Who Is This Mysterious Character In 'The Rings of Power'?
Image Source: Attack of the Fan Boy
The slightly ambiguous nature behind what rights Amazon has, mixed with the new characters introduced in The Rings of Power, and the general knowledge of what does happen in the Second Age of Middle-earth result in an abundance of theories ranging from wild to likely. After the last two episodes, the sea of theories has expanded as fans were introduced to the character Adar, whose name was chanted by the Orcs at the end of Episode 2. He’s played by Joseph Mawle, whom fans will recognize as Uncle Benjen from Game of Thrones. But, what does Adar want, or what is he? And, most importantly, who is he?
Outright, we can say he is an elf of some kind. The first giveaway was the ears, pointy, like an Elf. Adar also spoke Quenya, the language of the Elves. These traits are enough to shock and confuse Arondir that one of his own kind would side with the Orcs. It is also clear Adar is some sort of leader to the Orcs as they refer to him as Father or Lord Father.
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There are some clues as to what his goals are. He tells Arondir to go tell the people taking refuge in the old watch tower that they are to leave if they want to keep their lives. The clues shown and gathered by characters, like Galadriel, hint at the purpose of Adar and the Orcs’ machinations in the Southlands. In her discussions with Elendil, Galadriel discovers that the symbol she has been seeking, the one left behind by Sauron’s forces, is not a mark, per se, but rather a feature on a map. It is in the Southlands, and the map they show looks like Mordor, where Sauron will eventually construct Barad-dur, his fortress. Furthermore, a panning shot of the dig site where Arondir is held captive shows that the Orcs are digging a long, long trench that disappears into the distance. It is covered by a patchwork series of flaps and awnings to keep the sun off the Orcs. All that is pretty clear, but not who Adar is.
There are several possibilities.
Sauron
Image Source: artAlais
The easiest (and laziest option from a writing perspective) is that he is Sauron. Sauron is known by the name The Deceiver in later ages, and the established canon refers to Sauron changing his appearance based on who he is trying to manipulate. This Adar character is clearly in a leadership position among the Orcs, and they refer to him as Lord Father. Also, a little knowledge of linguistics and how names get distorted in different regions and dialects may present another clue to it being Sauron (though it is a stretch). In the canon, Sauron is known to have appeared to the Elves as a Maia by the name of Annatar. The last part of that name, “-atar,” sure sounds close to Adar. It is a stretch, but it is a possibility.
It is firmly established that the big bad of the series is Sauron. It just feels too soon to introduce him. In every image of Sauron that has ever been shown in films, he is fully decked out in some elaborate, twisted armor. For Sauron to appear to Arondir in this manner feels too early and a little lazy. Sauron is a deceiver, a manipulator. He also certainly would not give the refugees at the watch tower an ultimatum that could spare their lives.
The Witch-King of Angmar
Image Source: One Wiki to Rule Them All
This one feels like a stretch as well, given that Adar is an Elf and the Witch-King of Angmar, the “leader” of the Nine, the Ring Wraiths, is a human. That’s canon, and the Tolkien Estate has made it clear to Amazon that they cannot mess with canon directly. It is also covered in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The Nine were kings of Men who were gifted the corrupted rings that Sauron had Celebrimbor make. They succumbed to the corruption and became his undead slaves, and the Witch-King was the chief among them.
Adar being an Elf, and no shot indicating he wore a ring or anything like that, weighs pretty heavily against him being the Witch-King. Still, there is a lot of interpretation in the making of this show, and the Second Age is notoriously sparse in writing compared to the other ages. So who knows?
Maeglin
Image Source: Tolkien Gateway
This theory has been making its way around the internet as well. The idea behind this one involves some history. Maeglin was an Elf of the First Age. While he was in love with his cousin, he was denied this love. That opened the door for Morgoth to befriend and corrupt him. Morgoth used this corruption as a means of taking down the great Elven city of Gondolin. Maeglin supposedly went down with the city in flames. Adar has burns on the side of his face. Adar also mentions the region of Beleriand, and how he used to live there. Maeglin was born in Beleriand.
This one, too, seems like a stretch, though there is a greater possibility that it may turn out to be true. For one, as previously said, there is not as much written about the Second Age, so it is entirely possible. Secondly, this theory works with the ambiguity of what rights and sources Amazon can use. While Maeglin was in The Silmarillion, which Amazon does not have access to, the Fall of Gondolin was mentioned in the appendices, which Amazon does have access to. For another, there is a surprising abundance of people in the stories that are never seen again or slip away. Sauron, for example, and his former master, Morgoth, repeatedly avoid capture and death when they lost. Sauron survives in some shape until the end of the Third Age. Could Maeglin have survived and resurfaced as Sauron’s agent in the Southlands? Maybe, but the canon entanglements here suggest otherwise.
The First Orc
Image Source: Jay Carpenter
One other possibility, aside from Adar being just entirely someone new, is that he is the very first Orc. According to what Tolkien wrote, Morgoth discovered the Elves first before they were supposed to be discovered by the other Valar. He captured some of them and tortured and mutilated them in jealousy, and they became the first Orcs. All Orcs are descended from the Elves whom Morgoth tortured. Could it be that Adar is simply one of the original Orcs? The ones he commands refer to him as Father, or Lord Father. Maybe that is a clue?
Either way, more will hopefully be revealed in this week’s episode when it airs on Amazon Prime Video this Friday.
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Source(s): AVClub