The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series took many liberties with J.R.R. Tolkien's literary work, and this upset many Middle-earth fans. One element concerning the Dark Lord Sauron particularly catches our attention and deserves reflection.
The Rings of Power: One Betrayal to Rule Them All
When we look at the way the different characters in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series are treated, it seems obvious that some characters have seen their character change compared to the work of the father of modern fantasy. This is the case, among others, of Galadriel who for some fans has become unbearable, notably because of some of her decisions considered completely stupid while she is supposed to be one of the wisest Elves in Middle-earth (yes, Galadriel is already several thousand years old at the period in which the series takes place). However, perhaps the most disturbing case is the Lord of the Rings himself.
Sauron is presented in this series as wanting to fix what is wrong in Middle-earth in his own way, certainly by manipulating and exterminating those who get in his way, but for the greater good of this world. Whereas in the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien this is not the case. Sauron has taken over from Morgoth and his one and only goal is to cause harm, by sowing chaos and desolation. We must not forget that Father Tolkien was a devout Christian and his character of Sauron is one of the faces of the quintessence of evil, as Satan can be in the Bible.
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, we find ourselves with a Sauron for whom we could almost find mitigating circumstances, because even if he does it haphazardly, he actually wants to do good in Middle-earth. An approach that totally betrays the literary work of J.R.R. Tolkien and raises questions about the treatment of villains in Hollywood fiction.By dint of wanting to bring nuance to all the films and series, Some antagonists suffer from this. A character like Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be very interesting with his convoluted motivations. The vast majority of the protagonists of Game of Thrones, who are far from black and white but rather gray with a part of light and a large part of darkness in each of them, are also fascinating. However, by trying to bring nuance to all the villains in all works of fiction, they lose their status as villains and become mere circumstantial antagonists.
When we look at the success of a series like The Penguin, we are entitled to ask ourselves the question: doesn't the public want a return to the fight between good and evil with fundamentally good characters and villains worthy of the name?While the series initially presents the various protagonists as villains who are perhaps not so bad, the development of the plot quickly makes us understand that they are all more rotten than each other. When the series ends, we only want one thing: for Batman to send them all to the hole for a long time. This DC series may mark the great return of fundamentally evil villains, and that is very positive. The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series, by wanting to follow the wind, has undoubtedly shot itself in the foot, in addition to betraying the entire purpose of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tell us in the comments section what you think of this treatment of the character of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and, more generally, of the approach to villains over the past number of years in Hollywood.
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