Warning: This story contains spoilers from The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episodes 1 and 2. If you’ve not seen them yet, don’t read any further!
The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced a lot of characters, but one stands out as more mysterious than the rest. At the end of the first episode, Nori (Markella Kavenagh) spots a meteor landing close by and goes to investigate. She quickly realizes this is no normal object falling from the sky, it’s actually a very tall man, only known to viewers as The Stranger.
Episode 2 sees Nori and her best friend Poppy (Megan Richards) attempting to move him to a safe place and try and communicate with him, to no avail. He’s like no one they’ve ever seen before and speaks a different language to them. So just who is this mysterious character? While nothing has been confirmed yet, there are already plenty of theories about him that might give us a clue.
pic.twitter.com/B2qigIMaLLFebruary 3, 2022
One of the most popular theories is that he might be Sauron. The series begins in the Second Age after Sauron’s master Morgoth has been defeated and he’s gone into hiding. But we do know he’s not gone very far. In the Second Age of Tolkien’s lore, he appears as Annatar, a shapeshifter, so the villain could be introduced in any form.
Showrunner JD Payne teased that potentiality to Total Film earlier this year, telling us of Sauron's return: "We can say that when he appears, it might be in a way people aren't expecting." A big clue may be in the character poster (opens in new tab) for The Stranger where he’s seen holding an apple. Those who know their Christian bible will know this is a clear symbol of betrayal – so could he be hiding something?
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