Few villains are scarier than the ones we cannot see. J.R.R. Tolkein knew this, which is why the Lord of the Rings novels never described the Dark Lord Sauron in any detail. We knew he had a body, and... that’s pretty much it. Peter Jackson’s original trilogy followed this rule as well; the films never revealed Sauron in flashbacks, instead showing us only his flaming eye at the top of Barad-dûr. Sadly, Amazon’s TV series Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has decided to squander all that mystique.
The Rings of Power has already shown Sauron in the flesh. During the Season 1 finale, we found out that Halbrand—a stranger from the Southland who has a very, erm, interesting relationship with Galadriel—is actually Sauron himself. In a Season 2 teaser released Tuesday, however, Amazon unveiled our big bad villain’s new wig, and frankly, it’s simply too much.
Sauron does not speak in this brief clip, but he does do a powerful energy thing with his hands. All morning, I’ve wondered why Amazon decided that Sauron should look more like a rejected Death Eater from Harry Potter than a formidable sorcerer who will one day subjugate all of Middle-earth, but then again, I guess you should never judge a book by its cover.
Last season, Halbrand had a shaggy, Faramir-coded brunette thing going on—wavy, chin-length hair, jaw-contouring stubble, and an appealing layer of grime. Here, however, he’s traded all of that in for long, blonde hair and a baby face that does nothing for his features. He’s got elf ears now, and he’s also apparently started wearing a foundation that’s about three shades too light for his face. If Instagram existed in this universe, the beauty influencers would be all over him.
We all know that Sauron is a shapeshifter, so this is more than likely not his true form. Then again, who would willingly choose the form we see in this teaser? The world wonders! This look might work for Orlando Bloom and Lee Pace, but it’s definitely not for everyone.
This month has been rife with Lord of the Rings content. Beyond this teaser, we also got the announcement that Warner Bros. plans to release the first of its new batch of LOTR movies, The Hunt for Gollum, in 2026. (Is anyone excited for it, though? That’s a separate question!) For those who just want more (and more and more and more) tales from Middle-earth, things have never looked better.
The second season of Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video Aug. 29.
