Who is The Rings Of Power‘s Adar? Four theories to explain the mysterious master of the orcs
Middle-earth's new big bad is clearly not an orc himself, so just who is he? Perhaps the answer lies in The Silmarillion
TV Features Adar
**Warning: spoilers lie ahead for The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power episode four, “The Great Wave”**
At the end of its third episode, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power introduced us to Adar, a shadowy figure in the Southlands who seems to be commanding the Orcs in their pursuit of some hidden power. It’s pretty clear from that episode that Adar, and the Orcs who serve him, are basically living out the secret origins of Mordor in the Southlands. But what’s less clear is who Adar himself actually is, and his role in what’s to come this season and beyond.
Episode four of The Rings Of Power, “The Great Wave,” preserved quite a bit of that mystery. We get a closer look at Adar, and at least some idea of what he wants, but so many more questions remain.
Following up on the teaser at the end of episode three, “The Great Wave” picks up Arondir’s (Ismael Cruz Córdova) story with the moment when he finally meets Adar (an Elvish word for “father”), played by former Game Of Thrones star Joseph Mawle. Though Arondir asks some pretty straightforward questions of the scarred, Elf-looking figure, Adar offers no easy answers. Instead, he teases that Arondir has been lied to about the way of things his whole life, offers vague clues as to his intentions by musing that he’s not a God “yet,” and finally sends the Elf away with a message for the people of the Southlands: surrender or die.
So, who is this guy, why do the Orcs call him father, and what’s his role in the battles we know are still to come as Sauron’s rise continues? We don’t know for sure, and the area of history the show is exploring is just murky enough to keep us guessing. That said, we do have some ideas. Here are four theories that could explain Adar’s presence in pre-Mordor Middle-earth.
Theory No. 1: He’s Sauron
Let’s start with the Occam’s Razor (Morgoth’s Razor?) approach to this whole thing and just go with the simplest and most straightforward explanation: Adar is Sauron, or at least some aspect of Sauron, prior to the forging of the Rings of Power that will grant him such might and terror in Middle-earth later in the Second Age. He speaks like he’s been around a long time (Sauron was born as one of the Maiar, and as such has existed since before time itself), he’s got a cool Mordor-looking gauntlet on his hand, and the Orcs clearly revere him. Plus, we know from episode three that the strange symbol Galadriel’s been tracking is actually a map to draw Orcs to the Southlands, where Sauron eventually makes his home. By the end of the Second Age, he’s already made the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, so it’s easy to imagine this is a slightly less powerful version of Sauron getting an early start on his building projects, specifically by digging for a relic of Morgoth that could help him rise again.
Of course, it’s very easy to dismiss this idea as too simple, particularly when the aspiring blacksmith Halbrand is off being handsome all over Númenor (where, according to Tolkien, Sauron eventually appears in a very handsome guise to deceive the Númenoreans). So maybe Sauron isn’t in the Southlands yet. Maybe Adar is more like his herald, or a top lieutenant, which brings us to…
Theory No. 2: He’s The Witch-king
Traditionally, the Witch-king of Angmar is seen as a human leader who was corrupted by one of the Nine Rings and eventually transformed into the leader of the Ringwraiths, Sauron’s enforcers and the horrifying hunters of the One Ring. But we know The Rings Of Power is taking certain liberties with Tolkien lore, particularly where things get murky, and the good news there for the show is that we really don’t know all that much about who the Witch-king was before he became the Witch-king. Maybe in this version of the story, he was an Elf first. Maybe the way he looks now is part of his ongoing corruption, or there’s a larger story at work that we don’t fully understand. When you think about Sauron’s best captains, his name almost always comes up, and it’s easy to imagine a world in which he’s inserted into Mordor’s origins. That said, the Rings of Power don’t exist yet in the world of the show, and you could argue that the Witch-king is a non-entity until that moment. So perhaps…
Theory No. 3: He’s Maeglin
If you’re not familiar with Tolkien works like The Silmarillion, you might not know the name Maeglin, but he’s a fascinating figure in the world of Middle-earth, because he’s basically the only Elf who was ever corrupted to darkness by Morgoth (that we know of, anyway). The nephew of an Elven king (and somewhat removed cousin of Galadriel), Maeglin was both a respected warrior and a highly skilled smith, capable of making some of the strongest weapons known to Elf-kind during the First Age. Sadly, he was also in love with his first cousin, something his fellow Elves weren’t keen to indulge him on. Deeply resentful because he couldn’t have what he truly wanted, Maeglin was ultimately seduced by Morgoth (Sauron’s mentor and the original Dark Lord, remember), and agreed to betray the hidden Elven city of Gondolin in exchange for a leadership role and the hand of the woman he loved. Gondolin fell, and according to Tolkien’s writings, Maeglin fell with it.
So, the evil elf is dead, right? Well, according to The Silmarillion, Maeglin fell down into flames (remember those burn marks on his face) during the Fall of Gondolin, which suggests death but doesn’t necessarily guarantee it, particularly if you’ve got the forces of darkness on your side. Plus, Adar talks to Arondir about the lost region of Beleriand, where Maeglin was born. It’s possible The Rings Of Power has dug deep into Tolkien lore to pull out an ace in the hole for Sauron here, an Elf with evil in his heart who also happens to be really good at making weapons. Throw in the idea that Orcs might be former Elves corrupted by Morgoth himself, and it all seems to line up.
Of course, maybe we’re overthinking this. Maybe…
Theory No. 4: He’s someone else
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a show that delights in being able to show us earlier versions of familiar places and people, from the Dwarven mines of Moria to beloved figures like Elrond and Galadriel. But the show has taken almost equal delight in giving us new faces to root for, from the Elf trying to survive in the Southlands to the Harfoots dealing with new mysteries. It’s entirely possible that Adar is a new player on the Middle-earth map, a guy created because Sauron needs some top henchmen, and there aren’t all that many to choose from. So, we get a new baddie, a mini-boss before the Big Bad emerges, who also happens to have some ties to the history of Morgoth and Sauron to smooth out some of the gaps in the lore. Guessing games are fun, but sometimes the answer really is “Hey, we made him up.” Whoever Adar is, we’ve got four more episodes of The Rings Of Power season one to unpack him.
38 Comments
I find it most believable to assume that Adar is an extremely old Elf who was one of those captured by Morgoth to breed the race of orcs into being; hence, he’s their Father, as the name implies, and that’s what gives him such respect among them. They owe their existence to him, and maybe he has promised to improve their lot in Middle-Earth.
I had a similar thought, so it wouldn’t shock me if this is it.
That would also help explain the pain in his eyes when he had to kill that orc. He was clearly feeling something there I didn’t expect to see. There wasn’t just reverence between them but affection.
yeah, he didn’t look at that orc like “this creature is useful to me”, now that you mention it.
Yes! I completely agree. His face said it all. He felt pain in killing that orc and I think we are seeing the proto orcs which were made during Morgoths reign.
I concur. He’s the Elf that was the progenitor of the Orc race. He may turn out to be a rival of Sauron.
He would have to be old almost beyond reckoning since Morgoth corrupted and twisted kidnapped Elves into Orcs before the rest of the Valar even realized the Elves had awakened, so well before any Elves had been brought to Valinor. Still, the show could tweak that timeline. I like the Maeglin theory if they were able to wangle the use of the character. Simon Tolkien is a consultant, after all, and very friendly towards the movie and TV adaptations. It still wouldn’t explain Adar’s seeming concern for the Orcs (since Orcs don’t really seem to care about each other anyway).
He would have to be old almost beyond reckoning since Morgoth corrupted and twisted kidnapped Elves into Orcs before the rest of the Valar even realized the Elves had awakenedStill not a complete impossibility. Círdan may or may not have been born in those days. Though it’s also possible that Morgoth occasionally brought in new blood to improve his original creation, and Adar could be a later generation addition, simply the oldest one remaining. I’m not hugely fond of the Maeglin theory, mostly because it would add just another reference for the sake of a reference. It wouldn’t really add anything meaningful to the story.
Too convoluted. Halbrand is Sauron and they can’t touch names from the Sil. I’m glad Christopher Tolkien refused to sell the rights, because JJ’s Mystery Box is a shitty storytelling device to apply to Middle-Earth.
This new episode mentions Armenelos by name as the capital city of Numenor, a name that only appears in The Silmarillion.
I’m pretty sure details of Numenor are also mentioned in Unfinished Tales.
They are yes, but that also would imply that they’re allowed to reference things outside of LOTR & appendices – the map of Numenor they use on the show only appears in Unfinished Tales, for example. Sounds like they have leeway for referencing things outside of their official rights, with the show working closely with the Tolkien Estate.
If Halbrand is indeed Sauron, then why did he save Galadriel when she was sinking rather than just letting her drown?
Corrupting elves to serve him is sort of his thing.
Because she’s so powerful, she could be useful to him in Numenor or elsewhere. And he proved in “Adar” that he’s skilled enough in manipulating people that he even convinced Galadriel to take his advice.
I’m sure by the fiftieth or so time you make this same complaint in these threads, the whole show will simply cease to be as a result of your diligent and steadfast whinging.
Oh please be right!
The Tolkien estate is granting exceptions. In episode 2 the Dwarves made references to Aulë who is only named in the Silmarillion.
I understood they only have the rights to LotR and its appendices, so I don’t see how it could be Maeglin.
The Maeglin idea is cute, though I wonder if they’d be allowed to use him? I think Gondolin is part of what they own…
And how do you figure that? About Gondolin? Come on.
Because Bilbo and Gandalf’s swords are explicitly from Gondolin and thus part of the legendarium that they purchased. Same reason they can talk about Earendil. Did you forget?
While yes, the swords were made in Gondolin, I don’t see how they would then have the rights to the story of the Fall of Gondolin nor to Maeglin who is apart, mostly, of that tale. Also, Maeglin is dead, dead, long dead by now, so to use him would be an epic bastardization of the lore. Not that we are not already seeing that in RoP anyway…
Sounds like a question for a legal scholar and not me! They certainly seem to have sweeping access to a lot based on owning seemingly very little.And, considering Tolkien’s goal was to create a myth and he even wrote a story discussing his acceptance that he could not have control over who wrote the myth after him, sniveling about anyone “bastardizing the lore,” is singularly comical. You can’t bastardize a myth. That’s why there are so many contradictory versions of myths. Even Tolkien wrote many versions and never finished.
“Sniveling”Cool.
There’s also people suggesting that Theo’s sword is at least partially inspired by Gurthang – which, fun fact, was Maeglin’s sword (under a different name) before it was Turin’s.
Is this eluding to Theo potentially becoming the mouth of Sauron?Was Waldreg the former mouth of Sauron passing along to Theo?
I know Maeglin’s father forged Anglachel/Gurthang, but did it ever belong to Maeglin before he gave it to Thingol?
You’re right – it was Anguirel wielded by Maeglin, not Anglachel, I got them confused. However, they’re basically sister swords, forged from the same meteorite.
I thought it was Corey Feldman.
Will Theo be the future Mouth of Sauron?
People are asking about the rights to the characters, which is sensible. My guess would be that he is a slightly altered version of another character from LOTR…because that’s what this whole gd show is kinda.
Seriously, what the hell do you need to do to get out the greys here? This is ridiculous.
Its not Maeglin, come on Matthew….he was thrown off a mountain, into flames, and smote against the mountain 3x, just like his Daddy Eol, on his way to certain death.
He was totally smote!
Wow Amazon’s publicity budget for Rings series should almost certainly cover any holiday bonus coming to AVC staffers. Dem pockets is deep
Am I the only one who caught the thinly veiled homage to Kurtz in Apocaplypse Now when he asks Arondir about the river he grew up on?
KURTZ “Where are you from Willard ?”WILLARD “I’m from Ohio, sir.”KURTZ “Were you born there ?”WILLARD “Yes, sir.”KURTZ “Whereabouts ?”WILLARD “Toledo, sir.”KURTZ “How far were you from the river ?”WILLARD “The Ohio river, sir ? About 200 miles.”KURTZ “I went down that river when I was a kid. There’s a place in the river.. I can’t remember… Must have been a gardenia plantation at one time. All wild and overgrown now, but about five miles you’d think that heaven just fell on the earth in the form of gardenias…
Why the jeez am I still greyed????