The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power : Is Halbrand actually Sauron?

Is Halbrand actually Sauron?

https://www.newsweek.com/halbrand-sauron-lord-rings-rings-power-clues-witch-king-angmar-1741102

He does seem like a bit of a douche.

1. Halbrand Wants To Stay in Númenor

Following their arduous journey across the Sundering Seas, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Halbrand are picked up by Elendil (Lloyd Owen), who brings them to the island nation of Númenor.

When they are brought to Queen Regent Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Galadriel tries to request safe passage back to Middle-earth, but Halbrand later tells her he wants to stay on the island.

The reason this suggests that Halbrand could be Sauron is because the villain was captured by Númenor and yet was able to use his cunning to climb the ranks and become advisor to King Ar-Pharazôn, manipulating him to the point where the island nation's fall was inevitable.

In the show Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle) is in Númenor at the time Halbrand arrives but does not yet appear to be king, and instead takes on an advisor role for Queen Regent Míriel.

If Halbrand were to stay in Númenor and Pharazôn were to become King, then he could well do what Sauron does in Tolkien's books.

2. He Takes an Immediate Interest in the Forge
Upon arriving in Númenor, Halbrand is instantly drawn to the forges and after the meeting with Queen Regent Míriel, goes to the forge to ask one of the leaders if he could start working there.

Famously, Sauron used a forge in the Elven city of Eregion to create the One Ring, having manipulated Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) into creating the Rings of Power while disguised with a "fair visage" and going by the name Annatar.

Of course, the forge in Númenor is not the one used by Sauron to make the One Ring, but the fact that Halbrand is so interested in it suggests that he could be the villain and is simply testing the waters.

3. Halbrand Has the Charm To Win Anyone Over
One thing's for sure, Halbrand knows how to talk to people in a way that will get them to work alongside him.

This is a weapon that Sauron often used to get his way in Middle-earth. He got Celebrimbor to create the Rings of Power not through threats but by appealing to him and his Elven smiths with his knowledge of the craft, secretly manipulating them to do his bidding.

4. His Name Is a Tricky Subject
Episode 3 also sees Halbrand chafe at being called by nicknames, or even the name Halbrand, while in Númenor.

When asked for his name by one of the island's residents, Halbrand simply says that the name he gives would depend on if they are friends.

This is certainly a subtle suggestion that Halbrand isn't really who he says he is, though there is one other explanation, as you'll see below.

Could Halbrand Become the Witch-King of Angmar?
There is a very strong argument to be made that Halbrand will actually become the Witch-king of Angmar rather than be revealed as Sauron, and all of the reasons listed above could well turn out to be a Red Herring.

The Witch-king is the leader of the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, iconic villains from The Lord of the Rings trilogy who were nine Kings of Men that became corrupted by Sauron once given their own rings of power.

They were servants of Sauron who became his followers in the Second Age of Middle-earth, and the Nazgûl continued to do his bidding in the Third Age during the War of the Ring, and they even tormented Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) on several occasions.

In Episode 3, Galadriel reveals that she believes Halbrand is a king from the Southlands after discovering a drawing of a royal sigil, the same one that is attached to the pouch he wears around his neck.

The elf claims that this explains his issue with being seen as a commoner because in reality he is a king, to which Halbrand quips he took the sigil "off a dead man."

Whether this is an attempt to avoid admitting he is king or actually a subtle reference to Sauron killing the real Halbrand and taking his form is yet be seen.

If it turns out that Halbrand really is the king of the Southlands then that means he is perfectly suited to becoming the Witch-king of Angmar, because, as he said, his ancestors swore a "blood oath to Morgoth" and that means he is likely to do the same for Sauron.

Halbrand also tells Galadriel that "the heir to this mark is heir to more than just nobility," which suggests he could be more susceptible to Sauron's manipulations and thus could easily be corrupted into becoming the Witch-king himself.

Re: Is Halbrand actually Sauron?

He will be some kind of villain. He appeared too mysteriously and is too sly to be a good character.

Re: Is Halbrand actually Sauron?

I dug that reveal very much.

Re: Is Halbrand actually Sauron?

I bet there's a twist to that!

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