, Halbrand made clear that he was "not the hero" that Galadriel sought to fight against Sauron. Perhaps she should have listened.
Indeed, in the end, it was Charlie Vickers who was portraying Sauron.
Daniel Weyman
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 specific purpose, but what is it?
The series even went so far as to offer a red herring when the three sorceresses from Rhûn searched for The Stranger and then addressed him as "Lord Sauron".
However, the finale revealed that he was not the Dark Lord at all - but did offer some conclusive evidence about who he actually is.
Joseph Mawle
Game of Thrones actor Joseph Mawle is a member of the cast of The Rings of Power and portrays an antagonistic character named Adar.
We were introduced to Adar in the third episode of The Rings of Power where he is revealed to be a corrupted Elf leading a horde of Orcs and destroying much of the Southlands with evil plans in mind.
Multiple characters - and viewers - wondered if he could have been Sauron himself.
Speaking to Arondir in the fourth episode, Adar makes clear his disillusionment with the Elves who he claims have sold lies.
Leading an army of Orcs, Adar appears to be undergoing a transformation and is also seeking to use an object as a weapon.
However, the sixth episode actually exposed some serious bitterness between both Adar and Sauron, with the former even claiming to have split Sauron apart.
The future of their relationship has yet to be determined.
Bridie Sisson
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.
When the series was released, Sisson was confirmed to be playing a character called The Dweller who was seeking The Stranger believing him to be Sauron.
However, The Dweller and her companions were proven wrong.
The Rings of Power season 2 will launch on Prime Video on 29th August – 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 and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
