Return of the King’s End

JRR Tolkien’s epic trilogy culminates with the final defeat of Sauron at the end of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingBut his defeat did not technically result in his death. The trilogy follows Frodo and Sam as they journey to Mount Doom in Mordor, as this is the only way that the One Ring can be destroyed, and by extension, Sauron’s life force. Over thousands of years, the utterly evil Sauron has been defeated multiple times (such as when his body was destroyed by Isildur in Mt. Doom), but has never been far beyond resurgence.

While The return of the king Showed very little of what happened after that Lord of the Rings trilogy, it is clear that Sauron’s defeat at the end of Frodo’s journey was different from his other defeats. In this final defeat, it was impossible for him to ever return, so Gandalf left Middle Earth with his “WorkHowever, Sauron did not technically die when the Tower of Barad-Dûr fell, even if he was unable to ever regain physical form or influence others.

Sauron isn’t technically dead after Lord of the Rings

He is reduced to almost nothing

As depicted in Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy, when the One Ring is destroyed, the Eye of Sauron disappears in explosive fashion, destroying Barad-dûr and causing the Earth to swallow his armies in the process. Sauron was indeed reduced to almost nothing, however As an immortal being, his spirit can never truly die. He is no longer visible, can no longer evoke evil, or take physical form, but the being Sauron still exists in some form after the events of The return of the king.

Sauron is one of the Maiar, a group of immortal spirits which existed from before the foundation of the world. Including Sauron, there are a number of others named Maiar in Tolkien’s works; The five wizards, including Gandalf, are Major, as is Durin’s Bone, the Balrog that Gandalf battles in Hazard’s Doom. The Maiar were created to help the Valar, shape the Earth. Some of the Maiar, like Sauron, were corrupted by Melkor, a rebel Vala and the first Dark Lord. Given his divine origin, Sauron can never die, even if he is reduced to nothing.

The Rings of Power Season 2 shows how Sauron returns to physical form

The Rings of Power depicted Sauron’s rebirth

The rings of power Season 2 went into the detail of Sauron’s regenerative abilities, depicting his death and rebirth. The Rings of power Invented a storyline in which Morgoth’s forces were regrouping after the War of Wrath and one of the orc commanders (Adar) and orcs loyal to him turned on Sauron, being tired of his canon father. Sauron was betrayed and stabbed to death. His power flew from his body in a burst of energy that froze the land for miles around him and his body evaporated, leaving only a pool of his black blood, animated by his lingering spirit.

The orcs are dangerously unnoticed, Sauron’s blood drips to the foundations of the fortress and there slowly bubbled and crept, weak but prehensile, catching small insects as prey. Ingesting protein, slowly, the black tentacle creature grew until it had the strength to follow, capture, and consume a person. finally, Sauron was able to shift from his black wolf form into a second age beautiful form. This happened off-screen in a few seconds, but it was fairly physically strenuous for both Sauron and the man, judging by the noises that were made.

Why Sauron Can Never Return (Despite Not Dying)

His fate was tied to the One Ring

Sauron’s spirit still endures in some form after The return of the kingBut he can never again take a physical form like the Shadow Necromancer, or even a non-physical form like the Eye of Sauron. Thousands of years before Bilbo encountered him in Gollum’s cave, Sauron poured all his strength and power into the One Ringincluding most of his spirit with him. By doing so, he strengthened his own power, and therefore he was able to corrupt and control those who carried the other rings of power, as happened with the Nazgul.

When the One Ring was destroyed, there was so little left of Sauron that it was impossible for him to take a new form or use his spirit to stir up evil in the world, as he had done so many times before. His life force was completely diminished, leaving almost no trace of him in the world.Except for the weakest existence, because of his immortality. However, in the distant future of Middle-earth, Sauron may be reborn again.

One abandoned Tolkien story could have brought Sauron back

The epic Dagor Dagorath presents a possibility

At various points in his collected works, specifically in The SilmarillionTolkien references the Dagor Dagorath, who is referred to as “The end.” The Dagor Dagorath is said to be a great battle between good and evil What comes to pass at the end of the world. Drawing from the Norse Ragnarök and biblical Armageddon, the Dagor Dagorath would see Melkor return from his eternal imprisonment and lead the forces of evil in an all-encompassing battle against the Valar, which would come “When the world is old.“

In this final battle, it is possible that Sauron may return again to fight alongside Melkor Against the Valar. If the original Dark Lord himself can return and wield a power terrible enough to cause the breaking of the world, it stands to reason that he might be able to resurrect his most powerful allies, including Sauron. While the Dagor Dagorath is never comprehensively described or fleshed out in a full legend, it may be a vital way for Sauron to return after his final defeat in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.