The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power finished its second season in mid-2024, receiving minor acclaim from both critics and viewers. It appeared that Season 2’s audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes was nearly twice that of Season 1, suggesting that the latter had been subject to unfair review bombing. One of the main reasons for the negative reviews was the lack of historical context in relation to Tolkien’s mythos, an acceptable complaint given how much the show diverges from the source material.

Despite all the deviations, Amazon’s The Rings of Power has done an exceptional job representing the beloved fantasy world of Arda. One major criticism of Season 2, however, was the inclusion of Sauron in the form of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts. While this is vital to the history of the world that would eventually lead to the formation of the One Ring and the Last Alliance, it does come with some problems. Most notably, Annatar should have been introduced in the show’s first season.

Who Is Annatar, the Lord of Gifts?

Annatar Is a Pleasing Disguise Used by Sauron

Annatar, or “The Lord of Gifts” was a disguise Sauron used prior to his first attempt to conquer Middle-earth. The new Dark Lord was prepared to sway the race of Men to his cause, believing them easy to turn, but he also craved the servitude of the Elves, for they were a much more powerful people. Knowing he wasn’t ready to outright conquer them, Sauron turned to his greatest weapon: treachery. This is where “Annatar” came in.

Other Names of Sauron Over the Ages:

Mairon
Gorthaur
Zigûr
The Shadow
The Necromancer

Assuming an Elven form, Sauron presented himself as a messenger of the Valar, quickly ingratiating himself with the highest members of Elven society. He shared knowledge with the greatest craftsmen of the Elves, teaching them how to forge rings of power. Behind their backs, he secretly wove dark spells into them that would enable his future conquest. All the while, Sauron worked to forge the One Ring to bind all the Rings of Power under his control. He could therefore rule through those who wore them, effectively becoming the true king of the majority of Middle-earth.

His plan almost succeeded, too. The Rings of Power were forged, the Elves completely trusted him and gave the rings to those in power, and some accounts say Annatar’s manipulations led to divisions among the Elves. All was set for Sauron’s inevitable triumph, save for one miscalculation. When Sauron finally wore the One Ring, the Elves wearing the Elven Rings instantly realized who he was as well as the full scope of his treachery. They removed their rings and exposed “Annatar” as a fraud, spreading the news about the true purpose of the rings. Sauron’s plans were thwarted, but that did nothing to stop his insatiable thirst for conquest.

Annatar Was Brought in Way Too Late

The Halbrand Persona Should Have Been Exposed Early on

The problem with Annatar being introduced in Season 2 lay not in the fact that the twist was predictable, but that it’s rehashing an unfavorable gimmick from Season 1. The introduction of Annatar in the first season would not have led to a massive mystery about who Sauron was because most fans would recognize the Lord of Gifts. Instead, it would have built anticipation for when and how he would be revealed as Sauron, and what the fallout of that revelation would be.

Annatar met Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Elrond in Tolkien’s story, which doesn’t happen in the Amazon series.
Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Elrond didn’t know Annatar’s true nature at first, but they still refused to trust him like Celebrimbor.
Annatar was supposed to appear in Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy, but was cut out.

Instead of following Middle-earth’s proper history, Rings of Power Season 1 sent fans on a pointless goose chase guessing which mystery character not mentioned in the texts was Sauron. Eventually, Sauron was revealed to be Halbrand, the supposed human King of the Southlands. In reality, this was an original concept by Amazon Studios to provide mystery and build up the reveal of Sauron. What it ultimately did was delay Sauron’s plans by countless years, all for the sake of a plot twist that had no real bearing on the story. In other words, introducing the villain as Annatar rather than Halbrand would have still retained the mystery without sacrificing the original mythos.

What’s more, it diminished Sauron, as the “Halbrand” persona was his attempt to start anew, but not in a way that would have been destructive. Gone was the conniving new Dark Lord, who spent centuries building up his power and knowledge to take Middle-earth for his own. Instead, Sauron was deposed by the Moriondor Adar, something that shouldn’t have been possible considering how powerful Sauron was at the time. It set the Dark Lord back, making him seem more fragile than he is. Events eventually reignited his twisted desires, though, but far later than they should have. In the end, Annatar’s presence did little to manage the book fandom’s concerns about timelines and consistency.

The Role of Annatar Ends With Season 2

The Rings of Power Remains Distanced from Its Source Material

Annatar’s presence in Season 2 was obviously expected, with Sauron shedding his human Halbrand persona and assuming a radiant Elven appearance. In the books, he is responsible for helping create the Elven Rings, although his malignant touch was not upon them. The Three Rings already exist in the show, seemingly independent of Sauron’s involvement. Lord Celebrimbor of Eregion is successfully tricked by Sauron’s Annatar in Season 2, and they both create the Seven Dwarven Rings with Mithril from Moria. King Durin III falls prey to his Ring of Power almost immediately, proving that Sauron had been tampering with the smithing process all along.

Celebrimbor feels guilty for the problematic aspects of the Dwarven Rings and consequently attempts to redeem himself by making the Nine Rings for Men. Although he succeeds, Celebrimbor realizes too late that they were forged with Sauron’s black blood. The Lord of Eregion’s attempt to safeguard the Nine Rings fails because Sauron kills Celebrimbor and later snatches the Nine Rings from Galadriel. With the destruction of Eregion, the next step would be the commencement of the War of the Elves and Sauron.

By the end of Season 2, pretty much everyone learned that Sauron had disguised himself as Annatar — and those who had seen him as Halbrand would have also been able to recognize him, like Ar-Pharazôn does in the finale episode. What this means for the future remains unclear, as the compressed timeline used by The Rings of Power remains a matter of controversy. That said, it can be assumed that Sauron will debut a new appearance in Rings of Power Season 3, especially if the show wants to maintain interest in his character development. A Dark Lord capable of transforming into snakes, wolves, and vampires deserves a lot more attention.