With the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power based on the works of legendary fiction novelist J.R.R, we’ve finally got our much-awaited glimpse of the show’s antagonist who happens to be none other than Morgoth himself. Although J.R.R. Tolkien’s books make several references to Morgoth, the evil moniker ascribed to the disgraced Vala, Melkor, the character’s existence is restricted to hazy innuendo and myth, with his real name stated just once.

Even more so in Peter Jackson’s movies, Sauron is portrayed as the greatest danger to Middle-earth on his own, with the burning eye of Mordor in the overhead seemingly standing in for every evil force in the region.

He Rained Misery on Valinor and Middle Earth

The Dark Lord’s former boss is mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, while Tolkien elaborates on this character in the short stories and Silmarillion. Throughout the First Age, the former struck a devastating strike at Valinor and wreaked misery beyond Middle-earth. While Sauron served as his top commander at the period, Morgoth’s influence much outshone that of his apprentice.

Whereas the antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, Mordor, desires to rule all of Middle-earth, he rarely denounces Morgoth by title, even though Sauron’s devastating power was much less than Morgoth’s even at the height of the Second Age. Morgoth is, without a doubt, the true antagonist of The Lord of the Rings.

Never Made An Appearance Up Until Now

Morgoth plays a significant role in Tolkien’s mythology, but he has never been portrayed on screen. However, Amazon’s The Rings of Power does not shy away from the horror. The slaughter of Telperion as well as Laurelin in Valinor was one of Morgoth’s darkest heinous acts, which is shown in the starting monologue of the series.

The backdrop beyond the fading woods transforms into a huge person silhouette with a spiky head and arms. This is the first time Morgoth has ever been shown on television, and it’s a good match for the information the author gave us about the ancient Dark Lord’s look. Morgoth is depicted in literature as being very tall, carrying a massive skull, and dressed in the same dark armor that prompted the film’s image of Sauron.

How Morgoth Fits Into The Rings of Power

Toward the height of Morgoth’s invasion of Middle-earth in the First Age, a huge legion of elves as well as mortals from Middle-earth, along with the Company of the Valar, were assembled to confront Morgoth. Morgoth was ultimately defeated in a brutal battle referred to as the Battle of Wrath.

The Valar apprehended Morgoth, brought him to trial, and ultimately condemned him to enter the Abyss via the enigmatic Gate of Night. Tolkien is vague about the origins of the Void as well as the villain’s ultimate fate, however, the texts insinuate that Morgoth’s soul is solely entombed and has become shapeless instead of being utterly destroyed forever.

This is because Eärendil is entrusted with protecting the entrance, and such security always hints that he will get out sometime in the future.

He Returned Only To Suffer The Same Fate

A previous edition of The Silmarillion, one that featured the Dagor Dagorath prophesies, would have proven Morgoth’s arrival. Dagor Dagorath was a fight J.R.R. Tolkien envisioned at the conclusion of the time, however, his son decided not to include it in the anthology. Somehow, the villain would hatch a plot to re-open the Gate of Night and bring about the end of the world.

The Valar and their legion of revived warriors from ancient times have once again come to greet him. In the end, Morgoth is defeated and everything is rebuilt from the ground up. Extensive debates have taken place over whether or not the Dagor Dagorath is canonical and if or not Tolkien was correct in leaving it out of the texts, but the narrative does show that J.R.R. Tolkien thought Morgoth may resurrect.