1 Halbrand Detail Supports A Villain Theory In The Rings Of Power

Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episode 4Those Halbrand villain theories are looking more promising after The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episode 4. Few characters from Amazon’s mammoth The Rings of Power cast cut as enigmatic a figure as Charlie Vickers’ Halbrand. A descendant of the Southlands’ royal lineage, Halbrand has been exiled and forced to hide his true identity in a clear parallel to The Lord of the Rings‘ Aragorn. Fate (or some other unseen agent) pushed Halbrand into Galadriel’s path on the Sundering Seas, and both were brought to Númenor where the tavern brawler/master blacksmith/psychological mastermind is gradually revealing his true colors.

Even before The Rings of Power premiered, fans theorized Halbrand could be a villain. Some speculated that he might represent a fair disguise of Sauron, since the Dark Lord was renowned for sowing dissent by infiltrating kingdoms of Elves and Men during the Second Age. Since watching Charlie Vickers in action and hearing about his royal blood, however, opinion has shifted more toward Halbrand being a future Ringwraith – perhaps even the Witch-king of Angmar himself. Though the jury remains very much out, one moment in The Rings of Power supports the theory that Halbrand is a secret The Lord of the Rings villain.

After Galadriel is thrown into Númenor’s dungeon alongside her sailing buddy, Halbrand offers some advice – that Queen Regent Míriel’s fear stems from her father, and Galadriel must offer the means of mastering that fear to win Míriel over. Mere minutes later, Halbrand subtly offers to tell Pharazôn where the escaped elf prisoner is heading, and the scene ends with Númenor’s chancellor edging gently toward Halbrand’s cell bars, ears wide open. By the time Galadriel reaches the King’s chambers, Míriel and a team of guards are already waiting, proving Halbrand manipulated Galadriel into invading Tar-Palantir’s tower then told Pharazôn that Galadriel was going to invade Tar-Palantir’s tower. The Southlands’ would-be ruler is playing the two sides against each other, and this duplicity supports long-held theories that he’s secretly a villain in The Rings of Power.

Who Could The Rings Of Power’s Halbrand Be – Sauron Or The Witch-king?

While Halbrand flitting between Galadriel and Pharazôn bolsters suspicions of his villainy, the betrayal supports him potentially being Sauron and potentially being the Witch-king of Angmar equally. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s Númenórean lore, Sauron is captured in Middle-earth by Pharazôn (then the island’s ruler) and dragged to Númenor as a prisoner. By slipping dark whispers into Pharazôn’s ear, Sauron is able to elevate himself from a chained prisoner to a revered advisor. The Rings of Power showing Halbrand whispering wisdom to Pharazôn from behind bars alludes towards how Sauron corrupts Númenor in Tolkien’s mythology, fueling theories that the Southlander is actually the Dark Lord in disguise.

However, Halbrand’s slippery allegiances in The Rings of Power episode 4 also work as an argument that he’ll later become a Ringwraith. As a prerequisite for joining Sauron’s Nazgûl, one must first accept a Ring of Power. Folks most inclined to wear such trinkets are arrogant, greedy, self-interested, or a mixture of all three, since it’s the promise of strength and power that lulls mortal men into wearing Sauron’s Rings. Halbrand maneuvering Galadriel and Pharazôn as pawns proves he looks after himself before all else. Honor, loyalty and integrity are concepts as alien to Halbrand as shampoo, and were he one day offered a Ring of Power as an easy road to glory, the roguish vagabond would surely take it.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.