Will Adar Be Back for The Rings of Power Season 2?

One of the characters that we got to meet early in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, as he was one of the enemies that people believed was Sauron. That has since been disproven because Adar was revealed to have been a First Orc, while Sauron was actually Halbrand the entire time. Of course, we know for a fact that Sauron would want to reclaim his place as the leader of the Orcs, as we know that Adar occupies that place right now. So, will Adar be back for The Rings of Power season 2?

Adar will certainly return in season 2 because there is unfinished business between him and Sauron. In episode 6, Adar admitted that he “killed” Sauron because of what he was doing to the Orcs. As such, season 2 is likely to explore this dynamic between them and how Sauron regains his place in Mordor.

It was always hinted that there wasn’t a really good relationship between Adar and Sauron, as this led to the Uruk killing the dark lord before the events of the series. In that regard, season 2 of The Rings of Power will allow us to see how the series will most likely showcase the relationship between them and how it will evolve now that we know that Sauron and Halbrand are one. That said, let’s look at what will happen to Adar in season 2.

Will Adar Be Back For The Rings Of Power Season 2?

Early on in the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, one of the things that we got to see early on was that the Orcs are led by someone other than Sauron. Of course, there were still people who thought that this person (played by Joseph Mawle) could be Sauron, but he was always referred to as Adar, which is the Elvish word for father. In that regard, Adar was the “father” of the Orcs in season 1 and was the leader of this antagonistic group.

We also learned that Adar had goals that were more in line with giving his Orcs a home in the Southlands, as that was always the plan that Sauron and Morgoth had back in the First Age. That was the reason why Adar was looking for the sword hilt that Theo found in season 1. In episode 6, Adar also revealed that he wasn’t Sauron, as Galadriel learned that he was one of the First Orcs or the Moriondor that Morgoth abducted, tortured, and twisted back way back when.

But the biggest revelation was that Adar actually said that he “killed” Sauron and took over his role as the leader of the Orcs. And the reason why he killed Sauron was the fact that the dark lord was using the Orcs for his experiments that were not of this world but were of the Unseen World.

Of course, we also saw that Adar was able to achieve his goal of giving the orcs a home when he transformed the Southlands into a dark and desolate place by using the sword hilt to activate Orodruin, which is a volcano that destroyed the landscape and terraformed it. In that regard, the Southlands became Mordor, which is a place that we all know has always been synonymous with Sauron.

Meanwhile, the season finale of The Rings of Power finally revealed that Halbrand, the very same companion that Galadriel had been traveling with since the second episode, was actually Sauron the entire time. As such, Sauron was still alive but was hiding in the form of a Man. And after failing to recruit Galadriel into his cause, Halbrand was seen returning to Mordor in the final moments of season 1.

So, with that said, we know for a fact that Sauron has already been revealed and wants to return to his place as the rightful leader of the Orcs. But the problem is that the one who has secured his place as the leader of the Orcs and the one who is in charge of Mordor is Adar. This means that it is already obvious that Adar will be returning in season 2, as his storyline is yet to conclude.

Adar has done a fantastic job in serving as a placeholder on the villain role of the series while we were all wondering who Sauron was back in season 1. He was an arc villain that was able to provide the series with a villain that the main characters needed to confront while Sauron was yet to be revealed. 

However, we already know who Sauron is, and that means that Adar has already fulfilled his role well enough to the point that we are ready to see him off in season 2. As such, season 2 is likely going to explore his character more and the things that he went through in the past to become who he is right now. 

What’s In Store For Adar In Season 2 Of The Rings Of Power?

We know for a fact that Sauron was seen overlooking Mordor in the final moments of season 1 of The Rings of Power. He has already lost his place as Galadriel’s companion after failing to recruit her to his side. That means that the only place he belongs to was with the Orcs in Mordor as the leader that they once had after the fall of Morgoth. But we all know that Adar is now the one filling that role now.

So, in that regard, season 2 is likely to explore the dynamic and relationship between Sauron and Adar. We all know that they both don’t like each other. Adar destroyed Sauron’s former form. Meanwhile, Sauron took the form of Halbrand and wanted to kill Adar in the battle scene back in episode 6.

As such, there is animosity between the two of them because of the things that happened in the past. Luckily for us, Charlie Vickers, who plays Halbrand in the series, shed some light on this topic in an interview with Polygon:

“They have a complex past,” Vickers said. “They have been in conflict for quite a long time now. We see an element of that in the sixth episode. And I think it’s pretty obvious when you watch the show that there’s going to be more of that relationship. We’re going to learn more about it. So, I don’t want to speak too much about it, but pretty quickly, in the second season, we learn more about that history. But it is complex, and it has deep roots, and I think that will be exposed as the show goes on.”

Of course, if one of your trusted subordinates ends up betraying and killing you, you will develop some sort of animosity toward him. That is the case with Sauron in his relationship with Adar, who we know also dislikes the dark lord for the things that he was doing to his Orcs.

As such, season 2 will likely explore the relationship between them and how they are looking to finally put a conclusion on the animosity that they have for one another. This means that there will be a power struggle between Sauron and Adar, with the winner being the one who ends up controlling the Orcs and becoming the lord of Mordor. As such, it is likely that Sauron will come out on top of this power struggle with Adar, considering that he has always been known as the true master of Mordor. And season 2 is likely going to show us how this power struggle between them will play out, especially with the storylines of the Elves, Númenoreans, and Southlanders still looming in the background.