Rings Of Power Season 2’s Villain Return Rules Out The Sauron Story Everyone Wanted
Charlie Vickers will be returning to play Halbrand in The Rings of Power season 2—which means Sauron’s canon story will continue to see changes.
Halbrand actor Charlie Vickers is confirmed to be returning to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which means audiences are unlikely to get the Sauron story they’ve been looking for. The first seasons of the Prime Video series revealed that Halbrand was actually the Dark Lord Sauron in disguise, which was a significant shock even to die-hard fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. This is because this plot never happened according to canon—and could indicate that Sauron’s true story will never be told in The Rings of Power.
Tolkien’s posthumous Silmarillion never spoke of a man name Halbrand, but it did tell of an elf, Annatar, who deceived Celebrimbor and the elves of Eregion into making the Rings of Power. Of course, something like this happened in The Rings of Power season 1 since it was because of Halbrand that Celebrimbor forged the Three Elven Rings. Since fans of The Lord of the Rings had been looking out for Annatar, it made the Halband reveal more impactful. However, it was also a bit of a disappointment that Sauron’s ‘Bringer of Gifts’ form didn’t appear, and it looks like the same will be true for The Rings of Power season 2.
Halbrand’s Presence In Ring Of Power Season 2 Means No Annatar
As a Maia (an angel-like being of Tolkien lore), Sauron could shapeshift for much of Middle-earth’s history. However, of his various forms, Annatar has been regarded as the most seductive. The elf was described to be beautiful, talented, and charismatic—which made him a figure Lord of the Rings fans have been eager to see on screen. However, Rings of Power gave them Halbrand, who, while interesting, wasn’t the regal elf everyone loved to hate. Still, there was always a chance Annatar would appear down the road.
Unfortunately, it looks as if Sauron’s fair form will be absent from The Rings of Power season 2 since Halbrand’s actor has been confirmed as part of the cast list. If Vickers continues to play Halbrand in this next installment of the Prime Video series, it seems unlikely that the Dark Lord will take another form. This isn’t enough to rule out an Annatar appearance down the line, but actress Morfydd Clark’s reveal that more Rings of Power will be forged in season 2 shoots down the bulk of remaining hope.
The Forging Of More Rings Of Power In S2 Could Create Additional Canon Problems
Since Annatar is supposed to be the fair form of Sauron that forges the Rings of Power, and these titular rings will be created in season 2, the fact that Vickers has been cast to play Halbrand again implies that the series will continue to divert Tolkien canon. It could be instead that Halbrand himself is The Rings of Power’s version of Annatar, so the literal character shouldn’t be expected to appear. This is supported by Halbrand’s comment to Celebrimbor, “Call it…a gift,”—a clear nod to the Annatar character since the name means “lord of gifts.”
However, this begs the question—how will the Rings of Power be created without Annatar? Celebrimbor has already met Halbrand, and though Galadriel never spilled the beans about his true identity, the man’s sudden disappearance in season 1 was suspicious enough on its own. The elf seems unlikely to trust Halbrand enough to help him make a series of powerful weapons. Regardless of how Rings of Power goes about this, it’s clear that the events surrounding the rings’ creation will be very different from that of Tolkien canon.
How Rings Of Power Season 2 Could Make Both Halbrand & Annatar
Since the Prime Video series is diverting the original story so much, it’s always possible that the writers will rework the events in a way that allows Annatar to appear in The Rings of Power season 2 in addition to Halbrand. Though Sauron didn’t switch his appearance so rapidly, the Prime Video series could use Vickers to play Halbrand in Mordor and then shift to another actor who would play Annatar in Eregion.
This could be a lot of fun, especially if this new elf character were first introduced by a different name. Audiences would unlikely think much of another elf showing up in Eregion and building a relationship with Celebrimbor. That is, until some point in the season, someone decided to dub him the “lord of gifts”—Annatar. It would mean another big surprise, especially since Halbrands presence would throw audiences off the scent. It’s precisely the kind of trick The Rings of Power has proven that it loves.
