Throughout its first season, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power unveiled the full, ugly origin of Joseph Mawle’s Adar. Though Sauron is Middle-earth’s primary scourge throughout the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings‘ iconic baddie hadn’t yet returned when Amazon’s The Rings of Power began. Villainous duties fell instead to Adar – commander of an Orc army that suddenly began assaulting the Southlands. The Rings of Power revealed precious little about Adar across its first five episodes.

Adar’s conversation with Arondir mentioned time spent in Beleriand before its destruction, the Orc soldiers referred to him as “father,” and his goal appeared to be transforming the Southlands into a sunless home where Orcs could settle. These few details aside, Adar’s past was brimming with mystery and unanswered questions before The Rings of Power season 1, episode 6. Captured by Galadriel and Halbrand, Adar suddenly offered up a full account (thanks in part to a few savvy deductions by Galadriel) of his long history. The Rings of Power season 2 is revealing even more about Adar as it unfolds.

What Is Adar? An Orc Or An Elf?

Adar Has A Mysterious Appearance

The answer to the question of whether Adar is an Orc or an Elf is simultaneously “both” and “neither.” The Rings of Power episode 6 confirmed that, in the beginning, Adar was originally an Elf. His true name wasn’t revealed (it can’t be “Adar,” since this is only relevant to his Orc followers), but at some point during his free existence, Adar was taken prisoner by Morgoth. Galadriel mentioned hearing stories of captured Elves when she was a child, and as The Rings of Power‘s opening sequence showed, Galadriel’s childhood was during the Years of the Trees, which means Adar is very old.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 airs from August 29, 2024, on Amazon Prime.

The Rings of Power hasn’t yet mentioned it, but the war against Morgoth shown in episode 1’s history lesson sequence was actually his second attempt at conquering Middle-earth. The first came centuries prior, before the Elven race had even awoken in Middle-earth. Morgoth was simply content to dominate and spoil the land at this point, but when he later noticed the Elves emerging, he captured an unlucky few. Once the Valar realized, they intervened on the Elves’ behalf, dragging Morgoth back to Valinor never to return until the infamous “Two Trees” incident.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

If Adar was an Elf captured by Morgoth, he must have been one of the earliest Elves to awaken in Middle-earth. As the Enemy’s prisoner, Adar and his fellow captives would have been tortured, twisted, and corrupted into the very first Orcs – the Moriondor. Morgoth did this as a means of insulting Eru Ilúvatar, who loved the Elves dearly.

One assumes Morgoth bred the wider race of “Uruks” from these initial Moriondor, which explains why they possess select Elvish traits, but are very different. J.R.R. Tolkien never decided how Orcs were created, but descending from Elves captured by Morgoth is one of several versions offered by the author’s legendarium. It’s also arguably the most widely-held backstory, since even Morgoth shouldn’t be able to create life anew. The Rings of Power‘s Adar leans fully into that theory.

What Powers Does Adar Have As A Moriondor?

Adar Rose To The Top Somehow

As a Moriondor, Adar straddles the line between Elf and Orc, giving him various powers and abilities. That Adar is still alive after being captured by Morgoth thousands of years ago proves his Elven immortality remains intact, and when the Númenórean cavalry is approaching the battlefield at Tirharad, Adar and Arondir are the first to hear it. Adar seems to possess the genetic benefits of Elves, even if he’s something different by the time The Rings of Power begins. Carrying out the Elven pre-battle seed ritual at the beginning of episode 6 was further proof that Adar still feels deeply connected to his heritage.

The Book of Lost Tales stated that Orcs were “bred from the heats and slimes of the earth.” Tolkien later added conflicting accounts, and the inconsistencies across the legendarium were never conclusively resolved.

The difference between Moriondor and Elves is less obvious. Though the former can be visually discerned by their “rained-on middle-aged goth” appearance, the more important distinction hides inside. Just as Orcs were bred for subservience to Morgoth’s will, it seems that the Moriondor were stripped of their traditional Elven grace, mercy, and love of nature. These traits would have been corrupted to reflect Morgoth’s hatred, violence, and urge to destroy beauty. However, there is room to explore this, given what details were given in the source material.

Are There Other Moriondor Like Adar In The Rings Of Power?

There Were 13 Moriondor

Morgoth corrupted multiple Elves into his first generation of Orcs, and these Moriondor would have served him before and during the First Age. In season 2’s first episode, Adar told Halbrand that there were, in fact, thirteen of them. If Adar can hide alongside his Orcs for centuries without the Elves of Middle-earth noticing, the other Moriondor could do the same. Nevertheless, the chances of the others surviving the War of Wrath seems desperately unlikely. These corrupted Elves are so rare in The Lord of the Rings, that only rumors of their existence remain.

The Book of Lost Tales, commenting on Orc origins, is a posthumously published collection of Tolkien’s earliest drafts on Middle-earth, intended by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son to show the evolution of The Lord of the Rings.

Even in The Rings of Power‘s Second Age era, Galadriel has merely heard stories of “Sons of the Dark.” Such scarcity means that viewers can probably assume that the vast majority of the Moriondor – if not allMoriondor – died during the War of Wrath, like most of Morgoth’s soldiers. If other Moriondor existed, it seems like they would have joined Adar and his mission in the Southlands. However, in mentioning the other 12 Moriondor, the show suggests it may introduce them later. As per the Chekhov’s Gun rule, nothing should be introduced into a narrative without later payoff.

How Morgoth Found & Created The Moriondor In The Rings Of Power

Adar Told The Moriondor’s Story In Rings Of Power

In The Rings of Power season 2’s first episode, Adar told Halbrand that he had also been a prisoner once, and proceeded to tell a story that sounded suspiciously like the origin of the Moriondor. While it wasn’t entirely clear what Adar was discussing, he heavily implied that the Moriondor were seduced by Morgoth by promises of power of various types, then tormented before being turned into Uruk in order to bestow this power. Adar said there were 13 of them – one can assume he meant 13 Elves seduced by Morgoth. He went on, describing what happened to the 13.

According to Adar, he was led to a dark and nameless peak. Adar was chained and left to starve until, finally, Sauron appeared and gave him a cup of red wine, which he drank. Although not specified, it seems fair to assume that this happened to the other 12 too. Adar could have been suggesting that he had been a prisoner once and willingly took aid when given it, subtly suggesting Halbrand do the same. However, it seems much more likely from Adar’s tone and choice of words that the unpleasant process described was how Morgoth bestowed the promised power.

As Sauron proved by adding his black blood to the nine rings of Men, blood magic, of a sort, is a reality in The Rings of Power’s logic.

The implication of this enigmatic monologue was that the wine was a magical potion that transfigured Adar, and the other Moriondor, from Elf to Uruk. Adar described the wine as “blood red,“ and perhaps it was as bloody as its color suggested, helping to magically turn the Elves’ blood from red to black with a blood ingredient. Perhaps it was not, in fact, wine at all, but only seemed so to a starving person. As Sauron proved by adding his black blood to the nine rings of Men, blood magic, of a sort, is a reality in The Rings of Power’s logic.

Sauron evidently used his power to create himself in an image of divine beauty that soothed people while it was present and left people bereft when it was gone.

Adar described Sauron’s face as beautiful – perhaps Sauron appeared in a burst of semi-divine power here the same way he did to Celebrimbor in episode 2 of season 2. It was intriguing to see Adar relate this back to Galadriel in season 2’s episode 6. Adar was clearly just as taken in by Sauron as Galadriel and Celebrimbor. Sauron evidently used his power to create himself in an image of divine beauty that soothed people while it was present and left people bereft when it was gone. Adar intriguingly specified to Galadriel that Sauron’s promise of power to him, in particular, involved children.

It is particularly sad that Adar was seeking community and a family in his pursuit of Morgoth’s power – he wasn’t machiavellian like Sauron or Morgoth. It makes their betrayal of his trust far worse, especially considering what came after the Moriondors’ transformations. Orcs were bred after the manner of men from this point onward, canonically, and also, according to the show – as per the baby Orc. It is thankfully left to viewers’ imaginations how Sauron and Morgoth got the Moriondor to start breeding the race of Uruk.

What Happened Between Adar & Sauron?

Adar And Sauron Have A Chequered History

Adar’s intentions in The Rings of Power weren’t quite as far-reaching or sinister as Sauron or Morgoth’s. Adar’s sole aim appears to be giving the Orcs a home, without any sign of the thirst for dominating Middle-earth possessed by his old masters. Adar also seems to have stepped away from Morgoth’s ways by refusing to treat Orcs as nameless slaves destined to die in battle. Adar actor Sam Hazledine spoke to Entertainment Weekly and confirmed the backstory to this. As an Elf, Adar entered into a deal with Sauron willingly, but this went wrong and ended with him being turned into an Orc.

​​​​​ Adar’s Elven origins and tragic downfall were also revealed in The Rings of Power season 1, through Galadriel’s interrogation skills. It can be assumed that Adar loyally served Morgoth as an Orc commander up to and during the War of Wrath. The Rings of Power season 1, episode 6 suggested what came next. Adar explained that Sauron found a new mission after Morgoth’s downfall – engineering mastery over flesh. The captured villain described remnants of Morgoth’s army heading north to Forodwaith – the icy fort Galadriel uncovered in The Rings of Power episode 1.

Sauron’s mission to gain power over flesh, meanwhile, neatly sets up his eventual forging of the One Ring, which was designed to dominate minds. These Orc experiments were the first step on Sauron’s long road to the Ring. Sick of watching his “children” die, Adar assassinated Sauron, unaware Sauron could rise again. This unleashed a burst of power that froze Forodwaith. The rest of Adar’s story can be found in season 1, episode 6‘s opening scene. Addressing his army, the Moriondor name-dropped both “Eren Mithrin” and “Ephel Arnen.”

These locations denoted the Grey Mountains and the Ephel Dúath range that surrounded Mordor, giving a broad idea of how Adar’s army traveled all the way from Forodwaith to the Southlands. They would have passed to the mountains immediately south, then either down through Mirkwood or East Rhovanion before coming to what Adar called Ephel Arnen (probably Tolkien’s Emyn Arnen). Upon crossing this second range, the Orcs would have found themselves in the Southlands, which The Rings of Power explained was the contingency plan in case Morgoth should lose.

Adar’s Role Changes In The Rings Of Power Season 2

Adar Is Even More Important In Season 2

In The Rings of Power season 2’s episode 6, Adar is negotiating with Galadriel to defeat Sauron. This makes Adar, along with Galadriel and Celebrimbor, one of the main players of The Rings of Power season 2. It seemed in season 1 like Adar’s enmity with Sauron could not be more real. And indeed, in season 2, Sauron manipulates Adar into starting Sauron’s war against the Elves, well known from canon. In canon, Sauron started this war heading up his own forces. In the show, Adar leads these forces to Eregion.

Adar yielded anew to Sauron’s manipulation, sending his forces to Eregion after Sauron, who had told Adar his whereabouts himself, while disguised as Halbrand.

This war pits the Orc army against the Elf army. Sauron was completely alone at the start of season 2, with no allies and Adar controlling the Orc army. Adar yielded anew to Sauron’s manipulation, sending his forces to Eregion after Sauron, who had told Adar his whereabouts himself, while disguised as Halbrand. The political intrigue in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 was truly full of twists and turns.