Is Halbrand Sauron? Every time an episode from the fantasy series Rings of Power finishes, there’s one huge question that supersedes all others. Where is Sauron?
Sauron is one of the most important characters in all of Tolkien’s writing, and in the Lord of the Rings movies which is why the question is such an important one. So far, there have been many suspects for who might be Sauron in disguise. Audiences have asked whether or not The Stranger who fell from the sky is Sauron, whether the corrupted Elf Adar is Sauron, and even whether the Elf king Gil-Galad is Sauron.
Now, we’re at the end of the season, and we finally have an answer. Is Halbrand Sauron?
Is Halbrand Sauron?
Yes, Halbrand is Sauron. In the least surprising twist in TV history, it has now been confirmed that Halbrand is the servant of Morgoth himself, in disguise. In the season finale, the dark lord of evil was last seen returning to the newly created Mordor, to begin his reign of evil.
There were many clues and hints that pointed towards Halbrand being Sauron long before Rings of Power episode 8, the season finale, aired. The first clue was his status as the King of the Southlands. We know that the Southlands becomes Mordor, and Sauron is, essentially, the king of Mordor. All you had to do then is put two and two together.
There’s also the fact that Halbrand knew who Adar was, but Adar didn’t recognise him. The explanation for this is that Sauron can change his form (more about that in our Sauron guide), effectively making him a shape-shifter. This is why Adar didn’t recognise Halbrand as Sauron, but Halbrand recognised him.
It was also clear from the interaction between the two that Halbrand hates Adar, though the reason for this is one of many things that was left unexplained. However, we think we might be able to explain it with a bit of creative dot-joining.
Adar told Galadriel that he betrayed Sauron, believing that he killed Morgoth‘s chief lieutenant. We know this isn’t the case, but it does explain why Halbrand hates Adar: he betrayed him.
So, Halbrand is Sauron, and those were all the hints that suggested it. But, hold on, if Halbrand is Sauron, then why was he tagging along with Galadriel when she was hunting him? There’s an old cliché go that might explain that: the best place to hide from someone is right under their nose. For another deep dive into Middle-earth, find out the answer to teh question: is Isildur really dead?