The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Who Plays Sauron in Season 2?

The dark lord Sauron looks markedly different in the teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season. So, who plays Sauron in The Rings of Power Season 2?

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Sauron’s Rings of Power Season 2 Actor, Explained

Two actors play Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2: Charlie Vickers and Jack Lowden. Slow Horses‘ Lowden portrays the baddie’s original physical form during The Rings of Power Season 2’s opening flashback. The Rings of Power Season 1 veteran Vickers then returns as the reborn Sauron for the remainder of Season 2. Don’t expect the Aussie actor to look the same as he did last time around, however. While Sauron’s first season “Halbrand” persona will still appear in The Rings of Power Season 2, he’ll also adopt a new disguise: Annatar. Maintaining the Annatar alias involves an Elven-style glow-up, complete with blond locks, pointed ears, and fancier clothes. Heck, the changes are so drastic, it’s easy to mistake Vickers for another performer!

Related: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Who Made the Dwarven Rings?

Wondering what the deal is with Sauron’s “Annatar” charade? Basically, it’s the future Lord of Mordor’s way of conning Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion into helping him forge the Rings of Power. As Annatar, Sauron claims he’s an emissary of the angelic Valar, so his overhauled aesthetic is designed to sell his supposedly divine connections. It’s all rooted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s OG Lord of the Rings canon too. According to Tolkien, Sauron hoodwinked Celebrimbor and his associates as Annatar, not Halbrand (who doesn’t exist in the books). Tolkien also described “Annatar” as seductively easy on the eyes, although he didn’t offer much in the way of specifics.

Why Sauron Changes His Appearance in The Rings of Power

Charlie Vickers’ revamped styling in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 illustrates an overlooked aspect of Sauron’s nature: he’s a shapeshifter. The dark lord doesn’t really use this ability in Tolkien’s three Lord of the Rings novels, mostly because he remains largely off-stage. Plus, Sauron’s shapeshifting powers aren’t what they used to be by this point in Middle-earth’s timeline. According to Tolkien’s wider writings, Sauron loses the ability to assume fair form after his original physical body is destroyed during the downfall of island kingdom Númenor.

Related: When Does Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 Come Out?

So, from here on out, our guy’s days of being disarmingly sexy were over. Indeed, in The Silmarillion, Tolkien describes Sauron’s post-Númenor look as “an image of malice and hatred made visible.” The Fellowship of the Ring also briefly references Sauron’s “black” hand. It’s a big step down from The Rings of Power‘s mid/late Second Age setting, when Sauron could still transform into whatever beautiful (or not-so-beautiful) creature he could imagine!

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 premieres on Prime Video on August 29, 2024.

The above article was updated on 8/28/2024 by the original author to include information about the actors playing Sauron.