The Dark Lord Sauron is one of the most infamous villains in all literature, and Amazon's Rings of Power series pulls back the shadows of Mordor to reveal the origins of the Lord of the Ring. The genre and the medium have grown exponentially since Tolkien's day, and Sauron isn't the only dark lord on the block anymore.
Though not the first to bear the title, Sauron's influence has flowed beyond the lands of Mordor. The fantasy genre is stocked with several iconic villains that take at least some element from the creator of the One Ring, such as a fearsome name, an enchanted artifact, and a fierce command over all the powers of darkness. The similarities are there, and many are extremely blatant.
Smaug The Terrible (The Hobbit Trilogy)
Although Sauron does make a brief appearance as the necromancer in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, there's something of a familiar flavor with his version of Smaug compared to the dragon seen in the original book. What the dark lord lacked in size compared to the dragon, he more than made up for in quantities of power.
Not only do both characters hold a significant sway in the lands of Middle-Earth, but they also dwell within a mountain, wield terrible power, and covet an enchanted artifact. Jackson's take was also decidedly darker than Tolkien's ancient dragon, making him more on par with the fiend from Mordor.
The White Witch (The Chronicles Of Narnia)
Seeing how C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were both colleagues who often discussed mythologies together, it makes sense that there would be some overlap in their storytelling. Although she might lack a magic ring in a suit of battle armor, Jadis the White Witch has both power and reputation arguably equal to Sauron himself.
Like Sauron, mentioning her name gives the residents of Narnia chills, she commands all the dark and monstrous creatures of the land, and she possesses frightening magical powers that can wipe out her enemies in a single blow. While she might have favored the powers of ice over the fires of Mount Doom, her reputation and lust for power is unrivaled.
Dormammu (Doctor Strange)
Similar to the great Eye of Sauron, Dormammu of the Dark Dimension carries a similar weight, and yet he isn't battled in a physical form. Like Sauron, he is a being of fire and raw energy kept alive through the powers of his own realm, and the heroes have to take the fight to his home turf.
While he arguably goes down a lot easier than his Middle-Earth counterpart, Dormammu shows similar levels of power and reputation amongst the magical community of the MCU. Unlike Sauron, however, he's defeated simply by being annoyed to death by a persistent Doctor Strange.
Agandaûr (Lord Of The Rings: War In The North)
While this hack-and-slash gem of the PS3 era is indeed set during the same timeline as the War of the Ring, the heroes of this video game don't get to duke it out with Sauron himself. However, the game does have its own leader of the forces of Mordor to contend with in the form of Agandaûr.
The warlord is similar to the Mouth of Sauron, one of his commanding officers in the realms of Middle-Earth. While he doesn't have the legions of darkness at his disposal, he does have a similar design and the command of a tremendous army of orcs and goblins to dish out his dark deeds. Even if only in action and appearance, he does emulate some of his master's best qualities.
The Lord Of Darkness (Legend)
It doesn't get much more literal than a character who is titled "The Lord of Darkness." Tim Curry's delightfully devilish villain is essentially Sauron with a theater degree. He might not have a magic ring, but he does share more than a few factors made famous by Sauron in the novel.
Both Sauron and the Lord of Darkness desire power over all living things, wield dark magic, command an army of goblins, orcs, and other such creatures, and they both rely on fire and darkness as their elements of choice. It's only too bad Tim Curry couldn't have played both.
Thulsa Doom (Conan The Barbarian)
It's truly too easy to compare evil wizards and warlords to the Dark Lord Sauron, but to say that Thulsa Doom doesn't share at least a few qualities with him would be untrue. Sauron might not be able to shapeshift into a massive serpent, but both characters know a thing or two about conquering fantasy realms.
While there are definitely supporters of Sauron in the realms of Middle-Earth, Thulsa Doom has an entire cult willing to leap to their deaths for him. As the warlord clearly expresses, he fully understands the full extent of the word "power."
The Horned King (The Black Cauldron)
While he was technically a fusion of two different characters from the Prydain series, the Horned King definitely takes after Sauron, or the Witch King of Angmar at the very least. The Horned King has one mission, to control all life in the realm by turning them into the Cauldron Born. Like Sauron, his game is domination and total control.
Where Sauron has his One Ring, the Horned King has the titular Black Cauldron to draw forth his power. Although the Nazgul are easily more fearsome than an army of skeleton warriors, his methods and motifs are remarkably similar.
The Dark One (The Wheel Of Time)
Like Sauron, the Dark One of the Wheel of Time series is essentially Sauron in a different world. He's a figure of legend shrouded in darkness and evil who still holds sway in parts of Randland. He is the embodiment of all things evil, a quality which clearly comes from the dark master of Mordor.
Similar to how Sauron rules in a physical and non-physical form, so does the infamous Dark One. His name, reputation, and powers of darkness are enough to make the realm fear him. Although he remains unseen throughout the Amazon production, his reputation precedes him.
The Dark One/Rumplestiltskin (Once Upon A Time)
It's remarkable to see just how much power a name can have in the realms of fantasy, and few characters represent that trope better than Sauron and the Dark One of Disney's Once Upon A Time. The tale of Rumplestiltskin has always used the motif of names in its narrative, but Disney turned him into one of the evilest magic-users in the show.
Not only does he share Sauron's lust for power, but his name comes with significant weight, he commands a large magical power and he can be defeated by a famous blade. All magic comes at a price, but that doesn't mean certain types can't be shared.
Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter)
At first glance, the two characters might have very little in common apart from being the main villains of a massively successful fantasy series, but what some novices to the genre might miss is that they have almost the exact same M.O. when it comes to evil plans. Voldemort might not have a ring to his name, but he functions in almost an identical way.
Not only do both characters come with cursed names, but they severed their souls into enchanted objects, took non-coporeal forms, and had an evil army carry out their deeds while regaining power. In the end, Voldemort is just Sauron if he picked the mage class.
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