The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunner JD Payne provided more details on what viewers can expect from the upcoming second season and revealed that the show will depict Sauron believing he “is the hero of his own story.”

Charlie Vickers as Sauron entering Mordor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming second season, actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson, who plays Queen Regent Miriel confirmed the season is about the villains.

She informed the outlet, “If season 1 was like the heroes’ journey, season 2 is the villains’ journey.”

Cynthia Addai-Robinson as Queen Regent Míriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Prime Video

Charlie Vickers, who plays Sauron, shared how this will play out, “From a storytelling perspective, instead of trying to guess who Sauron is, we’re now inside his mind.”

“In the past, the camera would cut away from him when he had his private thoughts. Now the camera follows him through those thoughts. The audience is in on it, which I think is quite fun,” he elaborated.

Charlie Vickers as Annatar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Prime Video

Payne then explained how the show will depict Sauron, “In Sauron’s mind, he’s the hero of his own story.”

“His idea of himself is that he wants to heal and rehabilitate Middle-earth. He’s got a very clear vision for how it should be done, and the only problem is other people keep on getting in the way,” he explained.

Charlie Vickers as Annatar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios

In a letter to Milton Waldman, which is published within The Silmarillion, Tolkien explained just who Sauron is and what his motivations are and how he becomes so evil. Tolkien wrote, “In the Silmarillion and Tales of the First Age Sauron was a being of Valinor perverted to the service of the Enemy and becoming his chief captain and servant. He repents in fear when the First Enemy is utterly defeated, but in the end does not do as was commanded, return to the judgement of the gods.”

“He lingers in Middle-earth. Very slowly, beginning with fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth, ‘neglected by the gods’, he becomes a re-incarnation of Evil, and thing lusting for Complete Power — and so consumed ever more fiercely with hate (especially of gods and Elves),” Tolkien added.

Charlie Vickers as Annatar in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios

In The Silmarillion proper, Tolkien wrote, “When Thangorodrim was broken and Morgoth overthrown, Sauron put on his fair hue again and did obeisance to Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and abjured all his evil deeds. And some hold that this was not at first falsely done, but that Sauron in truth repented, if only out of fear, being dismayed by the fall of Morgoth and the great wrath of the Lords of the West.”

After he was commanded to return to Aman and receive judgement, he refused because he “was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation and to receive from the Valar a sentence, it might be, of long servitude in proof of his good faith; for under Morgoth his power had been great. Therefore when Eönwë departed he hid himself in Middle-earth; and he fell back into evil, for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong.”

Charlie Vickers as Annatar; Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios

Tolkien would later detail, “Seeing the desolation of the world, Sauron said in his heart that the Valar, having overthrown Morgoth, had again forgotten Middle-earth; and his pride grew apace. He looked with hatred on the Eldar, and he feared the Men of Númenor who came back at whiles in their ships to the shores of Middle-earth; but for long he dissembled his mind and concealed the dark designs that he shaped in his heart.”

“Men he found the easiest to sway of all the people of the Earth; but long he sought to persuade the Elves to his service, for he knew that the Firstborn had the greater power; and he went far and wide among them, and his hue was still of one both fair and wise. … Sauron took to himself the name of Annatar, the Lord of Gifts, and they had at first much profit from his friendship.”

Tolkien went on to explain that Sauron convinced the Elves of Eregion to join his cause by sharing a desire to care for and enrich Middle-earth, but it was a lie to bring them under his sway. Tolkien explained, “Sauron guided their labours, and he was aware of all that they did; for his desire was to set a bond upon the Elves and to bring them under his vigilance.”

Sam Hazeldine as Adar; Morfydd Clark as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Prime Video

On top of how the show will depict Sauron, Entertainment Weekly’s Christian Holub detailed that Sauron’s entire purpose of working with the Elves has been changed from Tolkien’s original writing. No longer will he hold hatred in his heart for the Elves and convinces them to accept him by wanting to rehabilitate Middle-earth. Instead, Sauron seeks the Elves aid so he can depose Adar who “kicked out his old boss leaving Sauron temporarily homeless.”

Holub adds, “Sauron has tried to compensate for that loss by making new friends among the elves. He may have failed in his attempt to sway Galadriel, but he still needs help to enact his master plan — and one elf in particular is uniquely equipped to provide it.” That elf being Celebrimbor.

Sam Hazeldine as “Adar” (left) in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios

The entire relationship between Celebrimbor and Sauron will also be altered. Actor Charles Edwards explains how the two will be portrayed in the second season, “Celebrimbor has the ability, and Sauron has the vision.”

He elaborated, “It’s an interesting give-and-take, which often happens in these kinds of relationships where they both need each other badly. As you’ll see, it plays out in a very interesting way. It’s something so personal and psychological that is playing out against the backdrop of Middle-earth and the epic scale that you would expect from The Lord of the Rings.”

Charlie Vickers as Sauron; Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Prime Video

In Unfinished Tales: The Lost Lore of Middle-Earth, Tolkien described that Sauron is clearly manipulating Celebrimbor and it is not the symbiotic relationship that Edwards describes.

Tolkien wrote, “Sauron had better fortune with the Noldor of Eregion and especially with Celebrimbor, who desired in his heart to rival the skill and fame of Fëanor.”

He added, “Sauron used all his arts upon Celebrimbor and his fellow-smiths, who had formed a society or brotherhood, very powerful in Eregion, the Gwaith-i-Mírdain; but he worked in secret, unknown to Galadriel and Celeborn. Before long Sauron had the Gwaith-i-Mírdain under his influence, for at first they had great profit from his instruction in secret matters of their craft. So great became his hold on the Mírdain that at length he persuaded them to revolt against Galadriel and Celeborn and to seize power in Eregion; and that was some time between 1350 and 1400 of the Second Age.”

Furthermore, Tolkien noted, “Now Celebrimbor was not corrupted in heart or faith, but had accepted Sauron as what he posed to be; and when at length he discovered the existence of the One Ring he revolted agianst Sauron, and went to Lórinand to take counsel once more with Galadriel.”

Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios

What do you make of Payne’s comments and this revelation that Sauron’s motivations, his relationship with Celebrimbor, and his characterization in general are being completely changed in the second season of The Rings of Power?