Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Rings of Power season 2, episode 8.
Adar perishes during The Rings of Power season 2’s finale, and the Amazon series foreshadows his death during the second outing’s very first scene. The Rings of Power season 2 opens with a flashback to Morgoth’s downfall, showing how Sauron sought to take his master’s place in Middle-earth — and how Adar killed him. It’s no surprise Adar stabs Sauron, as he tells Galadriel he killed the Dark Lord during The Rings of Power season 1. Of course, Sauron doesn’t stay dead. He returns as Halbrand in season 1, and he gains even more power as Annatar in season 2.
He also gains an Orc army by the end of The Rings of Power season 2, and it’s Sauron’s ability to sway the Orcs that leads to Adar’s death. Although they initially oppose him, Adar’s missteps lead the Orcs directly to Sauron. He convinces them to betray the Uruk they call “father” just as Adar sees the error of his ways. And season 2’s opening flashback cleverly foreshadows the brutal way Adar is killed, as Sauron’s death is very similar.
Adar’s Death In The Rings Of Power Season 2 Was A Perfect Mirror Of Sauron’s Death
Both Villains Perish In An Eerily Similar Way
The Rings of Power season 2 uses Sauron’s death in the first episode to foreshadow Adar’s in the finale. Both of their deaths mirror one another, with Adar stabbing Sauron in the flashback and Sauron delivering the final, fatal blow to Adar. The top-down camera angle as each villain perishes is even similar; the final shots of Adar’s body and Sauron’s initial form both bear a striking resemblance to one another. This is likely intentional, as the characters’ storylines are so wrapped up in defeating each other.
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Most viewers suspected Adar would die during the second outing, with Sauron replacing him as The Rings of Power‘s main villain in season 3. However, few anticipated that he’d go out the same way as Sauron during season 2’s opening. Perhaps we should have expected this outcome though, as it adds symmetry to their confrontation. It’s also something Sauron would definitely do on purpose, with Adar’s death further characterizing the Lord of the Rings villain.
Did Sauron Deliberately Kill Adar In The Same Way Adar Killed Him?
The Lord Of The Rings Villain Is Petty Enough To Do This
Adar’s and Sauron’s deaths are too similar to be coincidental in The Rings of Power season 2, and it’s very likely Sauron intentionally kills his enemy in this manner. There’s a ton of resentment between these characters throughout Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show, so there’s little doubt Sauron would take a sadistic pleasure in watching Adar suffer as he did. The Rings of Power has also shown Charlie Vickers’ version of the villain to be quite petty, meaning he’d absolutely try to make a statement while killing his enemy.
He even ensures that he’s the one to land the final blow, highlighting how badly he wants to rub Adar’s loss in.
And there are certainly more practical ways Sauron could have gone about killing the Uruk, but he sticks with the one closest to his own death. He even ensures that he’s the one to land the final blow, highlighting how badly he wants to rub Adar’s loss in. All of this is very in line with Sauron’s depiction throughout The Rings of Power, and it makes him a more entertaining villain to follow.
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
- Cast
- Morfydd Clark , Charlie Vickers , Charles Edwards , Markella Kavenagh , Daniel Weyman , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Megan Richards , Robert Aramayo , Robert Strange , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lloyd Owen , Owain Arthur , Tyroe Muhafidin , Alex Tarrant , Benjamin Walker , Trystan Gravelle , Maxim Baldry , Sophia Nomvete , Ema Horvath , Nazanin Boniadi , Geoff Morrell , Peter Mullan , Sara Zwangobani , Lenny Henry , Leon Wadham , Dylan Smith , Thusitha Jayasundera , Maxine Cunliffe , Anthony Crum , Beau Cassidy , Joseph Mawle , Peter Tait , Sam Hazeldine , Bridie Sisson , Jed Brophy , Ciarán Hinds , Amelia Kenworthy , Kevin Eldon
- Character(s)
- Galadriel , Halbrand , Lord Celebrimbor , Nori Brandyfoot , The Stranger , Arondir , Poppy Proudfellow , Elrond , Glûg , Queen Regent Míriel , Captain Elendil , Prince Durin IV , Theo , Valandil , High King Gil-galad , Pharazôn , Isildur , Princess Disa , Eärien , Bronwyn , Waldreg , King Durin III , Marigold Brandyfoot , Sadoc Burrows , Kemen , Largo Brandyfoot , Malva , Vilma , Ontamo , Dilly Brandyfoot , Adar , Tredwill , The Dweller , Vrath , Dark Wizard , Mirdania , Narvi
- Release Date
- September 1, 2022
- Seasons
- 3
- Network
- Amazon Prime Video
- Writers
- Patrick McKay , John D. Payne , J.R.R. Tolkien , Justin Doble , Jason Cahill , Gennifer Hutchison , Stephany Folsom , Nicholas Adams
- Directors
- J.A. Bayona , Sanaa Hamri
- Showrunner
- John D. Payne , Patrick McKay , Louise Hooper , Charlotte Brändström , Wayne Yip