In Tolkien’s lore, one of Sauron’s fearsome powers was his ability to shape-shift. Being a shape-shifter helped Sauron deceive and fight his many foes and, in fact, allowed him to create The Rings of Power in the first place, coming to elves in a fair form and deceiving them with promises of knowledge and gifts. It was this shape-shifting ability that also drove so many questions about the exact identity of Sauron during The Rings of Power season one. Ultimately, it proved that Sauron had taken the form of the human king, Halbrand, during the season, crafting himself an image that he thought would most appeal to Galadriel.
In early The Rings of Power season two, we learn that Halbrand was actually a form Sauron shapeshifted into after Adar and the orcs “split him open.” Although no actor will replace Charlie Vickers as Sauron, the showrunners assure us, it turns out at least two actors play a form of the Dark Lord on The Rings of Power. And in addition to that, the first three episodes of The Rings of Power reveal that Charlie Vickers will play more than one form of Sauron himself in the series. But just how many forms has Sauron taken in The Rings of Power thanks to his shapeshifting abilities? Let’s take a look.
Sauron’s Earliest Form, Played By Jack Lowden
In the first scene of The Rings of Power season two, Jack Lowden plays a form of Sauron. This is the form of Sauron that existed about 1,000 years before the events of The Rings of Power, immediately after Morgoth’s defeat in the War of Wrath. Jack Lowden’s Sauron seems intent on taking power and picking up where Morgoth left off in his pursuit of ruling Middle-earth. But, of course, we know that this form of Sauron won’t last the next 1,000 years on The Rings of Power. In episode one of The Rings of Power, Adar and the orcs dispatch this form of Sauron, turning him into…
Black Goo Sauron
Black Goo Sauron is the interstitial form Sauron takes between bodies. It seems like The Rings of Power is implying that this black good is really Sauron’s essence, but he can’t craft a new form for himself until he has had enough nourishment or maybe until he has performed enough evil. In any case, we see Black Goo Sauron flopping along in The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power season two. Sauron feasts on rats and innocents until he’s consumed enough life to emerge again. But Black Goo Sauron has done more than just eat a poor wanderer; he’s also captured the hearts and minds of fans. We have to admit, he is a mood and a vibe.
Sauron’s Halbrand Form, Played By Charlie Vickers on The Rings of Power
Next up, is, of course, Sauron’s Halbrand form played by Charlie Vickers. We’ll miss you, Halbrand. This Sauron form shifted into catering to the version of Sauron that Galadriel most wanted to see. In this form, Sauron pretended to be part of a royal lineage that ruled the Southlands. Sauron, in his Halbrand form, dabbled at becoming a true hero on The Rings of Power, the kind of leader his people needed, who could fight by Galadriel’s side and stave off the coming of darkness. Sauron convinced Galadriel and the Southlanders that he, as Halbrand, was meant to be their King with a necklace bearing a Southlander royal crest. But, of course, Sauron himself tells Galadriel, “I took it off a dead man.” In the end of The Rings of Power season two, Sauron’s ruse with Galadriel comes to a close, but his Halbrand form lives on a little longer.
In clips from season two of The Rings of Power, we see Sauron bring Halbrand out to manipulate Adar. He pretends to be the King of the Southlands and murmurs in Adar’s ear that Galadriel has sided with Sauron. We’ll see how long Sauron’s Halbrand form lasts into season two.
Sauron’s Annatar Form, Played By Charlie Vickers on The Rings of Power Season 2
In a featurette for The Rings of Power season two, Charlie Vickers shares that one of Sauron’s primary powers is the ability to change forms. And Vickers does some form-changing himself in season two, episode two of The Rings of Power. Leaving Halbrand behind at some point in season two of The Rings of Power, Sauron takes the form of Annatar, a Quenya elvish word that means “Lord of Gifts.”
Vickers explains that “the Annatar form that we see this season is all for Celebrimbor because he needs Celebrimbor and his understanding and his methodology and his craftsmanship to make these rings. He’ll stop at nothing to rule Middle-earth.” Annatar is Sauron’s “fair form” in The Lord of the Rings universe, the one he initially wears to deceive the elves in Tolkien’s writings. On The Rings of Power, the story is a bit different, but no doubt Sauron’s Annatar form will be enough to convince Celebrimbor to forge more than a few rings. Shape-shifting will get you everywhere.
Sauron as Dark Halbrand
In The Rings of Power‘s finale, Sauron donned the guise of Halbrand once more while fighting with Galadriel. But this time, Halbrand seemed less warm and regal, and more dark and dangerous. Sauron could not contain the evil seeping out of him, even in his Halbrand form. And even though seeing Halbrand and hearing his familiar words gave her slight pause, she did not lose sight of the battle at hand.
Sauron as Galadriel
Sauron also transformed into a dark version of Galadriel during this fight, once again, to try and distract the real Galadriel from their battle. Seeing Sauron’s form of Galadriel go up against the real Galadriel was truly something. Sauron also briefly changed forms into Celebrimbor.
Other Sauron Forms We Might See on The Rings of Power
During the height of his powers, in the First Age of Middle-earth, Sauron would shapeshift into a serpent, a vampire, and even a wolf. We’d honestly love to see Sauron take on some of those forms in The Rings of Power. Even though we’ve left the first age behind us, we feel Sauron still has enough juice to quickly transform into a wolf for half an episode or so. It really would fool his enemies.
Whatever shapeshifting Sauron wants to get up, though, he’d better do it quickly. Soon, Sauron will lose this ability to change forms once and for all on The Rings of Power. And then he’ll end up stuck as an evil spirit just trying to make a body to survive.
Will We Ever See Sauron in Eye Form on The Rings of Power?
Fans of The Lord of the Rings movies are probably asking if we will see The Eye of Sauron in The Rings of Power. And the answer to that is we very well might. In The Silmarillion, Sauron’s eye is first mentioned just after the sinking of Númenor.
Tolkien writes, “Sauron was not of mortal flesh, and though he was robbed now of that shape in which he had wrought so great an evil, so that he could never again appear fair to the eyes of Men, yet his spirit arose out of the deep and passed as a shadow and a black wind over the sea, and came back to Middle-earth and to Mordor that was his home. There he took up again his great Ring in Barad-dûr, and dwelt there, dark and silent, until he wrought himself a new guise, an image of malice and hatred made visible; and the Eye of Sauron the Terrible few could endure.”
Of course, in Tolkien’s lore, Sauron does not necessarily become only an Eye in his dark spirit era. But given the popularity of the eye as a symbol, it could very well make its way onto The Rings of Power as yet another possible version of the Dark Lord Sauron.
Originally published on August 22, 2024.
