Considering how things ended between the Dark Lord and the brave female warrior in The Rings of Power season 1, do Sauron and Galadriel still get together in the series?
While their future remains ambiguous, here's why fans are captivated by their complicated relationship.
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2, so proceed with caution.
Exploring Sauron and Galadriel's Complicated Relationship: Is It Canon?
Sauron and Galadriel met at the unlikeliest place in the premiere of The Rings of Power, and yet somehow, their connection eventually grew into something worth rooting for fans.
While Halbrand (Sauron's human disguise) had been hiding his identity throughout his journey with her, he had saved her countless times, for reasons that have remained unknown (for now). So, where is this coming from?
This is when fans questioned: what does Sauron want with Galadriel? Does he plan on pursuing her romantically? Could they end up together?
Well, it's not exactly the stereotypical he fell first, she fell harder trope, but fans might be onto something, in terms of the series.
See, canonically, in J.R.R. Tolkien's History of Middle-Earth, Sauron and Galadriel were never written to have met each other. If anything, The Rings of Power took a bold turn at cooking their chemistry on the small screens.
When fans expected Sauron to kill Galadriel for rejecting his proposal to rule by his side, she escaped, in fear of potentially corrupting her powers when she should be saving Middle-Earth.
However, in a recent interview with GamesRadar, Sauron actor Charlie Vickers shared that his 'connection' with Galadriel may be beyond the world of romance and that it's more of their status as "higher beings": Sauron as a Maiar and Galadriel as a Noldor Elf.
As much as fans ship 'Haladriel' (their 'ship' name), others believe Sauron may have just seen her as an easy target that could be valuable in his ruling, should he succeed or require her help in 'taking over' Middle-Earth.
"I think that romance just doesn't kind of cut it for them," Galadriel actor Morfydd Clark explained, "It's cosmic and it would be a Middle-earth shattering relationship should they enter into it."
For now, it remains to be seen whether season 2 plans on getting them together, but there may be hope if the show is building up a different ending for them.
Meanwhile, The Rings of Power season 2 episode 4 premieres on Prime Video on September 5.
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