Where is Sauron in The Rings of Power?
As of episode 6, no appearance of Sauron has been confirmed in The Rings of Power tv series, although several characters refer to or look for him and there are many theories as to where Sauron could be. Some of these theories even include characters we’ve already met. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Galadriel turns out to have been right all along. This, of course, comes as no surprise for the viewers, as we know who the main villain is in The Lord of the Rings, which The Rings of Power series precedes chronologically. But given that The Rings of Power has made several changes to the source material and it doesn’t directly adapt The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales. As such, it’s impossible to be 100% certain about Sauron’s whereabouts though we can still theorize.
Has Sauron Already Appeared?
While there’s no confirmation as to whether or not Sauron has appeared so far there are plenty of theories. When speculating about the stranger who fell from the sky, most theories paint him as a young Gandalf. However, some theorize that he might even be Sauron in disguise. This is a bit far-fetched given that the stranger has displayed a childlike demeanor and seems more confused than evil. However, he’s also shown a capability for destruction. This alone is not enough to confirm that the stranger is Sauron. After all, for all the good vs evil focus, Tolkien’s works have always been clear about the fact that even mostly good people are capable of bad deeds. But showing the stranger, also called “meteor man” by some fans, do something dark or scary will only fuel rumors that he might, indeed, be someone evil. During Adar’s early appearances, some viewers also brought him forward as a candidate for incognito Sauron, as he’s a villain who rules over an orc army. However, Adar - which is Elvish for father - turns out to be a corrupted elf and he claims that he was initially against Sauron. While there could be more to his story, this theory has mostly been debunked. Then, episode 5 showed us a brief glimpse of menacing-looking, white-robed figures who are looking for the mysterious meteor man for reasons that are still unclear. Little is known about these newcomers so far, so, naturally, some assume they might have something to do with Sauron, or even that one of them is Sauron. In the source material, Sauron was a shapeshifter who has taken the form of a Man, an Elf, and even several animals, so, at this point, he could look like anything. Later in the series, this mystery will definitely be resolved, but, meanwhile, the ambiguity around Sauron becomes fertile ground for speculation.
