The Real Sauron Will Finally Appear In The Rings Of Power Season 3

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has shown us a couple of the different faces of Sauron, but season 3 should take things back to the real deal. While the Lord of the Rings prequel offers a chance to see a version of Middle-earth that hadn't previously been adapted for the screen, a significant part of the appeal lies in Sauron himself. Throughout Peter Jackson's film trilogy, the villain was more of an unseen force than a character in his own right. Rings of Power gives us a closer look, but it's quickly clear that Sauron isn't any one thing.

In Lord of the Rings lore, Sauron was originally a Maia, a shapeshifting angel-like being tasked with serving and assisting the Valar (basically demigods). Gandalf and Saruman are also Maiar, as are any other Middle-earth wizards (Radagast and the Blue Wizards) and Balrogs. All of this is to say that creatures like Sauron can come in all shapes and sizes, more or less appearing how they want to (or are ordered to).

Sauron took particular advantage of his shapeshifting ability, putting on the sorts of faces and personas he thought would appeal to whomever he wanted to manipulate. Rings of Power season 3 will, most likely, move away from this for the first time, allowing us to see the villain Sauron as he is.

The Rings Of Power Season 3 Will Allow Sauron To Stop Putting On A Facade

Tolkien's Lord of the Rings legendarium made it clear that Sauron took on a variety of forms while covertly building power in Middle-earth, though we only ever learn of his Anatar persona by name. Rings of Power has expanded on this. In season 1, we met Halbrand, a heroic human identity that Sauron assumed to manipulate Galadriel and the Númenóreans. Then, Rings of Power season 2 brought Anatar—the beautiful elf smith constructed to appeal to Celebrimbor.

Going into The Rings of Power season 3, Sauron has killed Celebrimbor, destroyed Eregion, and taken over Adar's Orc army. He's no longer hiding and manipulating, but is all set up to officially present himself as the Dark Lord of Mordor. This essentially means that the upcoming episodes of the Prime Video fantasy series will be our first real look at Sauron. It may even be the installment in which the villain makes his One Ring and constructs his dark tower of Barad-dûr. Of course, that isn't to say we won't ever see any of Sauron's other personas again.

We'll Likely See Another Sauron Disguise If The Rings Of Power Season 4 Happens

The canon story dictates that Sauron will take on at least one other disguise before the end of Rings of Power. The show has already set up the great wave that will destroy Númenor, and this event will either play out in Rings of Power season 3 or, more likely, season 4. Sauron plays a significant role in the island kingdom's destruction. He comes back to Númenor and weasels his way into Ar-Pharazôn's mind, ultimately convincing the king to sail to Valinor (the Undying Lands) and launch an attack.

Tolkien never specifies precisely what form Sauron takes while manipulating Pharazôn. It's very unlikely that it was Anatar, since the Men of Númenor had been poisoned against the Elves by that point. It's possible that Rings of Power will see Sauron return to the island as Halbrand. Or he may take on a brand-new persona. Regardless, this will truly be the villain's last beautiful disguise.

Sauron didn't anticipate Eru Ilúvatar, the supreme god of The Lord of the Rings, destroying Númenor. His physical form was on the island when the wave arrived, so his body was, once again, killed. The destruction of Númenor and the will of Eru were so intense that Sauron lost the ability to conceal his evil nature in any form he took from that point onward. No more Anatar, no more Halbrand—Sauron will appear in Rings of Power as a villainous monster, through and through.