The Rings of Power: Adar did not recognize Sauron because he had taken the physical form of Halbrand after his original physical form was killed before the events of season one.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has concluded its first season with season one, episode eight landing on Amazon Prime Video in October 2022.
The season finale confirmed the widespread speculation by fans that Halbrand was Sauron, and not so much Galadriel.
Galadriel’s late realisation came after many clues were right in front of her. One clue in particular was Halbrand/ Sauron’s animosity towards Adar when he could not recognize him.
This is because Adar was responsible for killing Sauron’s original physical form before the Dark Lord gathered the strength to return as Halbrand, a physical form that Adar could not recognize.
What The Lord of the Rings fans know that Adar does not know
In The Rings of Power, Adar believes that he had killed Sauron as he confessed in his interrogation with Galadriel.
Although, in the story, Galadriel did not believe that Adar could have killed the Dark Lord due to the fact that they had spent so long looking for him.
Fans who have read and watched other source material before watching the Amazon Prime Video original series would know that Sauron cannot die or be killed as he is a Maia, which is an immortal spirit. Moreover, some of J.R.R Tolkien’s writing does suggest that Sauron survives as the Spirit of Malice.
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The Rings of Power: Why did Adar not recognize Sauron?
The battle at the Southlands took place in season one, episode six of The Rings of Power. During the battle, Adar attempted to escape through horseback, which resulted in the confrontation between Halbrand and Adar after Halbrand tripped Adar’s horse.
After falling off his horse, Halbrand speared Adar’s hand as he, presumably, tried to reach out for his hilt.
Holding the spear against Adar’s neck, Halbrand then asked, “Do you remember me?” This was another indication for viewers that Halbrand may just be Sauron.
But in the story, when Adar did not seem to recognize him, he showed great emotion as he attempted to kill him, but was talked out of it by Galadriel. It is believed that he is so overwrought with emotions due to having a stake at the claim of Southlands.
During the heated interrogation between Galadriel and Adat, Adar explained how he believed that he killed the Dark Lord, claiming that he “split him open”.
Thereafter he asserted, “I killed Sauron”. But as fans of The Lord of the Rings-verse would know, Sauron cannot be completely destroyed, and Galadriel did not believe this due to how long they have been searching for the Dark Lord.
As such, Adar did not recognize Halbrand as Sauron as he had taken the physical form of a different man than the one Adar knew Sauron as. Therefore, Adar did not think that Halbrand was Sauron because in his mind, Sauron was dead.
Why would Halbrand want revenge on Adar?
From the way that Halbrand showed so much emotion upon finding Adar, it was clear that the two had history.
Galadriel, who, at the time, had intense chemistry with who she believed was the long-lost King of the Southlands, believed that it was because Adar previously killed his loved one. Specifically a child or wife, as again, she was smitten with Halbrand at the time.
However, Halbrand wanted to exact his revenge on Adar as he was responsible for destroying his original form while Sauron ruled over him and his children, the Orcs.
Why did Adar kill Sauron?
While Sauron was still in his original physical form, during the interrogation with Galadriel, Adar explained that he was attempting to “heal” Middle-earth by trying to master a power over the flesh.
But the Uruk in the Southlands eventually saw that his experiments to wield the power of the Unseen World resulted in the unnecessary deaths of his children, the Orcs.
In an effort to free his children and to create a safe home for them, Adar believed that he had killed Sauron when he split him open.
How did Adar and Halbrand’s confrontation change the Orcs’ backstory?
One aspect that The Rings of Power seemed to change for fans of the universe who have only watched The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series of films, is the backstory of the Orcs.
The previous canons have always depicted Orcs to seemingly belong to Sauron and to yield to his command.
But in The Rings of Power, we were finally able to see their backstory and to know that they were fathered by Adar, who loved them as a father should, which is evident in that he killed Sauron to protect them and make a safe home for them.
The upcoming season two is believed to be where we will find out how the change in “ownership” happened.