Anna Daniels
A thousand years before The Lord of the Rings takes place, Gandalf the wizard heads to Sauron’s fortress in Mirkwood, called Dol Guldur, and Sauron flees before he’s discovered. He spends the next four centuries in the East before he finally returns to Dol Guldur even stronger. Not long afterward, a hobbit-like creature named Smeagol kills his friend and steals a magic ring he found before he vanishes into the Misty Mountains, unbeknownst to its master.
At this point, Sauron becomes known as the Necromancer — the same ghostly presence that fans met in the Hobbit trilogy. The next few centuries creep by as Sauron continues to gather his strength and begins searching for the Ring. Eventually, the White Council (including Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman) gets wise to his identity and attacks Dol Guldur, driving him out of Mirkwood.
However, by this point, Sauron is ready to leave anyway, and he takes the opportunity to finally relocate back to Mordor, where the Black Riders have been preparing things for his return. A decade later he finally comes out of hiding and openly declares his return. It’s also around this time that, due to his inability to take an attractive form anymore, he begins styling himself as an evil, lidless eye of fire.
Written by: Looper
