Origin, Morgoth Connection and Death

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Origin, Morgoth Connection and Death

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced a handful of original characters, and a standout among them is Adar, the father of the Orcs. Played by Joseph Mawle in Rings of Power season 1 and Sam Hazeldine in season 2, Adar allowed a unique perspective on Orcs in the Lord of the Rings derived series. Although he was evil himself, he presented a more sympathetic view of the monsters of Middle-earth. Unfortunately, Adar already met a tragic end in Rings of Power Season 2, but it’s worth exploring who this character was and how he fit into Tolkien’s canon.

Adar was considered the father of Orcs in Rings of Powerand his main aim was to provide them with a home in Middle-earth. They were little more than expendable soldiers during Morgoth’s reign, but the Dark Lord’s fall created an opportunity for Adar to forge a new path. To achieve his goal, Adar waged war with the people of the Southlands to gain access to Mount Doom, causing the volcanic mountain to erupt and cover the land with ash and smoke to block out the sun. From there, Adar intended to eliminate the Orcs’ greatest threat, Sauron. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out for him in Rings of Power.

Adar was originally an elf, but Morgoth corrupted him

Adar was a Moriondor


Sam Hazeldine as Adar in his righteous elf form in season 2 of The Rings of Power (2024)

The events of Rings of Power the first season revealed that Adar was once an elf – one of the first to live in Middle-earth before there was even a sun in the sky to count the years. It was at this time that Morgoth began to exercise his power in Middle-earth, and he captured some of these early Elves and corrupted them until they became something entirely new. In Rings of Power In Season 2, Adar stated that Morgoth had made promises to those who came with him, and in this specific case of the Elf, he was promised children.

Although the exact methods Morgoth used to torment Elves like Adar were never explicitly stated, it Rings of Power character noted that he was tortured, tied up and abandoned. Just as Adar reached the peak of all he could handle, Sauron appeared with wine. Something in this drink twisted the Elf from the inside out and turned him into one of the first Orcs. Galadriel referred to Adar’s species as “Moriondor“, which means “Children of the Dark” in the elven language Quenya.

Why Adar is the father of the Orcs of the Rings of Power

Adar would be an ancestor of many of the Orcs in Rings Of Power

After Morgoth’s cruel experiments, Adar became one of the first Orcs. However, not all Orcs in The Lord of the Rings They were once Elves. After the Dark Lord had his first batch of monsters, they reproduced in the same way as Elves and Men to reproduce. In this way, Morgoth fulfilled his promise to Adar: he had children, who over the next thousands of years continued to reproduce and multiply. So while Adar didn’t technically spawn all the Orcs Rings of Powerhe and the other invisible Moriondor were his direct ancestors.

Also, Adar was the father of the Orcs in Rings of Power because he took on that role, and they accepted it.

Furthermore, Adar was the father of the Orcs in Rings of Power because he took on this role and they accepted it. Adar was concerned about the well-being of his many descendants and did everything he could to provide them with safety and protection. So even though he had a different name like Elf, Adar was a name he got because it meant “father“in the Sindarin language.

Adar’s reason for turning against Sauron explained

Adar knew the Orcs had a dark future with Sauron


Adar and Sauron in Rings of Power

Rings of Power it never shows what the lives of Adar and the Orcs were like under Morgoth’s rule. However, the beginning of Season 2 showed the state of his people after the fall of the Dark Lord, as Sauron attempted to rise as the new dark leader of the Orcs. Sauron was Morgoth’s first lieutenant, but his plan for Middle-earth differed significantly from his masters’. He did not desire destruction for the sake of destruction, but instead sought to purge Middle-earth and rebuild it in his own way”perfect” project. In the end, this design didn’t really include Orcs.

During his speech in Rings of Power In Season 2, Sauron made it clear that he saw the Orcs as a disposable force and would use them to achieve his goals and leave them with nothing. Because Adar wanted security for his people, he immediately recognized that Sauron was not the leader they needed. Then, he led a coup against Sauronstabbing the Rings of Power villain with the reforged crown of Morgoth.

What Adar Wanted in the Rings of Power

Adar’s goals in the rings of power explained


Adar allies with Galadriel against Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2, Episode 8
Image via Prime Video

Adar’s overall goal was to protect the Orcs and provide them with a place to live under their own rule. However, in Rings of Powerhe realized that Sauron would continue to prevent this. The Orcs had their home in Mordor, but the moment Adar suspected that Sauron was still alive and learned of his location, he became obsessed with taking down the Dark Lord. For this reason, he ordered the Orcs to leave Mordor and march to Eregion, where they besieged the city to extract and kill Sauron – this time permanently with the help of Galadriel’s Ring, Nenya.

Is Adar good after using Nenya in Rings Of Power Season 2?

Adar changed after putting on Galadriel’s power ring


Adar holding Nenya in The Rings of Power season 2 (2024)

Adar attempted to assassinate Sauron after the fall of Morgoth, but the power of the Iron Crown was not enough to extinguish the villain’s essence. However, after hearing about the Elven Rings of Power forged by Celebrimbor, Adar believed he could actually kill Sauron with Galadriel’s Ring. He managed to steal Nenya after tricking Galadriel into placing the thing and then harnessing its power. However Nenya has the power to banish darkness and with the Ring on her finger, Adar was temporarily purged of Morgoth’s evil.

Nenya brought clarity to Adar, and he seemed to understand that his decision to attack Eregion was misguided. He promised Galadriel that he would leave with the Orcs and never again make war in Middle-earth. Still, Adar wasn’t necessarily good. He did not want to abandon the Orcs and return to being an Elf, and willingly took Nenya away and allowed himself to be taken back by Morgoth’s evil. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to fully understand what this meant for Adar’s morality, as he was betrayed and murdered by the Orcs immediately afterwards.

How Adar Fits into Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Canon

Adar is an original character inspired by Tolkien Lore


Lord of the Rings Aragorn Galadriel
Custom image by Yeider Chacon

Some of Tolkien’s notes described the origin of Orcs, and one version outlined how Morgoth captured and corrupted the first Elves, turning them into the first Orcs who then bred and multiplied.

Adar was never a character mentioned in Tolkien’s work The Lord of the Rings or other works set in Middle-earth. However, the idea for this character was technically conceived by the author of the fantasy. Some of Tolkien’s notes described the origin of Orcs, and one version outlined how Morgoth captured and corrupted the first Elves, turning them into the first Orcs who then bred and multiplied. However, the author was never very happy with this interpretation as this would mean that Orcs were inherently evilI—an idea he did not believe in for his works.

Why Adar Was Betrayed By His Own Orcs In Rings Of Power Season 2

Adar’s Tragic Fate Explained


The army of Uruks kills their leader, Adar, in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Season 2, Episode 8
Image via Prime Video

Just as Adar decided he would leave Eregion and bring his children back to the peace and safety of Mordor, he was attacked and killed by the very Orcs he sought to protect. This happened, of course, because of Sauron’s manipulation, but the seeds of this betrayal were sown by Adar himself long before his Orcs confronted the Dark Lord in the forge of Celebrimbor. The father of the Orcs was so determined to eliminate Sauron that he himself began to treat them like disposable soldiers. The Orcs saw this as a betrayal Rings of Power and began to serve a new master.

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