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* AffectionateNickname: He always refers to the Orcs as his children.
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* RousingSpeech: With the speeches Aar gives, is a little wonder why the Orcs relied behind him.
-->'''Adar''': My children, we have endured much. We cast off our shackles. Crossed mountain, field, frost and fallow 'till out feet bloodied the dirt. From Ered Mithrin to the Ephel Arnen, we have endured. Ye tonight, one more trial awaits us. Our enemy may be weak, their numbers meager..., yet before this night is through, some of us will fall. But for the first time, you do so not as unnamed slaves in far-away lands, but as brothers. Brothers and sisters in our home! This is the night we reach out the iron hand of the Uruk and close our fist around those lands.
-->'''Adar''': My children, we have endured much. We cast off our shackles. Crossed mountain, field, frost and fallow 'till out feet bloodied the dirt. From Ered Mithrin to the Ephel Arnen, we have endured. Ye tonight, one more trial awaits us. Our enemy may be weak, their numbers meager..., yet before this night is through, some of us will fall. But for the first time, you do so not as unnamed slaves in far-away lands, but as brothers. Brothers and sisters in our home! This is the night we reach out the iron hand of the Uruk and close our fist around those lands.
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* OffscreenTeleportation: The three stranger women pull this on the Harfoots. On one scene they are faraway, among the trees and in the next shot they are right beside the hobbits.
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* UnreliableNarrator: With the revelation that Halbrand is Sauron, is clear the Sauron told Galadriel only about the parts that were convenient for him to pass as just a Man from the Southlands.
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* WhatMeasureIsAMook; He argues with Galadriel on the behalf of the Orcs, bringing valid arguments like them being too living, thinking beings, who should have same rights to live and prosper as any other Races. And since nobody wants to accept those facts, he will enforce those believes, consequences be damned.
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* WhiteHairBlackHeart: The Dweller has boyish short MysticalWhiteHair and is capable of dark magic.
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* BeautyIsBad: Waldreg describes Sauron as being a "beautiful servant" of Morgoth, who shall return one day to rule the Southlands.
* OrderIsNotGood: Sauron followed Morgoth out of desire for order and control, but after witnessing what a chaotic, meaningless destruction a nihilistic force like Morgoth can cause, he started to regret the path he chose and felt relived when Morgoth was finally defeated. He than migrated in the Forodwaith with many Orcs and started experimenting on them, in the search of a power that could help him impose the order he so much wants on Middle-earth. Adar informs Galadriel of all this and how his bad treatment of the Orcs got him "split open".
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* PrettyBoy: Waldreg describes Sauron as being a "beautiful servant" of Morgoth, who shall return one day to rule the Southlands.
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* RevealingSkill: Sauron's unmatched blacksmithing skills and power to influence others are the reasons his cover as the Man Halbrand are blown off. In Eregion, when he tries to help lord Celebrimbor, the best Elven smith, Galadriel gets suspicious of Halbrand's blacksmithing, which exceeded the knowledge of humans, even Elves. Than Celebrimbor starts talking about seeking to craft the power of the Seen and Unseen World, which is something the orc Adar warned her that only Sauron sought to do.
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* SingleTear: Sauron sheds a tear while confessing to Galadriel how relieved he was to be finally free of Morgoth. How genuine that was, only he know the answer.
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* PredecessorVillain: Morgoth has a short summary of whom he was and he did in the introduction made by Galadriel. He was barely defeated in the War of Wrath, and Sauron took his place after, but following his own agenda of reshaping Middle-earth.
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* WeCanRuleTogether: Sauron offers to make Galadriel his Queen, promising her godlike powers if she become the light to his darkness.
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* WeCanRuleTogether: Sauron offers to make Galadriel his Queen, promising her godlike powers if she become becomes the light to his darkness.
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* MookMaker: Galadriel narrates that after the defeat of the Great Foe, Sauron made sure the Orcs secretly multiplied in great numbers.
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* JoinOrDie: Adar releases Arondir from imprisonment so he could deliver his terms to the Southlanders who took refugee in the Ostirith watchtower: He asks the Elf to inform the Southlanders he will allow them to live if they forsake their claim to the lands and swear fealty to him, otherwise. Episode 6 shows he would have never kept his word, as he used as cannon fodder the very Men who believed his word and joined his side.
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* JoinOrDie: Adar releases Arondir from imprisonment so he could deliver his terms to the Southlanders who took refugee in the Ostirith watchtower: watchtower. He asks the Elf to inform the Southlanders he will allow them to live if they forsake their claim to the lands and swear fealty to him, otherwise.him. Episode 6 shows he would have never kept his word, as he used as cannon fodder the very Men who believed his word and joined his side.
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* HornedHumanoid: Sauron can take many forms, but the mirror vision he shows to Galadriel reveals that his preferred form is the one of a TinTyrant with a horned RageHelm.
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* JoinOrDie: Adar releases Arondir from imprisonment so he could deliver his terms to the Southlanders who took refugee in the Ostirith watchtower: He asks the Elf to inform the Southlanders he will allow them to live if they forsake their claim to the lands and swear fealty to him, otherwise. Episode 6 shows he would have never kept his word, as he used as cannon fodder the very Men who believed his word and joined his side.
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* ColorCodedEyes: Sauron gets a lot of close-ups of his deceptive greenish, hazel eyes.
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* BlackBlood: All the Orcs have it, as usual. Notably, so does Adar, showing that he's also closer to an Orc than an Elf, in spite of external appearances.
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* BlackBlood: AlienBlood: All the Orcs have it, as usual.black blood. Notably, so does Adar, showing that he's also closer to an Orc than an Elf, in spite of external appearances.
* AlienBlood: He bleeds black just like the Orcs do, showing him to be closer to an Orc than an Elf despite external appearances.
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* BlackBlood: He bleeds black just like the Orcs do, showing him to be closer to an Orc than an Elf despite external appearances.
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* CastingGag: Creator/JosephMawle plays again an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette with FacialHorror who got turned from their human form into something else entirely. Are we talking about Adar or [[Series/GameOfThrones or Benjen Stark]]?
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* IntriguedByHumanity: Sauron is awestruck by the beauty of Numenor. He never thought that Men could touch this level of civilization. While he is being walked around Armenelos, he smiles at seeing several children playing, and later he decides he wants to live a simple life as a blacksmith in Numenor.
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* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: After Morgoth's defeat, the Orcs followed Sauron in the far Forodwaith. Sauron too used them as slaves and made abhorrent experiments on them to convey the power of the Seen and Unseen World. He sacrificed countless lives using Dark and blood magic, until one of them, Adar, got tired of the mistreat and killed him. Since then, the Orcs follow Adar, who genuinely cares for them.
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* MonsterLord: Adar is the commandant of the Orcs, but he kept many of his noble Elvish features.
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* PromotedToLoveInterest: In the show, Sauron becomes Galadriel’s Implied LoveInterest, whom she has sexual tension with while he’s disguised as “Halbrand”, and even almost succeeds in seducing her to the dark side during the season finale. In the source material Galadriel has nothing but hostility for him, having personally helped oust him from his abode in Dol Guldur. The concept of the Dark Lord wanting the fair Elven lady was likely burrowed from The Silmarillion, wherein Morgoth had a VillainousCrush on Lúthien.
* TrickAndFollowPloy: Charlie Vickers believes Sauron wounded himself offscreen during the Orodruin's eruption, to make sure that Galadriel brings him in Eregion where he could take advantage of the Elven Smiths and use their knowledge for his own ends.
* UndercoverWhenAlone: Sauron as Halbrand, has many moment where he looks genuinely upset, detached and conflicted whenever he is alone, blurring even more the border between the moments he was deceiving or genuine.
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* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: They wear animal skulls as helmets.
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* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: They wear animal skulls NotAlwaysEvil: The Orcs are the archetypal of AlwaysChaoticEvil race, and they are introduced kidnapping innocent people from the Southlands only to enslave and abuse them. When, Region, Adar and Medhor get kidnapped by the Orcs, they witness them talking with so much respect about their mysterious commander, Revion even makes a point how impossible he finds that the Orcs are capable of reverence. When Adar is finally introduced, he has no choice but to MercyKill a mortally wounded comrade, which the other Orcs mourn.
** Adar brings this ethical and moral problem while being questioned by Galadriel, by pointing out that ashelmets.evil as they may be, they Orcs have same creator as the other races, and same right to life and a place to call home. In the end, is not their fault they were turned into creatures of darkness, who cannot stand in the sun, and left with the only option of taking other People's homelands by force.
** Adar brings this ethical and moral problem while being questioned by Galadriel, by pointing out that as
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* AmbitionIsEvil: Sauron could be the physical embodiment of this trope. Even when he has good intentions, he is going to use the cruelest methods to achieve his goals.
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* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Sauron has a major grudge against Adar for splitting him open, only narrowly being dissuaded from giving him an ImpromptuTracheotomy by Galadriel reminding him that VengeanceFeelsEmpty. Adar, however, has no clue the man in front of him is Sauron is and tries to goad him by speculating what he could've done to make Halbrand hate him so much.
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* FakingTheDead: While the nature of a Maia's death is ambiguous, apparently Adar managed to kill temporary Sauron. Sauron either revived himself or survived the murder attempt, and feeling betrayed, he decided to take a human form and hide himself from everyone.
* FatalFlaw: The lack of self-awareness. His inability to make distinction between healing and remaking what he destroyed in the War of Wrath, and seeking to become a God-Emperor over Middle-earth is what makes Galadriel to reject his offer to become his queen consort, but he doesn't understand the reasoning behind her rejection and leaves in anger.
* FatalFlaw: The lack of self-awareness. His inability to make distinction between healing and remaking what he destroyed in the War of Wrath, and seeking to become a God-Emperor over Middle-earth is what makes Galadriel to reject his offer to become his queen consort, but he doesn't understand the reasoning behind her rejection and leaves in anger.
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* HesBack: Before Galadriel finding him in the middle of the ocean, Sauron was a powerful Maia, right hand of Morgoth. Sometime after the War of Wrath, he spent centuries trying to tap the Power of the Seen and the Unseen world by using Orcs as his lab-rats, with the goal of healing Middle-earth of the destruction he and Morgoth provoked. But he gets betrayed and killed temporary by Adar. When Galadriel finds him, Sauron pretends to be a human, being at his lowest point, having given up whatever plans he had before. But Galadriel's determination to hunt down "Sauron", reawakens in him his desire for power and order. He recovers his strength and confidence and tries once again to obtain the power he wants. By the end of Season 1, he is back to his sadistic and deceiving ways, and makes a SarcasticConfession to Galadriel about how she saved him when he gave up on himself and pushed him to heights that no one did before.
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* {{Irony}}: Unknown to both characters, Sauron, as Halbrand saves Elendil's life, the very man whose blood line will became his bane one day.
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* RedemptionQuest: Sauron tells Galadriel that after Morgoth's defeat, he went on a quest of healing Middle-earth in order to earn the forgiveness of the Valar. [[SubvertedTrope This being Sauron]], his way of healing and reconstructing what he helped destroy, was by making experiments on Orcs that would put to shame any EvilutionaryBiologist.
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* ShapeshifterGuiltTrip: He uses this trick on Galadriel after she proceeds to attack him, and traps her into a MindRape where he takes the form of her brother back when they both lived in Valinor. Galadriel is taken aback to see him alive and falls for the deceit until "Finrod" starts to justify Sauron's deeds.
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* TimeAbyss: Sauron is possibly the oldest being in the show, and he has "been awake since before the breaking of the first silence."
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* TragicVillain: Adar has a MysteriousPast, but there are a few clues about his story. He was once a an Elf from Beleriand, but under unknown circumstances, he was enslaved and turned into an orc by Morgoth, though he still kept most of his Elvish features intact. And later, he possibly served under Sauron, whom he betrayed to save the Orcs from his odious experiments. He spend the next centuries trying to create a home for the Orcs, destroying instead other people's lives in the process.
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* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: When Galadriel con fronts him about his deeds, Sauron claims that he truly wants to save Middle-earth and to atone, which is indeed a noble goal to have even if it's done through extreme means, except what he truly wants is to rule and reshape Middle-earth in his image, making his goal, ultimately, just selfish.
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* VillainHasAPoint: It's hard to disagree with Adar when he says that orcs, no matter how abhorrent their are, have an intrinsic right to exist, or to have a homeland, or that is wrong to dehumanize them and deny they have a soul like any other {{Demihuman}} race on Arda.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: Adar just wants to create a permanent home for the Orcs, so they can leave their underground bases and live on the surface again. To make this happen, though, he enslaved an killed many innocent people and terraformed the Southlands into Mordor.
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* EvilCounterpartRace: The Orcs are corrupted and EnslavedElves, mostly originating from Beleriand. In present, they are Morlocks-like creatures who cannot live under the sun. In contrast to the Elves who lived once in Valinor and still long for the light of the Two Trees, the Orcs had to terraform the Southlands into a place where the sun never gets in for them to thrive.
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* ConvenientlyUnverifiableCoverStory: At some point after the War of Wrath, he takes the identity of Halbrand and tries to atone for all of his wrongdoings in his own way. On the raft, he tells Galadriel that he is from the Southlands, having fled after his homeland got destroyed by the orcs. They both arrive in Numenor where Galadriel learns that Halbrand might be the descendant of a royal line based on a pouch with a bird symbol he owns. She confronts him over it and Sauron does tell her that he found the pouch with the bird on a dead body. On his defense, he warned Galadriel he is not the hero she seeks and he just seeks to be a humble blacksmith. In the end, he gives in Galadriel's insistence and rolls with her belief that he is a king, reenacting his lust for "order". When Galadriel learns of his true identity, she is understandably heartbroken.
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* BraidsOfAction: Galadriel styles her hair in a long thick braid during battles.
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* BraidsOfAction: Galadriel styles her hair in a long thick braid during battles.
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* ZorroMark: Villainous example; he branded Finrod's corpse with his mark.
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* ZorroMark: Villainous example; he branded Finrod's corpse and Adar's face with his mark.
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* OffScreenMomentofAwesome: Managed to kill one of the most powerful beings of Middle-Earth (albeit only temporarily).
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* OffScreenMomentofAwesome: OffScreenMomentOfAwesome: Managed to kill one of the most powerful beings of Middle-Earth (albeit only temporarily).
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"We are creations of the One, Master of the Secret Fire, the aame as you. As worthy of the breath of life and just as worthy of a home. Soon, this land will be ours, then you will understand."'']]
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"We are creations of the One, Master of the Secret Fire, the aame same as you. As worthy of the breath of life and just as worthy of a home. Soon, this land will be ours, then you will understand."'']]
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[[WMG:[[center:[-'''[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Character Page]]'''\\
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Changed line(s) 15,17 (click to see context) from:
'''Sauron:''' A sea that you were on because the elves cast you out. They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few petty soldiers. What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally? When you tell them '''that Sauron lives BECAUSE OF YOU?!'''\\\
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'''Sauron:''' A sea that you were on because the elves cast you out. They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few petty soldiers. What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally? When you tell them '''that '''[[SuddenlyShouting that Sauron lives BECAUSE OF YOU?!'''\\\
YOU?!]]'''\\\
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Changed line(s) 15,16 (click to see context) from:
'''Sauron:''' A sea that you were on because the elves cast you out. They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few petty soldiers. What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally? When you tell them '''that Sauron lives BECAUSE OF YOU?!'''
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'''Sauron:''' A sea that you were on because the elves cast you out. They cast you out for deigning to beg them for a few petty soldiers. What will they do when you tell them that you were my ally? When you tell them '''that Sauron lives BECAUSE OF YOU?!'''
YOU?!'''\\\
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names."'']]
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->''"I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names."''\\\
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'''Galadriel:''' I should have
'''Sauron:''' A sea that
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* AmbiguousSituation: How genuine his attempts at [[RetiredMonster retiring]] for a simple life on Númenor as a blacksmith, seeking redemption, and what, if any, orchestration he had in meeting Galadriel and the events and feelings that unfolded between them were. How much of it was her doing and how much of it was his doing. As a masterful liar and deceiver, even if he is telling the truth about something it is nigh impossible to trust his word.
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* AmbiguousSituation: How genuine his attempts at [[RetiredMonster retiring]] for a simple life on Númenor as a blacksmith, seeking redemption, and what, what - if any, any - orchestration he had in meeting Galadriel and the events and feelings that unfolded between them were. How much of it was her doing and how much of it was his doing. As a masterful liar and deceiver, even if he is telling the truth about something it is nigh impossible to trust his word.
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* TheAtoner: Sauron tells Galadriel that with Morgoth out of the picture, he had a HeelRealization about how BeingEvilSucks and wishes to undo all the damage he caused. Galadriel dismisses him anyway, as he plans to reshape Middle-earth by ruling over it, which hints that he might just be looking for any excuse to become a tyrant.
* BecomingTheMask: Charlie Vickers, Halbrand's actor, states that he believes Sauron was still in his TheAtoner phase when meeting Galadriel, mostly because he "fears the Gods and he fears retribution". Halbrand being Halbrand is then the follow-up to Sauron praying for Eönwë's forgiveness but fleeing before facing the other Valar. On the other hand, he kept his manipulative nature intact.
* BigBad: He's the titular Lord of the Rings, and is the commander of an army of Orcs, trolls, and other monsters who served his former master, Morgoth.
* BecomingTheMask: Charlie Vickers, Halbrand's actor, states that he believes Sauron was still in his TheAtoner phase when meeting Galadriel, mostly because he "fears the Gods and he fears retribution". Halbrand being Halbrand is then the follow-up to Sauron praying for Eönwë's forgiveness but fleeing before facing the other Valar. On the other hand, he kept his manipulative nature intact.
* BigBad: He's the titular Lord of the Rings, and is the commander of an army of Orcs, trolls, and other monsters who served his former master, Morgoth.
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* TheAtoner: Sauron tells Galadriel that with Morgoth out of the picture, he had a HeelRealization about how BeingEvilSucks and wishes to undo all the damage he caused. Galadriel dismisses him anyway, as he plans to reshape Middle-earth by ruling over it, which hints that he might just be looking for any excuse to become a tyrant.
tyrant. That being said, his apology for killing Finrod seems to be genuine.
* BecomingTheMask:Charlie Vickers, Halbrand's actor, actor Charlie Vickers states that he believes Sauron was still in his TheAtoner phase when meeting Galadriel, mostly because he "fears the Gods and he fears retribution". Halbrand being Halbrand is then the follow-up to Sauron praying for Eönwë's forgiveness but fleeing before facing the other Valar. On the other hand, he kept his manipulative nature intact.
* BigBad: He's the titular Lord of the Rings, and is the commander of an army of Orcs, trolls, and other monsters who served his former master, Morgoth. Or rather, he ''was''. When he appears in the flesh, he'd been ousted by Adar and taken human form, now deprived of all the resources that made him an immediate danger. Sauron's BigBad status from then on was built around manipulating everyone around him into helping him ascend to power. By the end of the first series, the elves and the orcs have played right into his hands.
* BecomingTheMask:
* BigBad: He's the titular Lord of the Rings, and is the commander of an army of Orcs, trolls, and other monsters who served his former master, Morgoth. Or rather, he ''was''. When he appears in the flesh, he'd been ousted by Adar and taken human form, now deprived of all the resources that made him an immediate danger. Sauron's BigBad status from then on was built around manipulating everyone around him into helping him ascend to power. By the end of the first series, the elves and the orcs have played right into his hands.
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* BlackKnight: Sauron wears a spiked armor, similar to the one he wears in the cinematic trilogy.
* DevilInPlainSight: Despite all the mystery around him and all the cryptical things Sauron as Halbrand said and did, nobody and especially Galadriel didn't suspect anything until it was too late.
* DarkMessiah: Sauron is a nominal MessianicArchetype who started as a force of good before becoming a FallenAngel, and whose present goal is to establish himself as both the ruler and the savior of Middle-earth, and he invites Galadriel to share this role with him. He claims he just wants to redeem himself by healing Middle-earth and rebuild everything he destroyed under Morgoth, and by that he means conquering Middle-earth and control everything.
* DragonAscendant: He was Morgoth's right-hand man who took over when his master was banished to the Void.
* DevilInPlainSight: Despite all the mystery around him and all the cryptical things Sauron as Halbrand said and did, nobody and especially Galadriel didn't suspect anything until it was too late.
* DarkMessiah: Sauron is a nominal MessianicArchetype who started as a force of good before becoming a FallenAngel, and whose present goal is to establish himself as both the ruler and the savior of Middle-earth, and he invites Galadriel to share this role with him. He claims he just wants to redeem himself by healing Middle-earth and rebuild everything he destroyed under Morgoth, and by that he means conquering Middle-earth and control everything.
* DragonAscendant: He was Morgoth's right-hand man who took over when his master was banished to the Void.
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* BlackKnight: Sauron wears a spiked dark spiky armor, similar to the one suit he wears in the cinematic trilogy.
* DevilInPlainSight: Despite all the mystery around him and all the cryptical thingsSauron as Halbrand he said and did, did as Halbrand, nobody and - especially Galadriel didn't suspect - suspected anything until it was too late.
* DarkMessiah: Sauron is a nominal MessianicArchetype who started as a force of good before becoming a FallenAngel, and whose present goal is to establish himself as both the ruler and the savior of Middle-earth, and he invites Galadriel to share this role with him. He claims he just wants to redeem himself by healing Middle-earth andrebuild rebuilding everything he destroyed under Morgoth, and by that he means conquering Middle-earth and control controlling everything.
* DragonAscendant: He was Morgoth's right-hand man who took over when his master was banished to the Void. Subverted, as by the time he appeared Adar had rebelled against him and left Sauron with nothing.
* DevilInPlainSight: Despite all the mystery around him and all the cryptical things
* DarkMessiah: Sauron is a nominal MessianicArchetype who started as a force of good before becoming a FallenAngel, and whose present goal is to establish himself as both the ruler and the savior of Middle-earth, and he invites Galadriel to share this role with him. He claims he just wants to redeem himself by healing Middle-earth and
* DragonAscendant: He was Morgoth's right-hand man who took over when his master was banished to the Void. Subverted, as by the time he appeared Adar had rebelled against him and left Sauron with nothing.
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* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: As a human, he is a dashing, charming man with PuppyDogEyes, and an [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Aragorn look-alike]], but in the end, he is a FallenAngel, former servant of Morgoth, and someone whose deeds are so horrible that even the Orcs hate him.
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* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: As a human, he is a dashing, charming man with PuppyDogEyes, and an [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Aragorn look-alike]], but look-alike]] to boot. But in the end, end he is a FallenAngel, a former servant of Morgoth, and someone whose deeds are so horrible that even the Orcs hate him.
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* GoodFeelsGood: And twisted when it comes to Sauron. He confides in Galadriel that after Morgoth was defeated, he enjoyed feeling the light of Eru Ilúvatar once again and seeked to become an AscendedDemon. He tries to manipulate Galadriel into joining forces with him because she is his GoodCounterpart and could bind her light to him to rule together Middle-earth and earn the forgiveness of the Valar through her.
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* GoodFeelsGood: And twisted when it comes to Sauron. He confides in Galadriel that after Morgoth was defeated, he enjoyed feeling the light of Eru Ilúvatar once again and seeked sought to become an AscendedDemon. He tries to manipulate Galadriel into joining forces with him because she is his GoodCounterpart and could bind her light to him to rule and together Middle-earth and earn they could rule Middle-earth, earning the forgiveness of the Valar through her.
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* ICanChangeMyBeloved: Sauron attempts to weaponize this against Galadriel by claiming she could prevent him being the DarkLord if they were married. It falls flat when he admits that he still can't understand that saving Middle-earth and ruling over it as a God-King are different.
* IHaveManyNames: When Galadriel demands to tell her his name, Sauron answers that he had many names over time.
* ImmortalRuler: He's been alive since the breaking of the First Silence and his goal is to rule over Middle-earth, bringing order.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Sauron first starts dropping hints about "binding" himself to with Galadriel after watching her kill multiple Orcs, and threatening to torture others, as well as vowing to commit genocide on all Orcs just so Adar can helplessly watch.
* IHaveManyNames: When Galadriel demands to tell her his name, Sauron answers that he had many names over time.
* ImmortalRuler: He's been alive since the breaking of the First Silence and his goal is to rule over Middle-earth, bringing order.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Sauron first starts dropping hints about "binding" himself to with Galadriel after watching her kill multiple Orcs, and threatening to torture others, as well as vowing to commit genocide on all Orcs just so Adar can helplessly watch.
to:
* ICanChangeMyBeloved: Sauron attempts to weaponize this against Galadriel by claiming she could prevent him from being the DarkLord if they were married. It falls flat when he admits that he still can't understand that saving Middle-earth and ruling over it as a God-King are different.
* IHaveManyNames: When Galadriel demands to tell her his name, Sauron answers thathe he's had many names over time.
[[TimeAbyss dating back to the dawn of time]].
* ImmortalRuler: He's been alive since the breaking of the First Silence and his goal is to rule over Middle-earth, bringingorder.an order that would ultimately oppress all living things.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Sauron first starts dropping hints about "binding" himself towith Galadriel after watching her kill multiple Orcs, and threatening to torture others, as well as vowing to commit genocide on all Orcs just so Adar can helplessly watch.
* IHaveManyNames: When Galadriel demands to tell her his name, Sauron answers that
* ImmortalRuler: He's been alive since the breaking of the First Silence and his goal is to rule over Middle-earth, bringing
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Sauron first starts dropping hints about "binding" himself to
->''"My children, we have endured much. We cast off our shackles. Crossed mountain, field, frost, and fallow 'til our feet bloodied the dirt. From Ered Mithrin to the Ephel Arnen, we have endured. Yet tonight, one more trial awaits us. Our enemy may be weak, their numbers meager, yet before this night is through, some of us will fall. But for the first time, you do so not as unnamed slaves in far-away lands, but as brothers. As brothers and sisters in our home! This is the night we reach out the iron hand of the Uruk and close our fist around these lands!"''
-->--'''Adar'''
-->--'''Adar'''
[[caption-width-right:350:''"We are creations of the One, Master of the Secret Fire, the aame as you. As worthy of the breath of life and just as worthy of a home. Soon, this land will be ours, then you will understand."'']]
Changed line(s) 146 (click to see context) from:
* AffablyEvil: Adar's a chieftain of Orcs who treats them with respect. He's also polite and chivalric enough to let Arondir go intact and with his weapons.
to:
* AffablyEvil: Adar's a chieftain of Orcs who treats them with respect. He's also polite and chivalric honorable enough to let Arondir go intact and with his weapons.
Changed line(s) 149 (click to see context) from:
* BlackBlood: He bleeds black, just like the Orcs do, showing him to be closer to an Orc than an Elf despite external appearances.
to:
* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Adar's deeds are cruel, but he's motives are understandable enough and there's little to suggest he would perform any more acts of cruelty after conquering the Southlands. And he just so happens to be the most elvish of the orcs.
* BlackBlood: He bleedsblack, black just like the Orcs do, showing him to be closer to an Orc than an Elf despite external appearances.
* BlackBlood: He bleeds
* EvilVirtues: Ambition (liberate the orcs and create a realm for them), Camraderie (rebelling against Sauron for killing his offspring), Equality (recognises the orcs as just one more race among many).
Changed line(s) 157 (click to see context) from:
* FemmeFatalons: A masculine example. His bare hand's fingernails are long and unkempt.
to:
* FemmeFatalons: A masculine example. His bare hand's fingernails are long and unkempt.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Adar takes on Galadriel's threats and retorts that she sounds just as savage as any of his brethren.
Changed line(s) 173 (click to see context) from:
* RedRightHand: His face is visibly scorched by fire. Considering he wears his armor's glove in only one fist, it's likely the burn extends down to his arm.
to:
* RedRightHand: His face is visibly scorched by fire. Considering he wears his armor's glove in only one fist, it's likely the burn extends down to his arm.
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[[WMG:[[center:[-'''[[Characters/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Main Character Page]]'''\\
[[Characters/RingsOfPowerElves Elves]] | [[Characters/RingsOfPowerMen Men]] | '''Enemies''' | [[Characters/RingsOfPowerOtherBeings Other Beings]]-]]]]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Ainur
[[folder:Sauron]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wpbdj4rf1ts91.jpg]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/CharlieVickers (as Halbrand), Creator/WillFletcher (as Finrod in Galadriel's vision)\\\
->''"I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names."''\\\
Morgoth's successor, a fallen Maia who at first seeks to repent of his wrongs and heal that which he destroyed during his time serving Morgoth.
----
* AmbiguousSituation: How genuine his attempts at [[RetiredMonster retiring]] for a simple life on Númenor as a blacksmith, seeking redemption, and what, if any, orchestration he had in meeting Galadriel and the events and feelings that unfolded between them were. How much of it was her doing and how much of it was his doing. As a masterful liar and deceiver, even if he is telling the truth about something it is nigh impossible to trust his word.
* ArchEnemy: Galadriel clearly considers him to be hers, especially after his murder and branding [[ItsPersonal of her brother Finrod]], considering it her mission in life to track down and destroy him, even refusing the paradise of Valinor to stay behind in Middle-earth to do so. Sauron, by contrast, sees Galadriel as his most valuable potential ally, even wishing her to become his queen and rule by his side.
* TheAtoner: Sauron tells Galadriel that with Morgoth out of the picture, he had a HeelRealization about how BeingEvilSucks and wishes to undo all the damage he caused. Galadriel dismisses him anyway, as he plans to reshape Middle-earth by ruling over it, which hints that he might just be looking for any excuse to become a tyrant.
* BecomingTheMask: Charlie Vickers, Halbrand's actor, states that he believes Sauron was still in his TheAtoner phase when meeting Galadriel, mostly because he "fears the Gods and he fears retribution". Halbrand being Halbrand is then the follow-up to Sauron praying for Eönwë's forgiveness but fleeing before facing the other Valar. On the other hand, he kept his manipulative nature intact.
* BigBad: He's the titular Lord of the Rings, and is the commander of an army of Orcs, trolls, and other monsters who served his former master, Morgoth.
* BadBoss: He performed horrific magical experiments on many of his own Orc followers, eventually to the point where Adar turned against him.
* BlackKnight: Sauron wears a spiked armor, similar to the one he wears in the cinematic trilogy.
* DevilInPlainSight: Despite all the mystery around him and all the cryptical things Sauron as Halbrand said and did, nobody and especially Galadriel didn't suspect anything until it was too late.
* DarkMessiah: Sauron is a nominal MessianicArchetype who started as a force of good before becoming a FallenAngel, and whose present goal is to establish himself as both the ruler and the savior of Middle-earth, and he invites Galadriel to share this role with him. He claims he just wants to redeem himself by healing Middle-earth and rebuild everything he destroyed under Morgoth, and by that he means conquering Middle-earth and control everything.
* DragonAscendant: He was Morgoth's right-hand man who took over when his master was banished to the Void.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He claims that he was released from being evil when Morgoth was defeated. A few sentences later, he fails to understand why Galadriel is trying to draw a distinction between "saving" and ''ruling'' Middle-earth. Sauron doesn't see his own evil because he isn't driven by spite the way his master was; he thinks he's trying to fix everything by making it ''orderly''.
* EvilIsBigger: He towers over the stooped Orcs in his service and is a head taller than most humans even when assuming human form.
* EvilCounterpart: Galadriel calls him the Dark Lord, while Sauron wants Galadriel to be his light.
* EvilMentor:
** For Galadriel, he tries to teach her how to get under people's skin and use their fear against them.
** For Celebrimbor, he shows him how to process the Mithril and the path to obtain the power of the Unseen World.
* EvilSorcerer: Described as such in Galadriel's prologue speech.
* FallenAngel: Much like the Balrog, Sauron is a Maia who was corrupted by Morgoth. Unlike the Balrog, he has apparently maintained a human size.
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: As a human, he is a dashing, charming man with PuppyDogEyes, and an [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Aragorn look-alike]], but in the end, he is a FallenAngel, former servant of Morgoth, and someone whose deeds are so horrible that even the Orcs hate him.
* FightingAShadow: Even as a Maia, his guts will spill just like anyone else's, but killing his physical body is only an inconvenience, as he can just reform a new one, though it may take some time. Adar killed Sauron prior to the start of the series, but he is able to come back in the form of Halbrand.
* GoodFeelsGood: And twisted when it comes to Sauron. He confides in Galadriel that after Morgoth was defeated, he enjoyed feeling the light of Eru Ilúvatar once again and seeked to become an AscendedDemon. He tries to manipulate Galadriel into joining forces with him because she is his GoodCounterpart and could bind her light to him to rule together Middle-earth and earn the forgiveness of the Valar through her.
* HatedByAll: As Adar tells Galadriel, even the Orcs can't stand Sauron due to being treated as pawns in his ambitions.
* HellishPupils: When screaming in rage at Galadriel, his human disguise slips to show he has vertically-slitted pupils.
* HiddenInPlainSight: Initially believed to be either dead or in the process of resurrection, it turns out Sauron has been active this whole time, just adopting a false identity.
* HumanoidAbomination: Sauron is a fallen Maiar who takes a humanoid form, sometimes that of a colossal figure clad in spiky black armor.
* ICanChangeMyBeloved: Sauron attempts to weaponize this against Galadriel by claiming she could prevent him being the DarkLord if they were married. It falls flat when he admits that he still can't understand that saving Middle-earth and ruling over it as a God-King are different.
* IHaveManyNames: When Galadriel demands to tell her his name, Sauron answers that he had many names over time.
* ImmortalRuler: He's been alive since the breaking of the First Silence and his goal is to rule over Middle-earth, bringing order.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Sauron first starts dropping hints about "binding" himself to with Galadriel after watching her kill multiple Orcs, and threatening to torture others, as well as vowing to commit genocide on all Orcs just so Adar can helplessly watch.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Everything Sauron ever did or will do is about Sauron himself. He promptly forgot about Morgoth being trapped in the void, going to beg the Valar for forgiveness. Then he decided to just hide, fearing their retribution. Then he decided to hurt the Uruk so badly in his experiments to "heal Arda" that they decided to betray and kill him. Then he decided he wanted Eru's forgiveness and Galadriel's love, and tortured Galadriel because she dared to refuse him.
* KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: He knows a lot of horrible secrets, but especially about how to obtain the power of the Unseen World, which he is very happy to share with Celebrimbor.
* LoveRedeems: Deconstructed. After developing feelings for Galadriel, Sauron tells her that he will atone for all his crimes if she will be his queen. The implications being that he's holding her responsible for his inevitable lapse back into villainy once she rejects him.
* ManipulativeBastard: And how. He isn't known as The Deceiver for nothing. From the moment he met Galadriel, he manipulated everyone from Numenor to the Southlands.
* MirrorCharacter: Sauron and Galadriel in many ways are almost mirror opposites, Sauron representing darkness and fire where Galadriel represents light and water. There are, however, also many similarities between the two, something which Galadriel becomes increasingly aware of and horrified to realise during the first season. They’re both extremely HotBlooded [[{{Determinator}} Determinators]] who are not above using others to get what they want, and they both have a desire to rule and have influence over others. It’s these qualities that make Sauron see her as worthy of being his queen, as he believes he can see her greatness and her power where her fellow elves can’t.
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf: After transporting Galadriel into an illusory world made of her memories, she sees his reflection in the sea, which looks darker and more intimidating than his current form.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Without his contribution in forging the three rings, [[YourDaysAreNumbered the Elves]] would have had to abandon Middle-earth, and with them, his only organized opposition.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: As Halbrand he saves Elendil's life during the battle at Tirharad, and saves the elves with the knowledge he contributes to forging the rings and keeping them from having to leave for Valinor, not knowing that in the future Elendil will, along with Gil-Galad, ultimately bring about his downfall and the end of the Second Age.
* NotGoodWithRejection: How does Sauron respond to Galadriel's rejection of him? He roars in fury and then traps her in an illusion of her drowning. He also seems to have ''actually'' pushed her into the river because that's where Elrond finds her.
* NotQuiteDead: Adar claims he killed Sauron, except Sauron survived the assassination attempt and took the identity of Halbrand at some point before the current events.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Implied. He doesn't seem able to understand that what he does and strives for is evil, regardless of his possible good intentions.
* OffscreenVillainy: In the first season we are shown his attempts at manipulation and corruption, with most other highlights of his malign long record being told or referenced by other characters.
* PhysicalGod: For now, he has a physical form.
* PersonalityPowers: Befitting his deceiving and manipulative nature, Sauron is a shapeshifter and a MasterOfIllusion.
* PlayingWithSyringes: A magical example. After going into hiding, he delved deep into experiments with the Unseen World that involved sacrificing an uncounted number of orcs to uncover dark secrets hidden even from him.
* PsychologicalProjection: He sees himself in Galadriel, as the dark to her light and vice versa. Galadriel confesses how betrayed she felt by people close to her who could no longer distinguish her from the very dark she was fighting. True to his nature, he is deceiving, but he does empathizes with Galadriel because he felt the same after Morgoth's defeat and Adar's betrayal. He assumes that Galadriel is like him; attracted to his darkness as he is attracted to her light, resulting in him asking her to rule Middle-earth by his side. Sauron gets her attention when he tells her that he's the only one who sees her greatness, when everybody else is doubting her.
* PrettyBoy: Waldreg describes Sauron as being a "beautiful servant" of Morgoth, who shall return one day to rule the Southlands.
* ReformedButRejected: Sauron wants to continue his penance by "healing" Middle-earth, if possible, with Galadriel's help, but she reminds him that no penance could erase the evil he has done. Galadriel almost considers his offer once Sauron shows their future together, but outright rejects him when she realizes that he sees no distinction between saving Middle-earth and ruling it as a god-king.
* RetiredMonster: [[UnreliableNarrator According to himself]], he was originally intending to just lie low in Númenor after his temporary death at Adar’s hand without pursuing any vengeance or planning any evil schemes but Galadriel’s urging and advice reawakened his desire for “order”.
* SatanicArchetype: What he becomes by the end of Season 1, after deceiving everyone. Bonus points for having HellishPupils and Mordor as his lair.
* ShadowArchetype:
** In a sense, Sauron is what Galadriel could become if she would give in her darkest impulses. She is already revengeful, ambitious, not exactly above using people for her own ends, and is hell-bend on committing genocide against the Orcs. Galadriel is capable to recognize she would turn into a tyrant next to Sauron, though he merely wants her to be his Queen.
** Also he's a ShadowArchetype of his very future nemesis, Aragorn. His human identity is built of the same mold Aragorn was built as Strider, appealing to the fantasies of a young elven maiden growing up with the myths of Beren and Tuor fresh in mind. A "lost king" stripped of his royal upbringing and rightful throne from an evil impostor, humble in his looks and gruff in his ways but ultimately noble and good willed, ready to lead his people to salvation. But while Aragorn was the real deal, Halbrand was the impostor all along. And while Aragorn was eager to [[JumpedAtTheCall accept his destiny]], Halbrand [[RefusalOfTheCall kept refusing it until Galadriel snapped him out of his bad mental state]]
* ShapeshiftingTrickster: While he is not shown shapeshifting on screen, is implied anyway that he can take multiple forms. As Halbrand, he acts as an EvilMentor for Galadriel and Celebrimbor for his own ends.
* SoftSpokenSadist: A monstrosity of a being with a smooth voice, and inhumanly creepy.
* SpikesOfVillainy: The form he assumes when taking command of the Orc legion has long spikes jutting out of his head and shoulders.
* TakeOverTheWorld: Well, his plans are to heal and rebuild Middle-earth, though in his case it actually means ruling over the entire realm.
* TinTyrant: Just like in the prologue of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'', Sauron assumes the form of a large humanoid wearing spiky black armour in the prologue of the series, although his set of armour -- from what we can see of it -- is different in this time period.
* {{Troll}}: Sauron must have had a lot of fun faking being a human, making constant {{Sarcastic Confession}}s about his true nature, yet going along with what the people chose to believe about him, deceiving everyone left and right, listening Galadriel recounting him how Sauron killed her brother and than leading him in Valinor.
* UsingYouAllAlong: Galadriel accuses him of deceiving her the whole time and using her to touch his goals. Sauron claims it's the opposite; Galadriel helped him get his mojo back after he had already given up and decided ScrewThisImOuttaHere, and Galadriel's plan was so good that Sauron decided to just roll with it.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Adar claims that after the War of Wrath, Sauron intended to heal Middle-earth's wounds and create a new, perfectly ordered realm. This being Sauron, the process involved a lot of torturous magical experiments on his own subjects.
* VillainousCrush: Sauron wishes to make Galadriel his queen so that together they can heal (and rule) Middle-earth and pleads with her to "bind her light" to him and he will "bind his power" to her. He appears to have manufactured the whole scenario of him (in the form of Halbrand) ending up stranded at sea purely so that he can meet her and gain her trust in order to eventually win her to his side. Galadriel, though seemingly tempted, doesn't give in, [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame clearly being disgusted with his proposal]].
-->'''Sauron:''' All others look on you with doubt... I alone can see your greatness. I alone can see your light.\\
'''Galadriel:''' You would make me a tyrant.\\
'''Sauron:''' [[WeCanRuleTogether I would make you a queen.]] Fair as the sea and the sun. Stronger than the foundations of the earth.\\
'''Galadriel:''' And you... my king? The Dark Lord?\\
'''Sauron:''' No, not dark, not with you at my side. You told me once that we were brought together for a purpose... this is it. You bind me to the light, and I bind you to power. Together we can save this Middle-earth.
* VillainsBlendInBetter: Unlike Galadriel who struggles to accommodate in Numenor, he blends in better among Numenorians and tries to befriend them.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Sauron offers to make Galadriel his Queen, promising her godlike powers if she become the light to his darkness.
* ZorroMark: Villainous example; he branded Finrod's corpse with his mark.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Morgoth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morgoth_in_the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power.jpg]]
%% [[caption-width-right:350:''Black Foe of the World'']]
The first Dark Lord, a fallen Vala who sought to conquer Middle-earth with a horde of monsters.
----
* AncientEvil: Morgoth was the Dark Lord of the First Age, terrorizing Middle-earth thousands of years prior to the events of the series.
* EvilOverlord: Morgoth was an evil Vala who corrupted and killed the Two Trees of Valinor, stole the Silmarils, and waged a war to conquer Middle-earth; corrupting Maiar such as Sauron and the Balrogs, and created the Orcs, trolls, dragons, and other monsters to serve as his army.
* TheGhost: Morgoth doesn't physically appear, though the cloud of darkness that forms when the Trees of Valinor were destroyed resembles a spiky humanoid.
* GodOfEvil: He's the source of all that is wrong with Middle-earth. Sauron states that Morgoth compelled him to commit some of his worst acts, though Sauron's word on the matter isn't very reliable.
* GreaterScopeVillain: He is the cause of pretty much all the evil in the entire Arda/Middle-earth mythology, as it is in the source material. Morgoth developed Orcs, trolls, dragons, and other monsters, corrupted the likes of Sauron and the Balrogs, and instigated a war with the elves that lasted for centuries, with the fallout still being felt two whole ages after he was defeated and sealed away.
* HeelRealization: According to Celebrimbor, when Morgoth gazed into the light of the Silmarils he was moved to tears by their beauty and realized how far he'd fallen... and then [[RedemptionRejection doubled down on being evil]] when he saw his own nightmarish reflection.
* HumanoidAbomination: Morgoth is a god of darkness and evil, and his silhouette -- briefly glimpsed in the scene where he destroys the Trees of Valinor -- is that of a towering humanoid figure [[SpikesOfVillainy covered in spikes]].
* LivingShadow: Morgoth's physical presence is shown in this way during the DistantPrologue. Celebrimbor does allude to him shedding tears at one point, so he's assumed an organic form at least once during his reign.
* SatanicArchetype: He's the Satan analogue of Middle-earth, as a fallen archangel who led a failed rebellion against heaven. Sauron was his right-hand demon. Given Tolkien's strong Catholic faith and his statements that Middle-earth is meant to actually be our own world, but in a lost historical age thousands of years ago, Morgoth is ''literally'' meant to be Satan, just appearing in a different version (it's complicated).
* SealedEvilInACan: After being defeated, Morgoth was banished to the Void, and leadership of his army fell to Sauron.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Balrog]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rop_balrog.jpg]]
A fallen Maia appearing as a demon of flame and shadow, once a servant of Morgoth.
----
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the books, the Balrog was awakened by the dwarves mining too greedily for mithril during the reign of King Durin VI in the Third Age. In the show, it is King Durin III who unwittingly awakens it by dropping an Elven leaf down the chasm containing the un-mined veins of mithril.
* DugTooDeep: In "The Eye", Prince Durin hammers his way into an ancient chasm containing a vast vein of mithril. This proves to have grave consequences, as the bottom of the chasm is the resting place of the dormant Balrog, who awakens when the Elven leaf Elrond brought with him floats its way down into the darkness, landing right in the Balrog's path.
* FallenAngel: Like Sauron, the Balrog was a Maia corrupted by Morgoth, assuming the form of a fiery demon.
* HornedHumanoid: The Balrog is a bulky humanoid demon that sports a pair of thick forward-curving horns.
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Nigh identical to the Balrog (known by the epithet of "Durin's Bane") seen in the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Peter Jackson film trilogy]] (specifically, in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' and ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]''), which is not set in the same continuity. The end of "The Eye" reveals this Balrog to be the same one that will eventually attack the Fellowship in Moria thousands of years later.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: According to an elvish legend, the Balrog -- or at least ''a'' Balrog -- fought an elf-lord for possession of one of the Silmarils, leading to the creation of mithril. That this Balrog sleeps at the root of the mithril veins implies it's the same one.
* WreathedInFlames: The Balrog is shrouded in darkness while it slumbers in the depths of Khazad-dûm, but once awakened it becomes wreathed in flames and appears to be made of living lava.
[[/folder]]
!!Orcs/Uruks
[[folder:Orcs in General]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b25876ee_bce3_4933_8aeb_0e21423c6e9b.jpeg]]
* BlackBlood: All the Orcs have it, as usual. Notably, so does Adar, showing that he's also closer to an Orc than an Elf, in spite of external appearances.
* BlackSpeech: Whilst they mostly speak Cockney-accented English, when carrying the body of the Orc wounded by Arondir, they chant ‘Nampak uglursha’, to mourn their fallen comrade.
* CloakOfDefense: Direct sunlight causes their skin to rapidly burn, so they have to cloak themselves in defensive white cowls and wrappings when venturing above ground. Some high-ranking Orcs sport rubbery cloaks that are seemingly made of the shed skin of large reptiles — which brings up all kind of alarming questions as to what’s shedding such massive sections of skin…
* EvenMooksHaveLovedOnes: They're still expectedly cruel monsters but unlike in most Tolkien adaptations, the Orcs seem to care about each other, even chanting to honor a fallen comrade.
* EvilIsNotWellLit: Their distaste for sunlight means they are usually hanging around in darkness.
* FightingForAHomeland: Episode 6 reveals that their whole plan was to create Mordor by causing a volcanic eruption. The resulting ash would protect them from the sun's rays, allowing them to prosper.
* GenderIsNoObject: While the Orcs seen onscreen may [[LadyLooksLikeADude look like they're all male]], just like they were in the Peter Jackson movies, in his speech Adar addresses his army as "brothers and sisters", so presumably some of them are female.
* MoralMyopia: They're shown as much more cooperative than other Tolkienian depictions, with genuine bonds of fellowship between each other, but view other sentient races as slaves at best or animals to exploit at worst.
* TheMorlocks: The more dangerously primitive Orcs of the Second Age are pale-skinned and shun sunlight, living underground and having to cloak themselves when venturing above ground.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: They wear animal skulls as helmets.
* TragicMonster: The orcs burn in the sunlight, are shunned by the free races and treated like dirt by their masters. One gets the impression that with Sauron out of the picture, they'd have no ambition outside of terraforming the Southlands into a place for them to thrive. Unfortunately, sooner or later [[ForegoneConclusion Sauron will enslave them again and lead them to ruin]].
* WeakenedByTheLight: Direct sunlight greatly bothers them, causing their skin to actually boil, meaning they have to cloak themselves on the surface.
* WhiteAndRedAndEerieAllOver: In contrast to the Peter Jackson portrayal of Orcs, they seem to largely have a very deathly pale complexion with touches of reddish pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Adar]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adar.jpg]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JosephMawle\\\
->''"You have been told many lies. Some run so deep, even the rocks and roots now believe them. To untangle it all... would all but require the creation of a new world. But that is something only the gods can do. And I am no god. At least... Not yet."''\\\
One of the original Uruks who served under Sauron before later betraying him. He has since become the leader of the Orcs of the Southlands as he plots to expand their domain into something greater and more terrible.
----
* AffablyEvil: Adar's a chieftain of Orcs who treats them with respect. He's also polite and chivalric enough to let Arondir go intact and with his weapons.
* AntiVillain: Ultimately all he wants is to give his kin a place to call their own. It's just that he's got no qualms about destroying the lives of innocent people to achieve this goal.
* TheBadGuyWins: With the help of Waldreg, all of Adar's plans to create a home for the Uruk come to fruition. Orodruin erupts, covering the Southlands in smoke and volcanic ashes.
* BlackBlood: He bleeds black, just like the Orcs do, showing him to be closer to an Orc than an Elf despite external appearances.
* BlemishedBeauty: Adar is an intentional example to differentiate him from the other Orcs. He is the most DemiHuman looking Orc in a Tolkien adapted work until now, and his looks are the first clue of their origins. He is a corrupted Elf from Beleriand, and unlike the other Elves who were twisted and turned into Orcs by Morgoth, he kept many of his Elvish good looks intact despite some minor BodyHorror, at worst being an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette.
* CrypticConversation: His chat with Arondir largely consisted of Arondir asking questions and Adar giving the most enigmatic responses possible. He is not particularly forthcoming.
* DarkIsEvil: He has black hair and clothing and is the apparent leader of the Orc horde gathering in the Southlands.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: The palest Elf seen thus far, complete with raven-black hair.
* EvilMakesYouUgly: Adar is not nearly as pleasant-looking as the elves. Even looking past the facial scarring, his features appear quite weathered and malnourished. This was likely a result of his allegiance to Morgoth, though whether it's due to being mutilated or a side-effect of defecting to the dark side isn't made clear.
* FacialHorror: His face is scarred by mysterious circumstances and he looks quite sickly.
* AFatherToHisMen: The corrupted seemingly Elven leader of the Orcs. When mercy-killing a fatally wounded Orc, he shows genuine sadness. 'Adar' actually means 'father' in the Elvish language and they treat him with almost religious reverence. (As it turns out, it's literally true -- he's one of the elves abducted and corrupted by Morgoth in order to spawn the orc race, making them his actual descendants.) Subverted for the men of the Southlands. He rewards Waldreg's loyalty to Sauron with a sucker punch and then prompts him to kill Rowan as a demonstration of his fealty.
* FemmeFatalons: A masculine example. His bare hand's fingernails are long and unkempt.
* GodhoodSeeker: Adar notes it would take the powers of a god to achieve his goals, but he isn't a god... at least, not ''yet''.
* ImmortalRuler: As the progenitor of the Orcs and a corrupted Elf, he has been alive for thousands of years.
* InsistentTerminology: He takes offence to the word "orc", insisting that the monstrous spawn of the elves Morgoth corrupted be called by their proper name, ''Uruk''.
* KillTheGod: He "split Sauron open" at some point after Morgoth's defeat and Finrod's death but before the events of the show, having grown disillusioned with the Dark Lord after watching him sacrifice countless Orcs in his experiments into the Unseen World. At least, that's what he claims.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: His conflict with Sauron is this. Adar is by no means a nice person, willing to destroy the lives of countless humans in order to create a homeland for the orcs and overseeing torture and forced labor; however, he doesn't share Sauron's goals of endless destructive conquest.
* LooksLikeCesare: Adar is pale and gaunt with stringy black hair and dresses in dark attire.
* TheManBehindTheMonsters: He's the leader of the Orcs and physically appears to be a slightly scarred and burned elf.
* MeaningfulName: Adar is a Sindarin word for "father". This is fitting, since he is one of the corrupted elves who were the forebears of the orcs.
* MonsterProgenitor: He's the father of the Orcs currently raiding the Southlands.
* MosesArchetype: Befitting the Christian nature of Tolkien's works where the Evil tries to corrupt the Good, Adar is a dark example of a Moses-like figure. He is a corrupted Elf, acting like a bridge between Elves and Orcs. He sees himself as a father figure to the Orcs, and his mission is to guide and give them a promised land, where they would not be treated as slaves anymore. He successfully turns the Southlands into the hellish-like Mordor with the help of Waldreg, who provokes the eruption of Mt. Doom.
* MysteriousPast: Alludes to having been in Middle-earth since the First Age (or before) and having known the lost continent of Beleriend, but doesn't elaborate. It's eventually revealed that he's one of the elves corrupted by Morgoth, making him [[MonsterProgenitor one of the very first Orcs]].
* OffScreenMomentofAwesome: Managed to kill one of the most powerful beings of Middle-Earth (albeit only temporarily).
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: "Udûn" reveals that Adar is one of the Moriondor, Elves corrupted by Morgoth, making him a first-generation Orc.
* PapaWolf: He considers the orcs his children and he cares a great deal for them, so much so that he actually went as far as to ''kill'' Sauron himself to protect them from his magical experiments. This also means that he has a strong hatred for the dark lord and being mistaken for him is a major BerserkButton.
* RedHerring: Arondir initially suspects him to be Sauron, and the Orcs' reverence of him, along with some of his own dialogue, suggest that this might be the case. However, his angered reaction to Waldreg calling him Sauron while swearing fealty to him indicates that he's someone else altogether, and it's later revealed that he actually ''killed'' Sauron, albeit temporarily.
* RedRightHand: His face is visibly scorched by fire. Considering he wears his armor's glove in only one fist, it's likely the burn extends down to his arm.
* ShadowArchetype: To Gil-galad, which is reflected in their breastplates having the same design, with Adar's being black instead of gold. Both view other races as a means towards preserving their own, though Gil-galad will try to maintain at least a veneer of diplomacy while Adar turns to slavery and murder.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Adar is very calm and soft-spoken despite the visceral horror he's overseeing. He speaks almost in a whisper.
* SpikesOfVillainy: He wears a spiked black gauntlet, reminiscent of Sauron's armour.
* TheStarscream: In "Udûn", he reveals that he got fed up with Sauron sacrificing Orcs to experiment with dark magic, and slew the dark Maia -- or at least Sauron's physical form -- before leading his troops to claim the Southlands as their own.
* VillainousCheekbones: He has almost inhumanly prominent cheekbones that give his face an almost skeletal flair.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Digger Orc]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tirharadorc.png]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Nathan Mennis\\\
A terrifying, primitive being who tunnels into Bronwyn and Theo's home.
----
* ImplacableMan: It takes a full beheading to put him down for good, this after being slashed, cut, impaled and hit by several blunt force objects.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: A standard mook but, since the people he's attacking are ill-equipped peasants, he becomes a legitimately dangerous threat and is only ''barely'' taken out by the skin of their teeth.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: The digger Orc is a ''far'' more menacing presence than the rabble of cockney-accented {{Mooks}} from the cinematic trilogies, and is more akin to something straight out of a FolkHorror work or SlasherMovie. It makes sense in context, as this is the Second Age, not the Third, and any remaining Orcs are closer to the original ones Morgoth transformed from elves than the ones bred by Sauron in Mordor or Saruman's pointedly part-human Uruk-Hai.
* NothingIsScarier: Theo complains of the "mice" under the floorboards keeping him awake with their scratching and scraping. Turns out it was this terrifying thing all along, lurking literally inches from him and his mother -- possibly for ''months'' as it tunnelled under their house.
* OffWithHisHead: After Theo manages to stagger it by lassoing its throat, Bronwyn sees an opening and hacks off its head, which she presents to the gobsmacked townsfolk in the tavern.
* PortentOfDoom: Orcs and their kind haven't been seen in the Southlands for years and most had assigned them an almost mythological status. The singular Orc that tunnels into Bronwyn's house is a clear indicator that an old evil is back, and leaching into previously safe communities.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: It was likely drawn to the presence of the ominous weapon Theo had discovered -- even from a great distance -- and targeted his home to seek it out.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: It sports a large animal skull, which initially hides its features and adds to its terrifying appearance.
* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: Literally -- the Orc's tunneling had kept Theo awake for weeks, and when it does make an appearance, it rises out of a hole in the floor, huge claws clacking, like a medieval Bogeyman.
* TunnelKing: With its long, black fingers and claw-like nails, it had tunneled between Hordern and Tirharad -- no mean feat considering the distances involved.
* WolverineClaws: Orcs in the cinematic trilogies do sport long, dirty fingernails, but this Orc has very large clawed hands, which adds to its menace.
[[/folder]]
!!Others
[[folder:Slaver Warg]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thewarg_4.jpg]]
A vicious beast used by the tunneler Orcs to keep their prisoners in line.
----
* AdaptationalUgliness: It’s by far the ugliest live-action version of a warg to date, looking more like a bug-eyed pug than a wolf or hyena, as per previous adaptions.
* AnimalsLackAttributes: Averted. The warg has some rather prominent teats on its underbelly, indicating that this individual may be a female.
* BewareOfViciousDog: It's a mad beast, with crazed bulging eyes and is far more out of control and rabid than previously-seen Warg species, hurling itself into combat with no thought for its own safety.
* {{Gonk}}: It stands out in comparison to the more wolflike wargs who chase after the Harfoots, having a scrawny body with bulbous features and patchy fur.
* MisterMuffykins: Whether intentional or not, the warg has a definite pug-like overtone, especially with its mad bulging eyes, and evokes a lap dog gone batshit crazy.
* MixAndMatchCritter: It's a bizarre and disturbing cross between a hyena and a ''pug'', complete with huge, bulging eyes.
* RightHandAttackDog: When their tunnel-digging Elven prisoners revolt, the Orcs are hampered by their inability to fight well in sunlight, and so release this beast to crush the uprising.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Dweller, The Nomad and The Ascetic]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thedweller.jpg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Bridie Sisson (The Dweller), Edith Poor (The Nomad) and Kali Kopae (The Ascetic)\\\
A group of mysterious worshippers of Sauron hailing from the far off land of Rhûn.
----
* AllThereInTheManual: Their names are only given in the credits. Also, their group is collectively referred to as "The Mystics" by the showrunners, but this term is also never used in the show itself.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: Their exact nature is never made entirely explicit, though the episode trivia entries make mention of humans who have learned to wield dark sorcery, indicating that these three may be mortals who have given up their humanity in exchange for such power.
* ArcVillain: They serve as the main antagonists of the Harfoot/Stranger storyline in Season 1, before being, presumably, atomised by The Stranger's HolyHandGrenade powers at the end of the season.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Dweller has MysticalWhiteHair, The Nomad has red hair, and the Ascetic is a brunette.
* BoyishShortHair: The Dweller sports a buzzcut, which led some viewers to assume she was a man and that she was Sauron's Annatar form when she first appeared in the trailers.
* BreathWeapon: As well as exhibiting an affinity for fire, The Dweller is able to breathe some sort of incapacitating smoke, which she uses to great effect when subduing The Stranger.
* CreepyBlueEyes: The Dweller has unsettlingly pale blue eyes, and is a wielder of powerful magic.
* DeviousDaggers: While The Dweller uses fire magic, The Nomad's weapon of choice is throwing knives.
* EvilIsPetty: The Dweller's decision to burn the Harfoot caravans is needlessly cruel.
* EvilSorcerer: The Dweller in particular is able to wield potent magic, and all three are obviously malicious.
* GlamorFailure: Having their magic deflected back at them reveals their true forms as mummified spirits.
* LightIsNotGood: They have pallid skin with white robes and are openly hostile to anyone who isn't Sauron.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Believing The Stranger to be an amnesiac Sauron, they try to restore his memories so he can begin his conquest of Middle-earth. However, it turns out that he’s an Istari who was specifically sent to ''oppose'' their master and ends up being instrumental in his destruction centuries later, with their meddling restoring enough of his memories to send him on that path.
* NotEvenHuman: When the Stranger uses his power to dispel them, their true form is revealed to really be undead wraith-like creatures.
* PlayingWithFire: The Dweller displays an affinity for fire magic, and is able to hold flame in her hands before blowing it about her in devastating blasts.
* SkullForAHead: In their Wraith forms, The Dweller and The Ascetic have exposed skulls for faces, while The Nomad merely has a desiccated and wizened but otherwise fleshy appearance.
* TheVoiceless: The Dweller never says a word throughout the entirety of the first season.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: When The Nomad and The Ascetic speak, their voices are often distorted by a whispering or echoing effect.
* TheWeirdSisters: A trio of ambiguously aged, mysterious women capable of wielding magic, and hunting for The Stranger.
[[/folder]]
----
[[Characters/RingsOfPowerElves Elves]] | [[Characters/RingsOfPowerMen Men]] | '''Enemies''' | [[Characters/RingsOfPowerOtherBeings Other Beings]]-]]]]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Ainur
[[folder:Sauron]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wpbdj4rf1ts91.jpg]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/CharlieVickers (as Halbrand), Creator/WillFletcher (as Finrod in Galadriel's vision)\\\
->''"I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. In that time, I have had many names."''\\\
Morgoth's successor, a fallen Maia who at first seeks to repent of his wrongs and heal that which he destroyed during his time serving Morgoth.
----
* AmbiguousSituation: How genuine his attempts at [[RetiredMonster retiring]] for a simple life on Númenor as a blacksmith, seeking redemption, and what, if any, orchestration he had in meeting Galadriel and the events and feelings that unfolded between them were. How much of it was her doing and how much of it was his doing. As a masterful liar and deceiver, even if he is telling the truth about something it is nigh impossible to trust his word.
* ArchEnemy: Galadriel clearly considers him to be hers, especially after his murder and branding [[ItsPersonal of her brother Finrod]], considering it her mission in life to track down and destroy him, even refusing the paradise of Valinor to stay behind in Middle-earth to do so. Sauron, by contrast, sees Galadriel as his most valuable potential ally, even wishing her to become his queen and rule by his side.
* TheAtoner: Sauron tells Galadriel that with Morgoth out of the picture, he had a HeelRealization about how BeingEvilSucks and wishes to undo all the damage he caused. Galadriel dismisses him anyway, as he plans to reshape Middle-earth by ruling over it, which hints that he might just be looking for any excuse to become a tyrant.
* BecomingTheMask: Charlie Vickers, Halbrand's actor, states that he believes Sauron was still in his TheAtoner phase when meeting Galadriel, mostly because he "fears the Gods and he fears retribution". Halbrand being Halbrand is then the follow-up to Sauron praying for Eönwë's forgiveness but fleeing before facing the other Valar. On the other hand, he kept his manipulative nature intact.
* BigBad: He's the titular Lord of the Rings, and is the commander of an army of Orcs, trolls, and other monsters who served his former master, Morgoth.
* BadBoss: He performed horrific magical experiments on many of his own Orc followers, eventually to the point where Adar turned against him.
* BlackKnight: Sauron wears a spiked armor, similar to the one he wears in the cinematic trilogy.
* DevilInPlainSight: Despite all the mystery around him and all the cryptical things Sauron as Halbrand said and did, nobody and especially Galadriel didn't suspect anything until it was too late.
* DarkMessiah: Sauron is a nominal MessianicArchetype who started as a force of good before becoming a FallenAngel, and whose present goal is to establish himself as both the ruler and the savior of Middle-earth, and he invites Galadriel to share this role with him. He claims he just wants to redeem himself by healing Middle-earth and rebuild everything he destroyed under Morgoth, and by that he means conquering Middle-earth and control everything.
* DragonAscendant: He was Morgoth's right-hand man who took over when his master was banished to the Void.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He claims that he was released from being evil when Morgoth was defeated. A few sentences later, he fails to understand why Galadriel is trying to draw a distinction between "saving" and ''ruling'' Middle-earth. Sauron doesn't see his own evil because he isn't driven by spite the way his master was; he thinks he's trying to fix everything by making it ''orderly''.
* EvilIsBigger: He towers over the stooped Orcs in his service and is a head taller than most humans even when assuming human form.
* EvilCounterpart: Galadriel calls him the Dark Lord, while Sauron wants Galadriel to be his light.
* EvilMentor:
** For Galadriel, he tries to teach her how to get under people's skin and use their fear against them.
** For Celebrimbor, he shows him how to process the Mithril and the path to obtain the power of the Unseen World.
* EvilSorcerer: Described as such in Galadriel's prologue speech.
* FallenAngel: Much like the Balrog, Sauron is a Maia who was corrupted by Morgoth. Unlike the Balrog, he has apparently maintained a human size.
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: As a human, he is a dashing, charming man with PuppyDogEyes, and an [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Aragorn look-alike]], but in the end, he is a FallenAngel, former servant of Morgoth, and someone whose deeds are so horrible that even the Orcs hate him.
* FightingAShadow: Even as a Maia, his guts will spill just like anyone else's, but killing his physical body is only an inconvenience, as he can just reform a new one, though it may take some time. Adar killed Sauron prior to the start of the series, but he is able to come back in the form of Halbrand.
* GoodFeelsGood: And twisted when it comes to Sauron. He confides in Galadriel that after Morgoth was defeated, he enjoyed feeling the light of Eru Ilúvatar once again and seeked to become an AscendedDemon. He tries to manipulate Galadriel into joining forces with him because she is his GoodCounterpart and could bind her light to him to rule together Middle-earth and earn the forgiveness of the Valar through her.
* HatedByAll: As Adar tells Galadriel, even the Orcs can't stand Sauron due to being treated as pawns in his ambitions.
* HellishPupils: When screaming in rage at Galadriel, his human disguise slips to show he has vertically-slitted pupils.
* HiddenInPlainSight: Initially believed to be either dead or in the process of resurrection, it turns out Sauron has been active this whole time, just adopting a false identity.
* HumanoidAbomination: Sauron is a fallen Maiar who takes a humanoid form, sometimes that of a colossal figure clad in spiky black armor.
* ICanChangeMyBeloved: Sauron attempts to weaponize this against Galadriel by claiming she could prevent him being the DarkLord if they were married. It falls flat when he admits that he still can't understand that saving Middle-earth and ruling over it as a God-King are different.
* IHaveManyNames: When Galadriel demands to tell her his name, Sauron answers that he had many names over time.
* ImmortalRuler: He's been alive since the breaking of the First Silence and his goal is to rule over Middle-earth, bringing order.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Sauron first starts dropping hints about "binding" himself to with Galadriel after watching her kill multiple Orcs, and threatening to torture others, as well as vowing to commit genocide on all Orcs just so Adar can helplessly watch.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Everything Sauron ever did or will do is about Sauron himself. He promptly forgot about Morgoth being trapped in the void, going to beg the Valar for forgiveness. Then he decided to just hide, fearing their retribution. Then he decided to hurt the Uruk so badly in his experiments to "heal Arda" that they decided to betray and kill him. Then he decided he wanted Eru's forgiveness and Galadriel's love, and tortured Galadriel because she dared to refuse him.
* KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge: He knows a lot of horrible secrets, but especially about how to obtain the power of the Unseen World, which he is very happy to share with Celebrimbor.
* LoveRedeems: Deconstructed. After developing feelings for Galadriel, Sauron tells her that he will atone for all his crimes if she will be his queen. The implications being that he's holding her responsible for his inevitable lapse back into villainy once she rejects him.
* ManipulativeBastard: And how. He isn't known as The Deceiver for nothing. From the moment he met Galadriel, he manipulated everyone from Numenor to the Southlands.
* MirrorCharacter: Sauron and Galadriel in many ways are almost mirror opposites, Sauron representing darkness and fire where Galadriel represents light and water. There are, however, also many similarities between the two, something which Galadriel becomes increasingly aware of and horrified to realise during the first season. They’re both extremely HotBlooded [[{{Determinator}} Determinators]] who are not above using others to get what they want, and they both have a desire to rule and have influence over others. It’s these qualities that make Sauron see her as worthy of being his queen, as he believes he can see her greatness and her power where her fellow elves can’t.
* TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf: After transporting Galadriel into an illusory world made of her memories, she sees his reflection in the sea, which looks darker and more intimidating than his current form.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Without his contribution in forging the three rings, [[YourDaysAreNumbered the Elves]] would have had to abandon Middle-earth, and with them, his only organized opposition.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: As Halbrand he saves Elendil's life during the battle at Tirharad, and saves the elves with the knowledge he contributes to forging the rings and keeping them from having to leave for Valinor, not knowing that in the future Elendil will, along with Gil-Galad, ultimately bring about his downfall and the end of the Second Age.
* NotGoodWithRejection: How does Sauron respond to Galadriel's rejection of him? He roars in fury and then traps her in an illusion of her drowning. He also seems to have ''actually'' pushed her into the river because that's where Elrond finds her.
* NotQuiteDead: Adar claims he killed Sauron, except Sauron survived the assassination attempt and took the identity of Halbrand at some point before the current events.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Implied. He doesn't seem able to understand that what he does and strives for is evil, regardless of his possible good intentions.
* OffscreenVillainy: In the first season we are shown his attempts at manipulation and corruption, with most other highlights of his malign long record being told or referenced by other characters.
* PhysicalGod: For now, he has a physical form.
* PersonalityPowers: Befitting his deceiving and manipulative nature, Sauron is a shapeshifter and a MasterOfIllusion.
* PlayingWithSyringes: A magical example. After going into hiding, he delved deep into experiments with the Unseen World that involved sacrificing an uncounted number of orcs to uncover dark secrets hidden even from him.
* PsychologicalProjection: He sees himself in Galadriel, as the dark to her light and vice versa. Galadriel confesses how betrayed she felt by people close to her who could no longer distinguish her from the very dark she was fighting. True to his nature, he is deceiving, but he does empathizes with Galadriel because he felt the same after Morgoth's defeat and Adar's betrayal. He assumes that Galadriel is like him; attracted to his darkness as he is attracted to her light, resulting in him asking her to rule Middle-earth by his side. Sauron gets her attention when he tells her that he's the only one who sees her greatness, when everybody else is doubting her.
* PrettyBoy: Waldreg describes Sauron as being a "beautiful servant" of Morgoth, who shall return one day to rule the Southlands.
* ReformedButRejected: Sauron wants to continue his penance by "healing" Middle-earth, if possible, with Galadriel's help, but she reminds him that no penance could erase the evil he has done. Galadriel almost considers his offer once Sauron shows their future together, but outright rejects him when she realizes that he sees no distinction between saving Middle-earth and ruling it as a god-king.
* RetiredMonster: [[UnreliableNarrator According to himself]], he was originally intending to just lie low in Númenor after his temporary death at Adar’s hand without pursuing any vengeance or planning any evil schemes but Galadriel’s urging and advice reawakened his desire for “order”.
* SatanicArchetype: What he becomes by the end of Season 1, after deceiving everyone. Bonus points for having HellishPupils and Mordor as his lair.
* ShadowArchetype:
** In a sense, Sauron is what Galadriel could become if she would give in her darkest impulses. She is already revengeful, ambitious, not exactly above using people for her own ends, and is hell-bend on committing genocide against the Orcs. Galadriel is capable to recognize she would turn into a tyrant next to Sauron, though he merely wants her to be his Queen.
** Also he's a ShadowArchetype of his very future nemesis, Aragorn. His human identity is built of the same mold Aragorn was built as Strider, appealing to the fantasies of a young elven maiden growing up with the myths of Beren and Tuor fresh in mind. A "lost king" stripped of his royal upbringing and rightful throne from an evil impostor, humble in his looks and gruff in his ways but ultimately noble and good willed, ready to lead his people to salvation. But while Aragorn was the real deal, Halbrand was the impostor all along. And while Aragorn was eager to [[JumpedAtTheCall accept his destiny]], Halbrand [[RefusalOfTheCall kept refusing it until Galadriel snapped him out of his bad mental state]]
* ShapeshiftingTrickster: While he is not shown shapeshifting on screen, is implied anyway that he can take multiple forms. As Halbrand, he acts as an EvilMentor for Galadriel and Celebrimbor for his own ends.
* SoftSpokenSadist: A monstrosity of a being with a smooth voice, and inhumanly creepy.
* SpikesOfVillainy: The form he assumes when taking command of the Orc legion has long spikes jutting out of his head and shoulders.
* TakeOverTheWorld: Well, his plans are to heal and rebuild Middle-earth, though in his case it actually means ruling over the entire realm.
* TinTyrant: Just like in the prologue of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing'', Sauron assumes the form of a large humanoid wearing spiky black armour in the prologue of the series, although his set of armour -- from what we can see of it -- is different in this time period.
* {{Troll}}: Sauron must have had a lot of fun faking being a human, making constant {{Sarcastic Confession}}s about his true nature, yet going along with what the people chose to believe about him, deceiving everyone left and right, listening Galadriel recounting him how Sauron killed her brother and than leading him in Valinor.
* UsingYouAllAlong: Galadriel accuses him of deceiving her the whole time and using her to touch his goals. Sauron claims it's the opposite; Galadriel helped him get his mojo back after he had already given up and decided ScrewThisImOuttaHere, and Galadriel's plan was so good that Sauron decided to just roll with it.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: Adar claims that after the War of Wrath, Sauron intended to heal Middle-earth's wounds and create a new, perfectly ordered realm. This being Sauron, the process involved a lot of torturous magical experiments on his own subjects.
* VillainousCrush: Sauron wishes to make Galadriel his queen so that together they can heal (and rule) Middle-earth and pleads with her to "bind her light" to him and he will "bind his power" to her. He appears to have manufactured the whole scenario of him (in the form of Halbrand) ending up stranded at sea purely so that he can meet her and gain her trust in order to eventually win her to his side. Galadriel, though seemingly tempted, doesn't give in, [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame clearly being disgusted with his proposal]].
-->'''Sauron:''' All others look on you with doubt... I alone can see your greatness. I alone can see your light.\\
'''Galadriel:''' You would make me a tyrant.\\
'''Sauron:''' [[WeCanRuleTogether I would make you a queen.]] Fair as the sea and the sun. Stronger than the foundations of the earth.\\
'''Galadriel:''' And you... my king? The Dark Lord?\\
'''Sauron:''' No, not dark, not with you at my side. You told me once that we were brought together for a purpose... this is it. You bind me to the light, and I bind you to power. Together we can save this Middle-earth.
* VillainsBlendInBetter: Unlike Galadriel who struggles to accommodate in Numenor, he blends in better among Numenorians and tries to befriend them.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Sauron offers to make Galadriel his Queen, promising her godlike powers if she become the light to his darkness.
* ZorroMark: Villainous example; he branded Finrod's corpse with his mark.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Morgoth]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morgoth_in_the_lord_of_the_rings_the_rings_of_power.jpg]]
%% [[caption-width-right:350:''Black Foe of the World'']]
The first Dark Lord, a fallen Vala who sought to conquer Middle-earth with a horde of monsters.
----
* AncientEvil: Morgoth was the Dark Lord of the First Age, terrorizing Middle-earth thousands of years prior to the events of the series.
* EvilOverlord: Morgoth was an evil Vala who corrupted and killed the Two Trees of Valinor, stole the Silmarils, and waged a war to conquer Middle-earth; corrupting Maiar such as Sauron and the Balrogs, and created the Orcs, trolls, dragons, and other monsters to serve as his army.
* TheGhost: Morgoth doesn't physically appear, though the cloud of darkness that forms when the Trees of Valinor were destroyed resembles a spiky humanoid.
* GodOfEvil: He's the source of all that is wrong with Middle-earth. Sauron states that Morgoth compelled him to commit some of his worst acts, though Sauron's word on the matter isn't very reliable.
* GreaterScopeVillain: He is the cause of pretty much all the evil in the entire Arda/Middle-earth mythology, as it is in the source material. Morgoth developed Orcs, trolls, dragons, and other monsters, corrupted the likes of Sauron and the Balrogs, and instigated a war with the elves that lasted for centuries, with the fallout still being felt two whole ages after he was defeated and sealed away.
* HeelRealization: According to Celebrimbor, when Morgoth gazed into the light of the Silmarils he was moved to tears by their beauty and realized how far he'd fallen... and then [[RedemptionRejection doubled down on being evil]] when he saw his own nightmarish reflection.
* HumanoidAbomination: Morgoth is a god of darkness and evil, and his silhouette -- briefly glimpsed in the scene where he destroys the Trees of Valinor -- is that of a towering humanoid figure [[SpikesOfVillainy covered in spikes]].
* LivingShadow: Morgoth's physical presence is shown in this way during the DistantPrologue. Celebrimbor does allude to him shedding tears at one point, so he's assumed an organic form at least once during his reign.
* SatanicArchetype: He's the Satan analogue of Middle-earth, as a fallen archangel who led a failed rebellion against heaven. Sauron was his right-hand demon. Given Tolkien's strong Catholic faith and his statements that Middle-earth is meant to actually be our own world, but in a lost historical age thousands of years ago, Morgoth is ''literally'' meant to be Satan, just appearing in a different version (it's complicated).
* SealedEvilInACan: After being defeated, Morgoth was banished to the Void, and leadership of his army fell to Sauron.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Balrog]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rop_balrog.jpg]]
A fallen Maia appearing as a demon of flame and shadow, once a servant of Morgoth.
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* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the books, the Balrog was awakened by the dwarves mining too greedily for mithril during the reign of King Durin VI in the Third Age. In the show, it is King Durin III who unwittingly awakens it by dropping an Elven leaf down the chasm containing the un-mined veins of mithril.
* DugTooDeep: In "The Eye", Prince Durin hammers his way into an ancient chasm containing a vast vein of mithril. This proves to have grave consequences, as the bottom of the chasm is the resting place of the dormant Balrog, who awakens when the Elven leaf Elrond brought with him floats its way down into the darkness, landing right in the Balrog's path.
* FallenAngel: Like Sauron, the Balrog was a Maia corrupted by Morgoth, assuming the form of a fiery demon.
* HornedHumanoid: The Balrog is a bulky humanoid demon that sports a pair of thick forward-curving horns.
* ReusedCharacterDesign: Nigh identical to the Balrog (known by the epithet of "Durin's Bane") seen in the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Peter Jackson film trilogy]] (specifically, in ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' and ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers The Two Towers]]''), which is not set in the same continuity. The end of "The Eye" reveals this Balrog to be the same one that will eventually attack the Fellowship in Moria thousands of years later.
* VillainOfAnotherStory: According to an elvish legend, the Balrog -- or at least ''a'' Balrog -- fought an elf-lord for possession of one of the Silmarils, leading to the creation of mithril. That this Balrog sleeps at the root of the mithril veins implies it's the same one.
* WreathedInFlames: The Balrog is shrouded in darkness while it slumbers in the depths of Khazad-dûm, but once awakened it becomes wreathed in flames and appears to be made of living lava.
[[/folder]]
!!Orcs/Uruks
[[folder:Orcs in General]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b25876ee_bce3_4933_8aeb_0e21423c6e9b.jpeg]]
* BlackBlood: All the Orcs have it, as usual. Notably, so does Adar, showing that he's also closer to an Orc than an Elf, in spite of external appearances.
* BlackSpeech: Whilst they mostly speak Cockney-accented English, when carrying the body of the Orc wounded by Arondir, they chant ‘Nampak uglursha’, to mourn their fallen comrade.
* CloakOfDefense: Direct sunlight causes their skin to rapidly burn, so they have to cloak themselves in defensive white cowls and wrappings when venturing above ground. Some high-ranking Orcs sport rubbery cloaks that are seemingly made of the shed skin of large reptiles — which brings up all kind of alarming questions as to what’s shedding such massive sections of skin…
* EvenMooksHaveLovedOnes: They're still expectedly cruel monsters but unlike in most Tolkien adaptations, the Orcs seem to care about each other, even chanting to honor a fallen comrade.
* EvilIsNotWellLit: Their distaste for sunlight means they are usually hanging around in darkness.
* FightingForAHomeland: Episode 6 reveals that their whole plan was to create Mordor by causing a volcanic eruption. The resulting ash would protect them from the sun's rays, allowing them to prosper.
* GenderIsNoObject: While the Orcs seen onscreen may [[LadyLooksLikeADude look like they're all male]], just like they were in the Peter Jackson movies, in his speech Adar addresses his army as "brothers and sisters", so presumably some of them are female.
* MoralMyopia: They're shown as much more cooperative than other Tolkienian depictions, with genuine bonds of fellowship between each other, but view other sentient races as slaves at best or animals to exploit at worst.
* TheMorlocks: The more dangerously primitive Orcs of the Second Age are pale-skinned and shun sunlight, living underground and having to cloak themselves when venturing above ground.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: They wear animal skulls as helmets.
* TragicMonster: The orcs burn in the sunlight, are shunned by the free races and treated like dirt by their masters. One gets the impression that with Sauron out of the picture, they'd have no ambition outside of terraforming the Southlands into a place for them to thrive. Unfortunately, sooner or later [[ForegoneConclusion Sauron will enslave them again and lead them to ruin]].
* WeakenedByTheLight: Direct sunlight greatly bothers them, causing their skin to actually boil, meaning they have to cloak themselves on the surface.
* WhiteAndRedAndEerieAllOver: In contrast to the Peter Jackson portrayal of Orcs, they seem to largely have a very deathly pale complexion with touches of reddish pink.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Adar]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adar.jpg]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JosephMawle\\\
->''"You have been told many lies. Some run so deep, even the rocks and roots now believe them. To untangle it all... would all but require the creation of a new world. But that is something only the gods can do. And I am no god. At least... Not yet."''\\\
One of the original Uruks who served under Sauron before later betraying him. He has since become the leader of the Orcs of the Southlands as he plots to expand their domain into something greater and more terrible.
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* AffablyEvil: Adar's a chieftain of Orcs who treats them with respect. He's also polite and chivalric enough to let Arondir go intact and with his weapons.
* AntiVillain: Ultimately all he wants is to give his kin a place to call their own. It's just that he's got no qualms about destroying the lives of innocent people to achieve this goal.
* TheBadGuyWins: With the help of Waldreg, all of Adar's plans to create a home for the Uruk come to fruition. Orodruin erupts, covering the Southlands in smoke and volcanic ashes.
* BlackBlood: He bleeds black, just like the Orcs do, showing him to be closer to an Orc than an Elf despite external appearances.
* BlemishedBeauty: Adar is an intentional example to differentiate him from the other Orcs. He is the most DemiHuman looking Orc in a Tolkien adapted work until now, and his looks are the first clue of their origins. He is a corrupted Elf from Beleriand, and unlike the other Elves who were twisted and turned into Orcs by Morgoth, he kept many of his Elvish good looks intact despite some minor BodyHorror, at worst being an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette.
* CrypticConversation: His chat with Arondir largely consisted of Arondir asking questions and Adar giving the most enigmatic responses possible. He is not particularly forthcoming.
* DarkIsEvil: He has black hair and clothing and is the apparent leader of the Orc horde gathering in the Southlands.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: The palest Elf seen thus far, complete with raven-black hair.
* EvilMakesYouUgly: Adar is not nearly as pleasant-looking as the elves. Even looking past the facial scarring, his features appear quite weathered and malnourished. This was likely a result of his allegiance to Morgoth, though whether it's due to being mutilated or a side-effect of defecting to the dark side isn't made clear.
* FacialHorror: His face is scarred by mysterious circumstances and he looks quite sickly.
* AFatherToHisMen: The corrupted seemingly Elven leader of the Orcs. When mercy-killing a fatally wounded Orc, he shows genuine sadness. 'Adar' actually means 'father' in the Elvish language and they treat him with almost religious reverence. (As it turns out, it's literally true -- he's one of the elves abducted and corrupted by Morgoth in order to spawn the orc race, making them his actual descendants.) Subverted for the men of the Southlands. He rewards Waldreg's loyalty to Sauron with a sucker punch and then prompts him to kill Rowan as a demonstration of his fealty.
* FemmeFatalons: A masculine example. His bare hand's fingernails are long and unkempt.
* GodhoodSeeker: Adar notes it would take the powers of a god to achieve his goals, but he isn't a god... at least, not ''yet''.
* ImmortalRuler: As the progenitor of the Orcs and a corrupted Elf, he has been alive for thousands of years.
* InsistentTerminology: He takes offence to the word "orc", insisting that the monstrous spawn of the elves Morgoth corrupted be called by their proper name, ''Uruk''.
* KillTheGod: He "split Sauron open" at some point after Morgoth's defeat and Finrod's death but before the events of the show, having grown disillusioned with the Dark Lord after watching him sacrifice countless Orcs in his experiments into the Unseen World. At least, that's what he claims.
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: His conflict with Sauron is this. Adar is by no means a nice person, willing to destroy the lives of countless humans in order to create a homeland for the orcs and overseeing torture and forced labor; however, he doesn't share Sauron's goals of endless destructive conquest.
* LooksLikeCesare: Adar is pale and gaunt with stringy black hair and dresses in dark attire.
* TheManBehindTheMonsters: He's the leader of the Orcs and physically appears to be a slightly scarred and burned elf.
* MeaningfulName: Adar is a Sindarin word for "father". This is fitting, since he is one of the corrupted elves who were the forebears of the orcs.
* MonsterProgenitor: He's the father of the Orcs currently raiding the Southlands.
* MosesArchetype: Befitting the Christian nature of Tolkien's works where the Evil tries to corrupt the Good, Adar is a dark example of a Moses-like figure. He is a corrupted Elf, acting like a bridge between Elves and Orcs. He sees himself as a father figure to the Orcs, and his mission is to guide and give them a promised land, where they would not be treated as slaves anymore. He successfully turns the Southlands into the hellish-like Mordor with the help of Waldreg, who provokes the eruption of Mt. Doom.
* MysteriousPast: Alludes to having been in Middle-earth since the First Age (or before) and having known the lost continent of Beleriend, but doesn't elaborate. It's eventually revealed that he's one of the elves corrupted by Morgoth, making him [[MonsterProgenitor one of the very first Orcs]].
* OffScreenMomentofAwesome: Managed to kill one of the most powerful beings of Middle-Earth (albeit only temporarily).
* OurOrcsAreDifferent: "Udûn" reveals that Adar is one of the Moriondor, Elves corrupted by Morgoth, making him a first-generation Orc.
* PapaWolf: He considers the orcs his children and he cares a great deal for them, so much so that he actually went as far as to ''kill'' Sauron himself to protect them from his magical experiments. This also means that he has a strong hatred for the dark lord and being mistaken for him is a major BerserkButton.
* RedHerring: Arondir initially suspects him to be Sauron, and the Orcs' reverence of him, along with some of his own dialogue, suggest that this might be the case. However, his angered reaction to Waldreg calling him Sauron while swearing fealty to him indicates that he's someone else altogether, and it's later revealed that he actually ''killed'' Sauron, albeit temporarily.
* RedRightHand: His face is visibly scorched by fire. Considering he wears his armor's glove in only one fist, it's likely the burn extends down to his arm.
* ShadowArchetype: To Gil-galad, which is reflected in their breastplates having the same design, with Adar's being black instead of gold. Both view other races as a means towards preserving their own, though Gil-galad will try to maintain at least a veneer of diplomacy while Adar turns to slavery and murder.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Adar is very calm and soft-spoken despite the visceral horror he's overseeing. He speaks almost in a whisper.
* SpikesOfVillainy: He wears a spiked black gauntlet, reminiscent of Sauron's armour.
* TheStarscream: In "Udûn", he reveals that he got fed up with Sauron sacrificing Orcs to experiment with dark magic, and slew the dark Maia -- or at least Sauron's physical form -- before leading his troops to claim the Southlands as their own.
* VillainousCheekbones: He has almost inhumanly prominent cheekbones that give his face an almost skeletal flair.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Digger Orc]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tirharadorc.png]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Nathan Mennis\\\
A terrifying, primitive being who tunnels into Bronwyn and Theo's home.
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* ImplacableMan: It takes a full beheading to put him down for good, this after being slashed, cut, impaled and hit by several blunt force objects.
* NormalFishInATinyPond: A standard mook but, since the people he's attacking are ill-equipped peasants, he becomes a legitimately dangerous threat and is only ''barely'' taken out by the skin of their teeth.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: The digger Orc is a ''far'' more menacing presence than the rabble of cockney-accented {{Mooks}} from the cinematic trilogies, and is more akin to something straight out of a FolkHorror work or SlasherMovie. It makes sense in context, as this is the Second Age, not the Third, and any remaining Orcs are closer to the original ones Morgoth transformed from elves than the ones bred by Sauron in Mordor or Saruman's pointedly part-human Uruk-Hai.
* NothingIsScarier: Theo complains of the "mice" under the floorboards keeping him awake with their scratching and scraping. Turns out it was this terrifying thing all along, lurking literally inches from him and his mother -- possibly for ''months'' as it tunnelled under their house.
* OffWithHisHead: After Theo manages to stagger it by lassoing its throat, Bronwyn sees an opening and hacks off its head, which she presents to the gobsmacked townsfolk in the tavern.
* PortentOfDoom: Orcs and their kind haven't been seen in the Southlands for years and most had assigned them an almost mythological status. The singular Orc that tunnels into Bronwyn's house is a clear indicator that an old evil is back, and leaching into previously safe communities.
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: It was likely drawn to the presence of the ominous weapon Theo had discovered -- even from a great distance -- and targeted his home to seek it out.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: It sports a large animal skull, which initially hides its features and adds to its terrifying appearance.
* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: Literally -- the Orc's tunneling had kept Theo awake for weeks, and when it does make an appearance, it rises out of a hole in the floor, huge claws clacking, like a medieval Bogeyman.
* TunnelKing: With its long, black fingers and claw-like nails, it had tunneled between Hordern and Tirharad -- no mean feat considering the distances involved.
* WolverineClaws: Orcs in the cinematic trilogies do sport long, dirty fingernails, but this Orc has very large clawed hands, which adds to its menace.
[[/folder]]
!!Others
[[folder:Slaver Warg]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thewarg_4.jpg]]
A vicious beast used by the tunneler Orcs to keep their prisoners in line.
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* AdaptationalUgliness: It’s by far the ugliest live-action version of a warg to date, looking more like a bug-eyed pug than a wolf or hyena, as per previous adaptions.
* AnimalsLackAttributes: Averted. The warg has some rather prominent teats on its underbelly, indicating that this individual may be a female.
* BewareOfViciousDog: It's a mad beast, with crazed bulging eyes and is far more out of control and rabid than previously-seen Warg species, hurling itself into combat with no thought for its own safety.
* {{Gonk}}: It stands out in comparison to the more wolflike wargs who chase after the Harfoots, having a scrawny body with bulbous features and patchy fur.
* MisterMuffykins: Whether intentional or not, the warg has a definite pug-like overtone, especially with its mad bulging eyes, and evokes a lap dog gone batshit crazy.
* MixAndMatchCritter: It's a bizarre and disturbing cross between a hyena and a ''pug'', complete with huge, bulging eyes.
* RightHandAttackDog: When their tunnel-digging Elven prisoners revolt, the Orcs are hampered by their inability to fight well in sunlight, and so release this beast to crush the uprising.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Dweller, The Nomad and The Ascetic]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thedweller.jpg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Bridie Sisson (The Dweller), Edith Poor (The Nomad) and Kali Kopae (The Ascetic)\\\
A group of mysterious worshippers of Sauron hailing from the far off land of Rhûn.
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* AllThereInTheManual: Their names are only given in the credits. Also, their group is collectively referred to as "The Mystics" by the showrunners, but this term is also never used in the show itself.
* AmbiguouslyHuman: Their exact nature is never made entirely explicit, though the episode trivia entries make mention of humans who have learned to wield dark sorcery, indicating that these three may be mortals who have given up their humanity in exchange for such power.
* ArcVillain: They serve as the main antagonists of the Harfoot/Stranger storyline in Season 1, before being, presumably, atomised by The Stranger's HolyHandGrenade powers at the end of the season.
* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: The Dweller has MysticalWhiteHair, The Nomad has red hair, and the Ascetic is a brunette.
* BoyishShortHair: The Dweller sports a buzzcut, which led some viewers to assume she was a man and that she was Sauron's Annatar form when she first appeared in the trailers.
* BreathWeapon: As well as exhibiting an affinity for fire, The Dweller is able to breathe some sort of incapacitating smoke, which she uses to great effect when subduing The Stranger.
* CreepyBlueEyes: The Dweller has unsettlingly pale blue eyes, and is a wielder of powerful magic.
* DeviousDaggers: While The Dweller uses fire magic, The Nomad's weapon of choice is throwing knives.
* EvilIsPetty: The Dweller's decision to burn the Harfoot caravans is needlessly cruel.
* EvilSorcerer: The Dweller in particular is able to wield potent magic, and all three are obviously malicious.
* GlamorFailure: Having their magic deflected back at them reveals their true forms as mummified spirits.
* LightIsNotGood: They have pallid skin with white robes and are openly hostile to anyone who isn't Sauron.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Believing The Stranger to be an amnesiac Sauron, they try to restore his memories so he can begin his conquest of Middle-earth. However, it turns out that he’s an Istari who was specifically sent to ''oppose'' their master and ends up being instrumental in his destruction centuries later, with their meddling restoring enough of his memories to send him on that path.
* NotEvenHuman: When the Stranger uses his power to dispel them, their true form is revealed to really be undead wraith-like creatures.
* PlayingWithFire: The Dweller displays an affinity for fire magic, and is able to hold flame in her hands before blowing it about her in devastating blasts.
* SkullForAHead: In their Wraith forms, The Dweller and The Ascetic have exposed skulls for faces, while The Nomad merely has a desiccated and wizened but otherwise fleshy appearance.
* TheVoiceless: The Dweller never says a word throughout the entirety of the first season.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: When The Nomad and The Ascetic speak, their voices are often distorted by a whispering or echoing effect.
* TheWeirdSisters: A trio of ambiguously aged, mysterious women capable of wielding magic, and hunting for The Stranger.
[[/folder]]
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