Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of The Rings of Power.This week's episode of The Rings of Power, "Doom," brought us a mountain of revelations. Literally. Among exciting battles and the birth of Mount Doom, the true identity of one of the most mysterious characters of the series so far, Adar (Joseph Mawles), was revealed. Since he first appeared in the show in the third episode, his real purpose and character were the subject of speculation throughout the internet. Now, we finally know, and Adar is... Adar. He is his own character, with his own purpose to fulfill in the now ashen lands in the south of Middle-earth.

The moment he revealed himself was powerful, albeit not for the information itself. Adar was being interrogated by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), and both of them were engaged in an exchange of veiled insults and jabs that was elevated by both of their actors' performances. He is then revealed to be one of the Moriondor, Elves who were captured and tortured by Morgoth himself until they lost their very essence and turned to darkness. No longer Elves, they are now a whole new species called Urûk, known as the first race of Orcs. That's why he still bears his Elvish features and can withstand sunlight, and is also the reason the other Orcs call him "father."

The episode itself was packed with action, but Adar's reveal was not among the highlights. With so many possibilities bound to J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium, Adar being just himself was not a let-down in any way, it's actually the best thing for him to be. Let's see why.

Who Were the Possible Identities of Adar?

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Adar's identity was a huge source of excitement among the fans of Lord of the Rings, with many possible identities being thrown around. The first and most obvious connection was the Dark Lord himself, Sauron. Adar was not heavily marketed, having appeared only in posters and never with his face, only his left hand (the one covered by black armor) and sword. The fact that his name also means "father" in Quenya was also taken as a sign, as Sauron is the one Orcs obey. But when Adar punished Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) for mistaking him for Sauron, that thesis lost most of its force, leaving it for other characters.

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There were other possibilities, though. Lord of the Rings is filled with tragic stories, lots of them concerning Elves. One of those tells the tale of Maglor, one of the Sons of Feänor, and one of the speculated identities for Adar. This name is familiar for those who watch The Rings of Power, as Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) holds Feänor's Hammer in his study in the realm of Eregion. He was the greatest of Elvensmiths, forging three gems of unspoken beauty, the Silmarils. Feänor had many sons, and they all vowed to defeat Morgoth and retake their father's gems. They were responsible for many bloody affairs, including the genocide of the Teleri Elves, so being part of that family is not really a sign of good character. By the end of all that bloody affair against Morgoth, only two of the Sons of Feänor remained: Maedhros and Maglor. They recovered two of the Silmarils, but the gems have an interesting property: they burn the hands of evil beings who hold them. Needless to say, Maedhros and Maglor had their hands burnt and, while the first son committed suicide after that, Maglor threw his Silmaril in the sea, and is said to wander the shores of Middle-earth singing songs of anger and regret.

The third possibility was also related to the Elves: it was Maeglin, one of the worst traitors in Middle-earth's history. He lived in the hidden Elvish realm of Gondolin. Morgoth sought its location for centuries, but was only able to find it after Maeglin surrendered its location after being rejected by Idril, an Elf who was in love with a Human, Tuor. He was eventually thrown to his death by fire during the Fall of Gondolin, but many argued Adar's scars could be related to him being burned. Now we know it isn't that.

Why Is It Important for Adar to Be His Own Character?

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Image via Prime Video

Nowadays, there is an almost insatiable hunger for lore among the fans of nearly every major franchise of property in pop culture. We see a character we don't know much about and immediately start to speculate who they could "really" be. Star Wars, for example, has suffered a lot on that front, with fans historically going so viciously after the decision of making characters their own people, that now most of its lore inevitably ends up going back to the Skywalker family.

The Rings of Power has a vast lore to draw from if it wants. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay could have easily opted to bring a familiar character back. They could have sprung that self-laid trap, but averted it successfully. Of course, it would be cool to see an actual Son of Feänor or someone who was directly involved in the Fall of Gondolin, but those two chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium don't really fit in The Rings of Power. It would require another layer of research in an already deeply cut series, confusing most of the viewers who are not all that familiar with the franchise.

Adar being Adar shows how committed Payne and McKay are to bringing new, original and fresh additions to Tolkien lore. Adar being simply an Urûk expands the show's own world and also the Legendarium itself, as Orcs are not really something so well-developed. Although his reasons and goals are ultimately evil, Adar's argument with Galadriel actually does make some sense, and him being one of the first Orcs is perfectly aligned with that.

And, also, in terms of storytelling, Adar opens many possibilities for the show going forward. While most of us were expecting Sauron to be the villain from the start, that would be delivering what we wanted way too soon. There are still many seasons left, and now we may see the Dark Lord being properly introduced, perhaps even with a thirst for revenge against Adar... If what he said about their skirmish was true, of course.

The Connection to Peter Jackson's Trilogy and Previous Tolkien Lore

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Even though The Rings of Power is proving to be a very self-sufficient series and Adar's reveal definitely contributes to that, it's inevitable to compare it to Peter Jackson's movie trilogies, the other big Lord of the Rings property around. The influence is clear, with most of the Elvish and Dwarfish aesthetic coming from Jackson's films.

Now, another tie is the word "Urûk" itself, a reference to the Urûk-hai. Of course, the Urûk-hai were not specific to the movies, they were created by Tolkien and incorporated into the feature adaptation. This breed of monster is the result of crossing Orcs with Humans, resulting in beings that are as vicious and strong as Orcs, but as intelligent and sunlight-proof as Humans.

It's still unclear what part this new species may play in the future of the show or even if they inspired or are directly connected to the future rise of the Urûk-hai. What we know is that, despite not being anybody's son, Adar is father to all the Orcs we've seen so far, and this is just as important.