The Major Way The Rings Of Power's Sauron Deviates From The Source Material
Contains spoilers for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Season 1, Episode 8 – "Alloyed"
While wheels have quickened their turning and rings have begun to be forged, the road for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" lining up with Tolkien's original works hasn't been without its deviations, and it got a massive one for its finale. Mordor has a new boss who used to go by the name Halbrand (Charlie Vickers). Yes, the charming former rogue of the Southlands has turned out to be a bad guy all along, proving recent fans to be right on the money with their theories on Twitter.
What's wild about this recent revelation is that it doesn't line up with Tolkien's origin story of how the true Lord of the Rings came to be. More importantly, he displayed himself totally differently from the version we have in Amazon's hit show. The wolf in sheep's clothing we've been wandering around Middle-earth with for the past few weeks is a far cry from Tolkien's interpretation, but one that could gradually line up with the Sauron we all know and fear, eventually. So why the change? Well, it seems this could all be with the king of the Southlands and the potential queen he's got his eye on.
Sauron's form was even more deceptive in Tolkien's original works
It feels safe to say that Charlie Vicker's Halbrand has felt more like a Han Solo-type than anything. Getting into bar fights and charming his way up the ranks, this loveable rogue being a simple mortal man was vital in deceiving the characters (and us) about his true intentions. If anything, the trickery applied in the books would almost feel far more noticeable given that Sauron was initially a Maiar, one of many primordial spirits that were sent to help mold Middle-earth. Almost angelic in nature, he corrupted men initially and then, to sway the elves, introduced himself as Annatar, the Lord of Gifts and a messenger of the Valar (via Fandom). His presence was far more ethereal than the rugged mortal man we see here. So why the big shift?
Tweaking the story so drastically would keep casual fans and die-hard Tolkien lovers off the trail when the big reveal was finally made. However, this unsuspecting king of the Southlands forming a connection with Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) would also make for an extra special gut punch of a fake friendship from the off. It'll be interesting to see just how much more manipulation the Dark Lord, formally known as Halbrand, can achieve in the next season. Here's hoping that all changes when The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) calls, and we finally see if we've been following Gandalf after all this time as well.