The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power designer Barrie Gower has explained how Sauron’s Elven form differs from the show’s other Elves. Abandoning his disguise as the mortal Halbrand, season 2 sees the future second Dark Lord of Middle-earth transform into Annatar, the Lord of Gifts and self-proclaimed emissary from the god-like Valar. Using this disguise to fool the Elven smith Celebrimbor into crafting the remaining rings of power, Sauron even manages to position himself as the de-facto Lord of Eregion.

Speaking with Screen Rant as The Rings of Power season 2 nears its penultimate episode, Gower explained how it was necessary to differentiate Charlie Vickers’ Annatar from the other Elves that inhabit Middle-earth. Suggesting that Annatar and Sam Hazeldine’s Adar are at two opposite ends of the spectrum, it was necessary to provide Vickers with a flawless, otherworldly presence. In doing so, it was necessary to have the various components of Vickers’ makeup work together, right down to the faint sheen provided by his foundation. Check out his comments below:

So, we are dictated, primarily, to giving somebody elf ears that would suit them, but we’re covering their own ears basically, or extending. Fortunately, Charlie has very nice ears, so we were able to give them these beautiful, slightly upturned angular ears. We were looking at all the anatomy of the Elven ears that have been created in the past. But it’s creating something which would work well with his facial makeup, and complement the hairstyle, as well. He has that slight widow’s peak, and the costume piece he has in his hair, as well.

It’s having lots of elements that need to work together, and any one of those things could throw everything else off. Even down to Charlie’s complexion, as well, the foundation that’s used on his face that has a slight sheer to it. It’s creating this kind of otherworldly, godly presence that, in a way, he’s quite separate to the other Elves that we’ve created.

We know it’s Sauron at heart, but we need to create something that almost looks perfect and beautiful. So, I wouldn’t necessarily say he was a challenge. He was a really interesting character to develop, because we have somebody like Annatar, and then we have somebody like Sam Hazeldine’s character, Adar, who, even though Sam was inheriting that role from Joseph Mawle from season 1, we had to create Sam’s Adar to, again, have enough continuity from season 1. But he’s, in theory, sort of a part-orc, part-Elven character.

So you have the two ends of the spectrum, really. It’s creating shapes for Sam which aren’t necessarily grotesque, but they are. They’re different in design to what we put on Charlie. So, it’s trying to tick all the boxes, from beauty to grotesque, somewhere in between.

What Sauron’s New Elven Form Means For The Rings Of Power

Sauron’s Transformation Brings The Show Closer To Tolkien Lore.

Throughout The Rings of Power season 1, showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay intentionally attempted to obscure the true identity of Sauron, even going so far as to plant red herrings that pointed to both Daniel Weyman’s Stranger and the corrupted Elf Adar. However, the shocking season 1 finale would later reveal that Sauron had been Vickers’ Halbrand all along.

However, this deception from The Rings of Power character was only made possible due to the show’s creative team crafting a whole new identity for Sauron that was not part of Tolkien’s original lore. While the story of Sauron disguising himself as Annatar is well known to many familiar with Tolkien’s writings, Halbrand was an original creation whose sole narrative purpose was fulfilled once his true identity was finally revealed.

Our Take On Sauron’s New Disguise

There Is No Need To Hide Sauron From Viewers Any Longer

Now, with audiences fully aware of who the show’s primary antagonist is, The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power can begin to return more closely to the source material and the tale of Lord Annatar, the Deceiver at its heart. By adopting a physical form that is not only “wise and fair” as Tolkien once described, Gowers’ attempts to make Vickers’ Annatar stand apart from the show’s other Elves also help to remind audiences of his true origins and dark intentions. As Samwise Gamgee would astutely observe much later in the Third Age, Sauron’s disguise as Lord Annatar should indeed “seem fairer and feel fouler.”