Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 3 of The Rings of Power.The true face of evil has not yet revealed itself in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Although we’re over nearly halfway through the first season of Prime Video’s J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation, we’ve only seen glimpses of the dark lord Sauron’s symbol. Considering that The Rings of Power is on a five-season trajectory, it makes sense that the new generation of heroes will have to face off against some other antagonists. One of the new villains in the series reveals himself in the third episode, the former Elf known as “Adar” (Joseph Mawle).

In “Adrift,” Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) is abducted by a battalion of Orcs in the Southlands. The Elven military forces had removed themselves from their role protecting the area, where they were supposedly monitoring humans for suspicious activities. Arondir and a group of captive Elves are forced to construct a series of tunnels. After he fails to lead the other captives in an attempted breakout, Arondir is brought before the enigmatic leader of the Orcs, an imposing figure known as “Adar."

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What Are Adar's Origins?

Joseph Mawle as Adar in The Rings of Power
Image via Amazon Studios

Initially, Arondir suspects that Adar might be another name for Sauron himself. In Tolkien’s mythology, Sauron experiments on many of the biological creatures within Middle-earth to create his monstrous creatures and armies. We see a brief glimpse of this breeding process in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In the Silvan Elvish language "Adar" is Sindarin for "father." Adar is the father of the Orcs, in a sense.

Tolkien’s novels give a few different potential origin stories for the Orcs themselves, but The Rings of Power puts the creation of these creatures in a new context. Adar argues that the Orcs have the same rights as every other living creature in Middle-earth. He's been using them to dig underground tunnels within the Southlands to create Mordor itself, thus giving his "children" a home. His plot is first discovered by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) when she examines the symbol in the Númenórean Hall of Law. She discovers that the sigil itself is actually a map of the Southlands, and inspires the Númenórean sailors to sail with her to defend their world.

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Image via Prime Video

The sixth episode reveals Adar's origins. After his armies are defeated, Adar is captured by Galadriel, who demands that Halbrand (Charlie Vickets) leave their opponent alive. Adar reveals that he was captured by Morgoth during the Year of Trees, and was tortured by the dark lord. He became one of the very first Orcs within Middle-earth, and possesses both the powers of an Orc and an Elf. It's also suggested that Adar may have been involved in the death of Halbrand's family.

Adar may have been captured, but this was all part of his plan. As the humans and Elves celebrate their victory, the land is swept with water and magma burns beneath the surface after Walgred (Geoff Morrell) plunges a sword into a mechanism.

What is Adar's goal?

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During the opening moments of the sixth episode, Adar reveals his true intentions to the Orcs. He tells them they will "cast off" their shackles, which presumably means a rebellion against Sauron. He mentions both "Eren Mithrin" and "Ephel Arnen," which refer to the Grey Mountains and the Ephel Dúath range, respectively. This would explain why they've been able to travel covertly through Middle-earth.

Adar proves to be slightly more empathetic during his conversation with Galadriel. He's simply trying to find a home for the Orcs, and doesn't appear to be a big fan of Sauron himself. Both Sauron and Morgoth treat the Orcs as meaningless pawns, but Adar gives each of his soldiers a name.

Adar is an original character created for the series. Under the current rights agreement, Amazon Studios only has the rights to use characters, events, and locations from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. This means that any stories that exclusively appear in Tolkien’s other books (such as The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, or The Children of Húrin) cannot appear in The Rings of Power.

The Rings of Power has a plethora of source material to draw from, but it also has the potential to add something new to this beloved universe. It’s exciting to see events, characters, and stories that are referenced in The Lord of the Rings, but if the show really does span five seasons, we will hopefully get some surprises as well. Adar is one of the most interesting new characters on the show thus far. It will be fascinating to see if we get any more details about his origins in the rest of the first season.