After Adar told Galadriel that he killed Sauron in The Rings of Power Season 1, many fans didn’t believe him, but the Season 2 premiere proved his words true.
Adar made his debut early in The Rings of Power Season 1 and was established as the so-called father of the Orcs (his name translates to "father" in Sindarin (one of the languages of the Elves)).
The debut season also touched on another important aspect of the show that was further explored in the Season 2 premiere - Adar and Sauron are bitter rivals, and Adar even believes he killed Sauron at one point.
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Why Did Adar Kill Sauron?
Warning - The rest of this article contains spoilers for the premiere of The Rings of Power Season 2.
In the opening scene of The Rings of Power Season 2's premiere, Sauron is shown in Forodwaith with Adar and a group of Orcs.
This scene was set long before the events of The Rings of Power. Forodwaith was not yet covered by ice, and when the depths of a cave are shown after a noticeable time jump, the stalactites in the cave have grown immensely; those only grow around 0.13 millimeters per year (at least, in real life on Earth).
This means that the opening scene likely occurred sometime at the beginning of the Second Age after Morgoth’s defeat. Sauron, who at that point appeared in a different physical form played by Jack Lowden, claimed that he would essentially be Morgoth’s successor as the Dark Lord of Middle-earth.
Adar and the Orcs did not like this idea. One of the Orcs tried to sneak up on Sauron and stab him in the back, but he knew it was coming and killed the Orc.
Adar then grabbed Sauron’s crown and pretended to pledge his loyalty to him before turning the crown over and stabbing Sauron in the back with it.
After falling to the ground, dozens of Orcs took turns stabbing Sauron until he appeared lifeless. However, Adar gave him a bit of a nudge with his foot, resulting in a massive beam of light emitting from Sauron that froze all of Forodwaith.
Sauron’s black blood was then shown leaking into the depths of a cave below Durnost (the fortress Sauron and the others were in), and after a time jump, it was revealed that his spirit had been reduced to a black sludge without form.
The Rings of Power made it clear that Adar had killed Sauron. His physical body was completely gone, and he was left in an entirely weakened state. The question many fans now have, though, is why Adar chose to kill him.
It is important to remember who Adar once was to answer that question. Before he was the father of Orcs, Adar was an elf. In Season 1, Galadriel suspected that Adar could have been one of the Moriondor.
The Moriondor (Quenya for "Sons of the Dark") were the first generation of Elves corrupted by Morgoth and then turned into Orcs. That would explain why Adar still looks rather normal and is more intelligent than other Orcs.
Assume Adar is one of the Moriondor. It isn't like he willingly came to Morgoth and Sauron's side to serve them. Instead, he was more of a servant.
That fact alone would explain why Adar has so much hatred for Sauron. He not only corrupted him and turned him into something vile, evil, and unnatural, but he also enslaved him.
Another big reason that Adar wanted to kill Sauron was how Sauron treated the other Orcs. Being a Maia, Sauron felt he was far superior to the Orcs and any other beings of Middle-earth.
Therefore, as explained in Season 1, Sauron performed experiments on the Orcs in Durnost to tap into the unseen world.
These experiments often resulted in what was more or less torture until the Orcs were killed. Adar thought of himself as the father of those Orcs, so he despised Sauron for his cruelty toward his "children."
A lot of characters in The Lord of the Rings franchise desire power. Adar is no exception, as he has expressed interest in ruling Mordor, but his hatred for Sauron wasn't due to coveting his position as the Dark Lord.
At its core, Adar's hatred came from Sauron cruelly torturing the Orcs and even Adar himself since he and Morgoth corrupted Adar years before. So, seeing his opportunity, Adar chose to kill Sauron to rid himself and his Orcs of having to serve someone so evil.
The Future of Adar & Sauron's Rivalry
Since Adar killed Sauron, the two characters have come face-to-face several times. However, Adar has not recognized Sauron since he took on a different physical form (Halbrand).
Sauron teased Adar the first time they met since Adar killed the Dark Lord, asking Adar if he remembered him. Of course, Adar did not, and, as of Season 2, is still under the impression that Sauron is gone.
At some point in The Rings of Power, Adar will figure out that Sauron is alive, and the two will meet again.
Since Sauron lives on, Adar will have to die at some point, but many fans will undoubtedly be interested to see how Adar will react to being in the presence of the Dark Lord again.
Adar may even break the chains Sauron and Morgoth have brought on him and make an ultimate turn to good. After all, he and his Orcs despise Sauron as much as anyone, so they may join forces with the protagonists to fight against him.
The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and new episodes are released every Thursday at 3 a.m. ET.
Read more about The Rings of Power:
The Stranger's Gandalf Connections Deepen In Rings of Power Season 2
The Elves’ Three Rings of Power Explained: What Do They Do?
Rings of Power S2 Episode 3 Ending Explained: Ar-Pharazon and the Eagle
Sauron’s Annatar Form Explained, Who is the ‘Lord of Gifts’?
