Sauron

Sauron is the main antagonist of The Lord of the Rings and the hidden main antagonist of The Hobbit. He used to be a Maiar and servant of Morgoth, Sauron seeks to claim dominion over all races of Middle-earth.

Background
Sauron was once one of the Maiar but fell to the Dark Side, becoming an apprentice of the terrifying fallen Vala, Morgoth. After his master was destroyed, Sauron wished to take over control of Middle-earth. He began by deceiving men and dwarves with Rings of Power that he once wished to rule them all over with the One Ring. He spread about destruction to the realm until the year 3434 of the second age when he was vanquished by Isildur. Though his physical body was destroyed, Sauron began taking the shape of a great, terrifying fiery red eye and began searching for his missing Ring.

Personality
"“There is no light, wizard, that can defeat Darkness.”"

- Sauron expressing his nihilism to Gandalf

Despite being the main antagonist of the films, Sauron is both mysterious and dark with much of his true personality unknown. Due to his weekend state of being reduced to a spirit, he was forced to work from the shadows while being forced to have his servants do his bidding.

Originally, during his time as one of the Maiar, Sauron, then known as Mairon, was a caring and compassionate being who strove to do good. He was revered amongst his brethren for being their finest craftsman, a skill he was very passionate about. Despite being the the most powerful of the Maiar, and therefore the purist, Mairon possessed a deep love of order and an intense hatred for chaos. He was also known for his intense hatred of anything he considered wasteful, be it the wasting of life or inanimate objects. This love of order, caused Mairon to desire to bring peace to the universe, which he began to believe could only be achieved through strong control and disciplined order. Because of this, he slowly began to resent the Valar and his creator Eru, feeling that despite all their power they did nothing to improve the universe nor rid it of chaos. This resentment and desire for total peace caused a darkness to form in Mairon’s once pure heart, making him susceptible to the machinations of Morgoth.

While most of the other Maiar who joined Morgoth followed him out of either fear or the desire for power, Mairon did so out of virtue. Believing Morgoth to have the power to overthrow the Valar and bring total peace and control to the universe, Mairon eagerly joined the Dark Lord, becoming his faithful servant. Thus, it is shown that in his youth, Sauron was indeed a good and compassionate person, but also idealistic and flawed.

During his time as Morgoth’s disciple, Mairon proved himself to be an incredibly deceitful and cunning spy, able to fool the Valar into thinking he was loyal to them when in reality he was secretly linking information to his true master Morgoth. As the war between the Dark Lord and the Valar dragged on, Mairon’s resentment of the former festered and grew, eventually developing into a strong and unrelenting hatred for the beings he was once meant to serve. This also extended to the creator Eru, so much so that he changed the name he had given him, out of resentment. This was in contrast to his new master Morgoth, whom he looked up too for his power and ability to dominate, which he equated with peace.

Initially, as Sauron, he was by no means devoid of empathy nor compassion. While he loyal to Morgoth, Sauron was often irked and uncomfortable with the lengths and atrocities he was willing to commit in order to obtain victory. While remorseful for many of the deeds he felt he was forced to commit, Sauron hardened his heart, believing that such atrocities were nonetheless needed in order to bring peace to the universe. As the years went by, however, and the more brutal Morgoth’s campaigns became, so did Sauron; becoming increasingly, cold, ruthless, manipulative, and destructive. Adopting an ends justify the means philosophy, Sauron believed any atrocity he committed was for the greater good, all the while abandoning much of his former empathy and remorse. This strong determination and newfound ruthlessness, is what impressed Morgoth to name Sauron as his chief and most trusted servant. Sauron, in turn, was deeply loyal to his master and followed his every will without question.

Despite this, Sauron’s ability for care was not completely gone. After Morgoth’s defeat and imprisonment, Sauron once again began to feel remorse for the terrible acts he performed under Morgoth’s service, and very nearly repented for his crimes. However, his hatred for the Valar still existed, and thus he refused to repent believing instead that while his actions were terrible, they were nonetheless necessary to overthrow the “tyranny of the Valar” and bring “peace” to all things. Upon finding refuge in Middle-Earth, Sauron still sought to do good, wanting to make up for his actions by helping the free people’s of Middle-Earth (Elves, Men, and Dwarves) rebuild and prosper. Thus it became his newfound desire to turn Middle-Earth into a peaceful and prosperous land devoid of war, poverty, crime, and chaos. However, after the people’s of Middle-Earth rejected him and his attempts to improve their lands, Sauron’s morality finally vanished for good.

Angered by their refusal to listen, Sauron developed an unrelenting hatred for not only the races of Middle-Earth, but for all life in general. Believing that his ideals would never be fulfilled and concluding that peace and order could never be obtained, Sauron became a devout nihilist, seeing not only life as meaningless and horrid, but all living creatures as selfish, destructive, belligerent, corruptible, and devoid of any true good. As the new Dark Lord, Sauron was devoid of the empathy, compassion, idealism, and mercy who once possessed, seeking power no longer for the good of others, but for himself. He was utterly remorseless in his campaigns of conquest upon Middle-Earth, relishing in the despair and terror he brought upon its free people’s. He was particularly known for his unsustained and unbending will to dominate all life around him. He also became increasingly prideful and egotistical, seeking to make himself the god-king of Middle-Earth, worshipped and feared by all.

Sauron also showed himself to be incredibly intelligent and cunning. In his fair form as Annatar, the elf lord or gifts, he preyed upon the insecurities and passions of others, manipulating many into believing he was on their side, when, in truth, he was merely using them for his own desires. Sauron was also a sadist, who, in contrast to his younger days, enjoyed the pain he brought upon others, be it physical or psychological. His ego also caused him to become increasingly vengeful to those who crossed him. Both of these traits could easily be seen, when he forced Celebrimbor to watch as he brutally tortured and murdered his wife and young daughter, as a means of revenge for stealing the One Ring from him. The last trace of good in Sauron was his love of Shelob (in her human form), though this too faded as he coldly abandoned her and even attempted to have her killed when it suited his needs.

While his hatred for the Valar was greatest, Sauron hated humanity more than any other race in Middle-Earth. He aslo possessed a deep obsession with the One Ring, considering it to be his greatest creation and because it was the only thing preserving his life. During both the second and third ages, Sauron showed utterly no remorse for reeking havoc across Middle-earth, and was willing to go to terrible lengths in taking his Ring back. This was done because not only was the ring the key to destroying him, but also the one thing that could restore his physical form. While incredibly intelligent and powerful, Sauron’s greatest weakness was his arrogance. He constantly underestimated the power of his enemies, which often led to his plans being thwarted and his armies defeated. This arrogance stems not only from his great power, but also his firm belief that in the negativity of life. He constantly underestimated the good in others, notably in Gandalf, Aragorn, Talion, and Frodo, believing that deep down all living beings were as wretched as he was.

This nihilistic outlook, revealed that deep down, while Sauron desired power for himself, he also wanted all the people’s of Middle-Earth to be as miserable and hopeless as he was. This is why, though he had no real care for them, he held his Orc minions in high esteem, seeing them as the ideal living beings due to their naturally born violence and sociopathy. Sauron also possessed a very sarcastic sense of dark humor, as shown when he ordered his “Mouth” to bid Gandalf and Aragorn welcome upon their arrival to Mordor.

The Hobbit
Sauron does not physically appear in the book, and is only referred to as the "Necromancer" and the reason why Gandalf left Thorin and Company at Mirkwood.

Peter Jackson's films
In the film, Sauron is portrayed as a gigantic, fiery red eye who can see any corner of Middle-earth and can sense wherever his One Ring is being worn.

The Fellowship of the Ring
The Eye sends Nazgûl forces to reclaim the One Ring from Frodo Baggins, who places the Ring on his hand when in Bree. There, the eye talks to Frodo, saying that though the hobbit can hide, he can still see him. He communicates with Saruman through the Palantir, where Sauron tells him to build him an army worthy of Mordor.

The Two Towers
Sauron continues to destroy Middle-earth, starting with using his puppet, Saruman to make him more reinforced armies while getting him to reclaim the One Ring. Galadriel explains that Sauron will use his puppet, Saruman to destroy the world of Men, starting with Rohan and Gondor. However, the battle at Helm’s Deep is victorious for the Free people, causing Sauron to realize that men are way stronger than they appear to be. It is also learned from Gandalf to Aragorn, that Sauron fears Aragorn, for he will one day become King.

The Return of the King
Knowing Aragorn will one day become king and unite the realms, Sauron secretly plans to attack Minas Tirith. Pippin Took, when he touched the Palantír, caused a brief connection to Sauron, who cruelly mentally attacked and interrogated the hobbit about the Ring. However, the dark lord inadvertently gave Pippin a vision of Gondor's city being attacked.

Sauron is unsuccessful in his attempt to take over Middle-earth, as Frodo Baggins destroys the One Ring.

The Hobbit
During the time of The Hobbit, Sauron remained in the shadows by taking up residence in Dol Guldur, where he began to recall his servants, including those from the grave. He forged alliances with Azog, whom he promised to allow vengeance over Thorin Oakenshield and Smaug the Dragon, presumably for power.

An Unexpected Journey
Sauron scared Radagast out of Dol Guldur when he investigated the dark powers after his animals began dying.

The Desolation of Smaug
When Gandalf came to the fortress, while trying to rescue Thráin, Sauron confronted Gandalf after destroying the former prince of Durin’s Folk. The duo entered in a duel but Sauron destroyed Gandalf’s staff and was able to incapacitate him. There, Sauron revealed himself to the defeated grey wizard and had the Wizard imprisoned while sending out his forces to reclaim Erebor.

The Battle of the Five Armies
When Galadriel, Elrond, and Saruman rescue Gandalf, Sauron's forces are easily defeated by the three magic users. Gandalf and Radagast escape the fortress as Sauron confront the White Council. Fortunately, Galadriel manages to overpower Sauron with the star, Eärendil and banishes him from Dol Guldur back to Mordor. After his attack on Erebor is defeated, Sauron begins to plan his conquest for Middle-earth.

Trivia

 * Similar to Thanos, both of them remained in the shadows while orchestrating their entire plan and using the heroes for their own personal gain (Thorin Oakenshield and Company and Fellowship of the Ring for Sauron and the Avengers and guardians of the galaxy for Thanos) and they both want to achieve certain objects to do something with the world (Infinity stones for Thanos to kill half of life and the Rings of Power for Sauron to take over Middle-earth). In the end, both villains and their armies are wiped out and the heroes are victorious.