Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2In a groundbreaking moment for live-action Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power finally reveals the true villain of J.R.R. Tolkien's story. Morgoth - the dark name given to the fallen Vala, Melkor - is referenced in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings several times, but the character's presence is limited to vague allusion and myth, his actual name spoken only once. Sauron alone is presented as the singular biggest threat to Middle-earth, and this is even truer in Peter Jackson's movie trilogy, which strongly gives the impression that Mordor's flaming eye in the sky represents the be-all-and-end-all of badness within Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings mentions Sauron once had a master, and through appendices and The Silmarillion, Tolkien tells the story of this ancient villain. Morgoth dealt a cruel blow to Valinor, then wrought havoc across Middle-earth during the First Age. Sauron was his chief lieutenant at this time, but the power Morgoth wielded vastly eclipses that of his ring-wearing servant. Even during his Second Age prime, Sauron never came close to Morgoth's destructive capability, and while The Lord of the Rings' villain seeks dominion over all Middle-earth, he never disavows his old master's name. Make no mistake, Morgoth is the real enemy of The Lord of the Rings.
Despite his seismic importance to Tolkien's lore, Morgoth is never depicted in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit movies - but Amazon's The Rings of Power finally takes that plunge into darkness. The Rings of Power episode 1's opening history lesson sequence shows the destruction of Telperion and Laurelin in Valinor - one of Morgoth's most infamous crimes. While the trees are dying, the sky behind them visibly morphs into a massive human-shaped shadow with a spiked crown and spiked shoulders. This is the first live-action depiction of Morgoth in The Lord of the Rings, and fits the few details Tolkien provided regarding the original Dark Lord's physical appearance. Morgoth is written as exceedingly tall, clad in black armor (this inspired Sauron's movie design) and wearing a heavy helmet.
Where Is Morgoth During The Rings Of Power & LOTR? Can He Return?
As his conquest of Middle-earth reached its pinnacle during J.R.R. Tolkien's First Age, Morgoth was opposed by a massive army comprising elves and men from Middle-earth, plus the Host of the Valar convinced by Eärendil to lend a hand. The bloody conflict was known as the War of Wrath, and ended in Morgoth's defeat. The Valar captured and tried Morgoth, then sentenced the villain to pass through the mysterious Door of Night and into the Void. Tolkien leaves a degree of ambiguity over the exact nature of the Void and Morgoth's fate, but The Silmarillion suggests Morgoth's spirit is merely trapped and disembodied rather than conclusively vanquished forever, since Eärendil is tasked with guarding the gate, and a guard automatically implies possibility of escape.
Morgoth's return would've been confirmed in an earlier version of The Silmarillion, which included the Dagor Dagorath prophecy. Ultimately omitted from the collection by his son Christopher, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the Dagor Dagorath as a far-off future battle to end all battles at the end of time. Morgoth would conspire to break back through the Door of Night and instigate the apocalypse. He's once again met by the Valar alongside an army that includes resurrected heroes from eons past. Morgoth eventually falls (for good this time), and the world is remade entirely. The canonicity of the Dagor Dagorath and whether Christopher Tolkien was right to omit it from The Silmarillion is a matter of long debate, but the story does, at the very least, prove J.R.R. Tolkien believed Morgoth had the potential to return. Just don't count on seeing it in The Rings of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.