This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power seasons 1 - 5.
Charlie Vickers blessed The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power with two Sauron forms, and it looks like he will play fully-armored Dark Lord Sauron too, but he has to meet one condition to make this as epic as it seems. Vickers told i he was excited about donning Sauron's black armor, claiming "it's a bit of a dream to wear that." It could have been a meaningless remark, but if Vickers is proactively excited about wearing it, he probably knows he will. LotR fans could finally discover what lies under Sauron's armor, creating opportunities and risks.
The Rings of Power confirming an armored Sauron form is big news. The Rings of Power season 1 opener flashed back to an armored Dark Lord figure silhouetted against the horizon in the Forodwaith fortress. Perhaps Sauron used this Dark Lord form alongside his Jack Lowden form occasionally, and he will revert to it now that he no longer needs his Halbrand or Annatar disguises. This would promise great things for The Rings of Power's coming seasons. However, there are a few things that the show must note in order to get armored Sauron right.
Keeping Charlie Vickers As Dark Lord Sauron Opens The Door For Exciting Opportunities
Charlie Vickers In Sauron's Armor Is Very Exciting
The Rings of Power is right to pursue an armored Dark Lord Sauron form and right to keep Charlie Vickers in the role. High fantasy master J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of the show's source material, never described Sauron as wearing black armor in the books. However, Morgoth was "clad in black armour" and "iron-crowned," inspiring Wētā Workshop's groundbreaking costume design for the giant Sauron in the prologue to Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring movie. It is Jackson's character, rather than Tolkien's, that inspired Rings of Power's armored Sauron in season 1.
The eponymous Lord of the Rings is an enigma in the novel and the movies but answers are available in Tolkien lore as to his true nature.
For Rings of Power to continue with this Dark Lord form beyond the flashback confirms that it is committing to Jackson's design. Not only is the show rightly honoring one of its formative influences, but it will excitingly develop the idea further. Plus, keeping Vickers as Sauron allows the shot of a fully armored "fair form" Sauron (Halbrand, Annatar, or another) putting on the helmet, testifying to Sauron’s repentance phase being well and truly over. That needs to come through at some point. The show may not exploit this opportunity, but it would be a massive waste if it didn't.
The Rings Of Power Must Meet 1 Condition To Put Charlie Vickers' Sauron In The Armor
There Could Be A Problem With Vickers In The Armor But It Can Be Avoided
There could be one big problem with The Rings of Power putting Charlie Vickers in Sauron's black armor, however. Trailers teased Vickers' surprising transformation from Halbrand into Annatar wasn't fooling anyone. This caused critiques of the "disguise" and raised the question of why another actor wasn't used instead, although all was made clear in season 2. However, if it wasn't before, Vickers' gravitas is certainly indispensable now. His continued presence as Sauron rises will keep viewership high. But if his armored Sauron is Sauron's last Second Age form, the show must somehow clarify that Hot Sauron isn't under the armor.
In the movie, Sauron's armored form was his final Second Age form. By this point, Sauron was "an image of malice and hatred made visible," having lost the ability to take fair form (The Silmarillion). Jackson's interpretation of the character was inspired, teasing the horror under horrifying armor. Rings of Power should exploit Vickers to show Sauron's fair form suiting up as he falls further into evil. But then this can't be his final Second Age form unless it is somehow made clear how Vickers has deformed under the armor into a grotesque demon, ghost, or hollow darkness.
Vickers’ Transformation Could Be The Best Part Of The Rings Of Power's Later Seasons
Rings Of Power Has The Creative Opportunity Of A Lifetime
For millions, Jackson's movies created the question of what lay under Sauron's armor, creating a glorious sandpit for The Rings of Power to play in. With access to Sauron at full power in Middle-earth's Second Age, the show can grace screens with the unforgettably incongruous image of one of Vickers' fair forms, partially armored. Vickers could also play Sauron's final Second Age form, so long as it was clear that he was no longer fair. However, making it too obvious how ugly Sauron is under the armor could siphon away mystery and risk diminishing the character.
The ultimate mutation plot device, armor allows selective partial or complete reveal of a character's features.
The show may be better off teasing horrific, charred flesh under the armor, rather than showing it completely. It's worth noting, however, that Sauron's armor is the creative opportunity of a lifetime. The ultimate mutation plot device, armor allows selective partial or complete reveal of a character's features. Putting aside Sauron's next and final form in the show, what comes in between may be even more intriguing. Discussing beings like Sauron in an essay called "Ósanwe-kenta," Tolkien confirmed that the bodies they chose betrayed their evil more and more, the worse they got.
"Ósanwe-kenta" can be found in
Morgoth's Ring,
book 10 of
The History of Middle-earth
book series.
The Rings of Power blew apart the mystery of Tolkienian shapeshifting, establishing its Sauron as capable of shapeshifting completely, instantaneously. This allows the show to use Sauron's shapeshifting to show his descent into irredeemable crime. The show could gradually demonize Vickers as it goes, embracing supernatural horror costume elements like black or fiery sclera contact lenses, sharpening teeth or nails, unnatural hair color, and black veins under translucent skin - season 2 already teased this slightly. Regardless, by season 5, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power must fully embrace Sauron's "hatred made visible."
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
English (US) ·