The biggest question on everyone's minds since Amazon dropped the first episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is, who is Sauron? From the first moment we see her, the Elven warrior Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is hot on the pursuit of the Dark Lord, hoping to finally find revenge for her brother's brutal death in Sauron's own. On the other side of the Middle-Earth map, the people of the Southlands, including the Silvan Elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), have been raided by an army of Orcs who hope to conquer these lands that once belonged to Sauron's own master Morgoth. This is all juxtaposed with the introduction of the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) who fell from the sky like a comet, only to be pursued by what seem to be acolytes of Sauron.

Despite being the biggest driving force of The Rings of Power, and being the ultimate big bad of The Lord of the Rings story, the Dark Lord is nowhere to be found. Or, so you'd think. Long-time fans of J.R.R. Tolkien, aren't so sure, and many have pondered for weeks over which of the lead characters could be Sauron. In the process, the mystery surrounding the Dark Lord has become something of a meme, which has kept the series in the cultural zeitgeist for weeks now, so it seems that in this case, any publicity is good publicity. Yet, over halfway through this first season, we still don't have an answer to the pulse-pounding question.

Though there's no definitive Sauron just yet, here are a few characters who might be the Dark Lord, and a few who most likely aren't.

Is Halbrand Sauron or a Nazgûl?

The guy everyone loves to hate, Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) is something of an enigma. Seemingly the true king of the Southlands who abandoned his people after an unspeakable evil, Halbrand met up with Galadriel in the middle of the sea after a "sea-dragon" destroyed the vessel he sailed on. Though he was known initially for his cowardice, he has since shown moments of bravery and courage that make him a compelling character to watch.

His strange relationship with Galadriel aside, Halbrand doesn't seem to trust anyone and instead opts to use those around him to get what he wants. A man from the Southlands, many thought he'd be a viable candidate for the Dark Lord upon the show's premiere, but as the first season ventures on it seems less than likely. But that's not to say that Halbrand won't suffer some dark fate, as many fans hope to see him turn out to be the infamous leader of the Nazgûl, the Witch-King of Angmar.

For others, Halbrand's initial cowardice and rebellion from his royal duty might be seen as a precursor to his potential role as the King of the Dead (formerly known as the King of the Mountains) who Aragorn summons to fulfill his broken oath to his ancestors in The Return of the King. Whether he's the Ghost King or the Witch-King, or neither one of them, Halbrand is most likely not Sauron, though there's still potential for a plot twist later on.

Is The Stranger a Wizard or a Dark Lord?

Okay, so he's most likely Gandalf, or at least some other Istari Wizard who has arrived in Middle-Earth to help battle against the darkness, but after "Partings" the Stranger seems to be a solid candidate. Tolkien is well-known for his Christian faith and once declared his high-fantasy epic a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work." Though The Rings of Power itself isn't written by Tolkien, it would stand to reason that his influence, even a religious one, might still be a part of this work "fundamentally."

When we first meet the Stranger, he falls like a meteor from the heavens (hence his common fan nickname "Meteor Man"). Seemingly one of the Istari, which in Tolkien's world are essentially angels from Middle-Earth's creator Eru Ilúvatar, the Stranger falls to Earth in fire, which doesn't burn. We know from Tolkien's works that the fire demon Balrogs were originally Maiar spirits, of similar (if not the same) origin as the Wizards. This means that in The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf faces off against one of his own kind in the Mines of Moria. Or, at least a distant cousin.

Fallen star symbology is often associated with fallen angels in Christianity, which could be a clue. If the Stranger is in fact a villain, it's possible he's a Balrog rather than Sauron himself. Though, it is worth noting that Sauron is also a Maia (singular of Maiar), which means that this confused Stranger could be the Lord of Darkness meant to plague Middle-Earth. Though, this all seems unlikely given his pure relationship with the Harfoots, which seems to be genuine. But time will tell!

Adar

Maybe the most obvious choice at this point, Adar (Joseph Mawle) is a Dark Elf, one often called "father" by his Orc children, implying maybe he is Sauron. Though the origin of the Orcs is up for debate, some believe they're corrupted descendants of Elves, others believe they're descendants of corrupted Men, though it's possible that neither of these theories are true. What is true is that they always serve an evil Dark Lord, be it Morgoth, Sauron, or now Adar.

Adar shows up in the third episode, also called "Adar," and reveals that he is in charge of the Orcs working to take the Southlands for their own. We know from The Silmarillion that Sauron does appear during the Second Age disguised as an Elf, one who shows Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards) how to accurately forge the Rings of Power. Though he's known as "Annatar" in Tolkien's work, maybe that's not a name he's willing to use just yet. Maybe Adar and Annatar are one-in-the-same.

Of course, in "Partings," Adar gets aggressive when he's called Sauron by the people of the Southlands pledging their allegiance, but rather than kill the old fool, he makes him kill one of his own to prove his loyalty. We know from the books that Sauron doesn't share power, so if Adar is not the Dark Lord, he's most likely working alongside him with hopes to usurp Sauron and take his place, just like Saruman had hoped to do himself. The jury's still out on this one!

The Dweller

The most unlikely of options here, the Dweller (Bridie Sisson) is still worth mentioning, if not solely for the acolytes' ties to the Dark Lord. Known as The Mystics, this strange trio is on the trail of the Stranger, seemingly knowing exactly who, or what, he is. Whether the Dweller is trying to capture the Harfoots' unexpected protector or reveal his origins with hopes to serve is currently unclear, though we suspect we'll learn a lot more soon.

According to Tolkien's own works, Morgoth and Sauron had acolytes who continued to follow and worship these Dark Lords even from afar. This dark religion, which practiced child sacrifice, would eventually be brought across the Great Sea to Númenor, which would factor into the Kingdom of Men's final destruction. That said, it's unlikely that the Dweller is Sauron himself, but rather some strange disciple hoping to appeal to the Dark Lord.

With half of the Southlanders now serving the shadow kingdom of Adar and the introduction of The Mystics, it seems that Sauron worship is becoming a more popular trend throughout Middle-Earth. It would be unsurprising at this point if we began to see the hearts of the Men of Númenor corrupted as well, especially since, in Tolkien's works, that is their eventual fate.

None of the Above

Of all the possible candidates for who Sauron could be on The Rings of Power, perhaps the most notable, and likely, is that none of them are. Maybe Sauron is out there in the darkness biding his time. Maybe he's invisibly whispering in the ears of Celebrimbor and Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) with possible lies about the end of the Elves. Or maybe he's hiding in plain sight, as another character who we have yet to suspect. There are countless theories out there.

One of the most compelling though is that Sauron is unable to cross over from the unseen realm. Rather, he needs the sword that Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) found to cross over, spilling lots of blood in the process. It's possible that Sauron has been around this entire time, we just could not see him. Admittedly, there's very little to go on with this theory, but in connecting the mysterious sword with the Orc experiments that Galadriel found in his icy northern fortress in "A Shadow of the Past," it certainly seems possible, maybe even likely.

Who is Sauron? Right now, we don't know, but there are lots of possibilities and theories out there hoping to put these pieces together. Like Galadriel, many of us are anxious to be reacquainted with the Dark Lord, if not just to see what his role in The Rings of Power will be. Sauron wore plenty of different hats throughout Tolkien's tales of the Second Age, and it's about time we begin to discover which one he's wearing now.

The first five episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are streaming now on Prime Video. New episodes become available every Friday.