The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Sauron Story Made Me More Excited To See One Big Loss Over The Next 3 Seasons

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is showing viewers a much different Sauron than the Lord of the Rings movies, and the villain’s season 2 story makes me more excited about an upcoming loss. Sauron’s rise to power during the Second Age of Middle-earth differs substantially from his takeover in the Third Age, as the Dark Lord must be more cunning and deceptive in his quest to create the Rings of Power and the One Ring that comes to control them. This lends itself to compelling Sauron scenes and interactions throughout the Amazon series.

And with Charlie Vickers playing the villain in the Lord of the Rings show, it has been a joy to watch Sauron’s Second Age story come to life on-screen. The actor steals nearly every scene that he’s in, and he does an impressive job of making his iteration of Sauron feel memorable and distinct. The Rings of Power season 2 does an especially effective job with the villain’s narrative, showing the depths of Sauron’s deception and making viewers feel Celebrimbor’s suffering. This Sauron arc contributes to The Rings of Power‘s best moments, and it makes me excited for another storyline.

Sauron Will Lose His Shape-Shifting Power In Future Seasons Of The Rings Of Power

The Villain Loses His Fair Form & Then His Ability To Shape-Shift Completely

Although The Rings of Power season 2’s finale finally uses Sauron’s shape-shifting power correctly, he’ll gradually lose that power over the next three seasons of the Amazon show. Sauron’s fair form is what enables him to appear as Annatar in the second season, but he won’t be capable of taking this appearance for much longer. Following the Fall of Númenor, which is likely to happen in The Rings of Power season 3, Sauron becomes weaker and suffers the punishment of losing his fair form.

During the show’s final season, Sauron will also lose his physical body for a time and his shape-shifting abilities completely, though it’s unclear if The Rings of Power will have time to dwell on this. But after Isildur cuts the One Ring from Sauron’s finger during the Siege of Barad-dûr, the villain is totally depleted and emerges in a new — and unchangeable form — in the Third Age. Knowing Sauron’s lust for power and desire for control, this development likely enraged him. And this could make for a compelling narrative if The Rings of Power handles it properly.

While losing his shape-shifting doesn’t seem like a highlight of Sauron’s arc at first glance, The Rings of Power season 2 makes this gradual loss of power far more exciting. With the series successfully giving Sauron so many layers, I’m excited to see how he handles such disappointments over the next three seasons. Because we see Sauron’s defeat from the heroes’ perspectives in The Lord of the Rings, we don’t witness his response to the One Ring’s destruction. It’ll be interesting to see him react to his losses and weakening powers, especially with Vickers portraying him.

Charlie Vickers’ Season 2 Performance Proves This Loss Will Be A Highlight Of Rings Of Power

The Rings of Power season 2’s Sauron story is intriguing because it’s told with a great deal of nuance, showing how Sauron is capable of deceiving even himself when it comes to his overall motivations — and also revealing a surprising amount of emotion from the character. The scenes where Sauron gets angry or upset, even if it’s on his own behalf, work to humanize the villain in some ways. And Vickers’ performance drives these efforts home, ensuring that Sauron is one of the most interesting characters in the entire series.

A great example of this is when Sauron cries after killing Celebrimbor, a surprising show of emotion that’s really more about his own loss and disappointment than the Lord of Eregion’s death. Vickers plays this impressively, and his acting skill demands to be utilized similarly in future seasons of the show. Given that Sauron’s frustration and sense of loss will likely reemerge when grappling with his own defeats and the loss of control over his body, we’re likely to see Vickers balance his Dark Lord persona with a more sympathetic side of his character again.

I Can’t Wait To See How The Lord Of The Rings Show Handles This Sauron Story

With Vickers proving he can juggle multiple aspects of Sauron’s complicated characterization and The Rings of Power season 2 setting up bigger emotional beats for the villain, I’m excited to see how the loss of his shape-shifting is handled over the next three seasons. While it’s seemingly a small detail compared to the much bigger events on the horizon, it gives The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power an interesting opportunity to take its more nuanced approach to Sauron further, cementing Vickers’ take on the character as one of the best fantasy villains in the process.