Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episode 4.
Sauron is by far the biggest mystery in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and episode 4 ("The Great Wave") drops three massive hints as to where he's currently hiding. One cannot tell a Second Age story set in Middle-earth without Sauron playing a significant role, but Amazon's The Rings of Power is having great fun keeping its audience guessing where and when the Dark Lord will appear. Because Sauron hasn't been glimpsed for centuries following Morgoth's defeat (and because he can still shapeshift at this point), it's impossible to know in which guise The Lord of the Rings' villain could appear.
The Rings of Power has teased three main suspects in the Sauron identity mystery: the Meteor Man discovered by Nori the Harfoot, the mysterious Halbrand, and the dark villain known as Adar currently invading the Southlands. There's evidence to support all three. Meteor Man's magic has twice caused injury/death, Halbrand made an ominous "looks can be deceiving" comment in his first appearance, and The Rings of Power explicitly suggested "Adar" could be one of Sauron's many pseudonyms.
Episode 4 advances The Rings of Power's Sauron mystery on all fronts, dropping three big clues that each add weight to Meteor Man, Halbrand and Adar as potential alter egos of the Dark Lord. Here's every Sauron hint from "The Great Wave" explained.
Waldreg Believes Meteor Man IS Sauron
Among all the Sauron suspects in Amazon's The Rings of Power, Meteor Man is arguably the most convincing thus far. Falling mysteriously from the sky with no memory, this stranger is a magical being with hidden dark intentions, and his arrival caused a blackened leaf to float from a tree in Lindon. The plot thickens in the final moments of The Rings of Power episode 4 when Waldreg discusses the Dark Lord's return with young Theo. Not even trying to avoid creepiness, Waldreg asks Theo if he's heard of Sauron, claims the villain is destined to return, and ominously utters, "You must've seen it in the skies... it means his time is near."
Waldreg evidently possesses deeper knowledge about Sauron and the forces of darkness than a humble tavern owner should. He was, after all, hiding a magical black sword hilt in his barn. If, as Waldreg claims, a man falling from the sky represents the return of Sauron to Middle-earth, it's logical to assume that the man doing said falling is Sauron himself. That would certainly fit with the hints of darkness surrounding Meteor Man, and maybe the stars he asked Nori to find will lead toward the Southlands, where Adar's minions are currently busy preparing for their master's arrival.
Halbrand Acts Like Sauron On Númenor
The Rings of Power is rarely prone to clarity, and as much as Waldreg sounds pretty certain the man falling from the sky was Sauron, episode 4 continues to make a case that Halbrand is actually The Lord of the Rings' future villain. When locked up in a cell next to Galadriel, Halbrand offers advice on how the elf can talk her way around Queen Regent Míriel. Most tellingly, he suggests to Galadriel, "Identify what it is that your opponent most fears... and give them a means of mastering it... so that you can master them." This tactic is precisely what Sauron does with his Rings of Power. Morgoth's former servant identifies how Men fear mortality and Elves like Celebrimbor fear a lack of greatness, then he offers each what they seek via the Rings before the whole "in the darkness bind them" part.
Halbrand's keen insight into the human mind and knack for manipulation are highly reminiscent of Sauron's days as Annatar in J.R.R. Tolkien's Second Age, and The Rings of Power episode 4 even includes a shot of Halbrand whispering into Pharazôn's ear from behind cell bars. Watching Halbrand play both sides on Númenor is sus enough, but this specific image could foreshadow Pharazôn's future from Tolkien's books, in which the ambitious ruler captures Sauron, but is then manipulated by the prisoner, who quickly ascends to become Númenor's de facto ruler.
Adar Seeks The Power Of A God
Joseph Mawle's Adar is the main antagonist of The Rings of Power season 1, and currently scouring the Southlands with his orc army. Adar's origin and race remain unknown, and although The Rings of Power hints he might've been an elf, some characters speculate whether "Adar" is merely another guise for the ever-changing Sauron. That theory seems more likely after The Rings of Power episode 4. Speaking in riddles to Arondir, Adar admits, "I am no God... at least, not yet." Only one real God exists in J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology, but the Valar and Maiar (Sauron falls under this category) are often perceived by lesser races as godlike.
Adar is probably just a fallen elf who believes he'll be granted the power of a god by Sauron, but the line could also be interpreted more literally. Maybe Adar possessed godlike powers before, but they need to be restored - an arc that matches Sauron's Second Age return perfectly. Alternatively, Adar may intend to offer his body as a vessel for Sauron's return, thus believing he shall eventually ascend to godhood in The Rings of Power.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.