Peter Jackson made a controversial change to Sauron in his Lord of the Rings movies, but The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has quietly changed it back. The Prime Video series has had the rare opportunity to show Sauron in a new light since the Second Age setting allowed for a more up-close-and-personal look at this villain. The Dark Lord never made a real appearance in Frodo’s story, so Jackson had to get creative to find a way to still make him seem like a real character rather than an unseen force. This resulted in an adjustment that Rings of Power has no real need for.

In Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, Sauron had yet to regain a physical form. Instead, he was presented as a flaming eye atop the tower of Barad-dûr, endlessly searching Middle-earth for his One Ring. The image of the Eye of Sauron has since become iconic to the Lord of the Rings franchise—so much so that it’s easy to forget that this was a complete invention of Jackson’s movies. This was a controversial change at the time since the “eye” mentioned in Tolkien’s works had always been metaphorical. Now, this is the angle Rings of Power has restored.

The Rings Of Power Season 2 Makes The Eye Of Sauron Metaphorical Again

Adar Speaks Of Sauron’s Eye The Way It Was Originally Intended

Custom image by Nick Bythrow

Sauron hasn’t built Barad-dûr yet in The Rings of Power season 2, so it remains to be seen if Prime Video will adopt the flaming eye that Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies popularized. However, Adar’s words in season 2, episode 6, imply that the series has returned to the “Eye of Sauron” metaphor that Tolkien so often used in his books. During his meeting with Galadriel, Adar said that Sauron’s “eye bores a hole while the rest of him slithers in,” referencing the Dark Lord’s skill for manipulating his victims. Of course, he isn’t speaking literally here.

This is very similar to the way Tolkien talked about Sauron’s “eye” in The Lord of the Rings. The eye was the Dark Lord’s symbol throughout the Third Age, which drove home the idea (which Sauron started) that he was always watching his soldiers and enemies alike. When Gandalf or Elrond mentions the Eye of Sauron, they reference his influence and reach—the stretching of his evil across Middle-earth. This is precisely what Adar says in Rings of Power season 2, episode 6. He is telling Galadriel that when Sauron puts his attention on a victim, they become his wholly and entirely.

How The “Eye” Of Sauron Is Shaping The Rings Of Power’s Story In Season 2

Sauron’s Metaphorical Eye Is Set On Several Game Pieces

Sauron has already turned his “eye” upon several victims in Rings of Power season 2. His efforts of manipulation have been aimed at Celebrimbor, who is slowly falling to pieces as he makes the titular Rings of Power. Additionally, Sauron has sewn seeds of deception in Khazad-dûm, which is also beginning to come apart at the seams this season. Then, there is Adar himself. Though the Uruk is aware of Sauron’s ability to move the beings of Middle-earth to his own design, he does not realize in Rings of Power season 2, episode 6 that he is attacking Eregion because of the Dark Lord’s manipulations.

If there were a physical Eye of Sauron in Rings of Power season 2, its fiery gaze would be moving between Eregion, Khazad-dûm, Adar, and Galadriel.

If there were a physical Eye of Sauron in Rings of Power season 2, its fiery gaze would be moving between Eregion, Khazad-dûm, Adar, and Galadriel. They are the players on his board at the moment. However, since Sauron is a physical character on the screen, it isn’t necessary for Prime Video to bring the metaphor to life as it was in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie.

Did Peter Jackson’s Literal Eye Of Sauron Work For The Lord Of The Rings Movies?

A Physical Eye Was Perfect For Jackson’s Movies (But Rings Of Power Doesn’t Need It)

Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore

Though Jackson’s making the Eye of Sauron literal in his Lord of the Rings movies was controversial at the time, it worked so well with the story that many have forgotten that this wasn’t the case in Tolkien’s work. It was an effective way to make Sauron an actual character despite his physical form never appearing on screen. There was a constant, eerie sense that Sauron was watching the characters, implying that at any moment, their plan would be foiled, and all would be lost.

Sauron did have a physical form during the events of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings , but the only primary characters who actually saw him were Gollum and Aragorn (through the palantir).

Rings of Power seemingly abandoning the physical eye atop the tower doesn’t mean the movie’s version was bad. Instead, it simply further demonstrates how different devices are necessary for different mediums. Both Rings of Power and Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies couldn’t avoid changing Tolkien’s canon since no screen adaptation ever can. Still, as a TV show and movie franchise set during different points in Middle-earth’s history, both needs are unique. Whether Sauron is a fiery eye or a physical being, both Rings of Power and Lord of the Rings managed ways to make his influence absolutely terrifying.