Lord Of The Rings: Could Sauron Ever Return To Middle-earth... Again?

When the One Ring was cast into the fiery chasm of Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings, Sauron's crashing tower of Barad-dûr symbolized his end. However, his spirit technically still lingers in an incredibly weak and useless form. With him already returning once from the brink of death, this raises questions of whether Sauron could return once more to wreak havoc on Middle-earth.

When Sauron was originally defeated by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, he was separated from his Ring and destroyed. Although appearing to be gone for good, there was something tying him to the physical world as long as the One Ring still lingered. Yet, most assumed that he would never return because of his incredibly weakened state, and even if he did, he would be easy enough to defeat.

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As exemplified when Frodo wears the One Ring, a wraith-world exists unseen from the physical one. This is where Sauron festered and slowly regained his strength. Appearing as a necromancer in the old fortress of Dol Guldur, Sauron gradually built himself and his army up over 2000 years, waiting for the day to reveal himself. And even after waiting for that long, Sauron barely appears as a physical being in The Lord of the Rings.

With the One Ring being the only thing allowing him to come through to the physical world, there was no way to banish him forever without destroying it. While reuniting with the Ring would grant him immense power, the main goal was to keep it away from Mount Doom. But with Sauron being so sure of his victory, he focused all of his armies on Aragorn, leaving the volcano defenseless and allowing Sam and Frodo to head in.

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With the destruction of the One Ring, there was nothing left tying Sauron to the physical world, so he faded away. But, technically, that isn't the end for the Dark Lord, as he is still able to linger in the wraith-world. Sauron was once a Maia, an angelic being created by the gods called Valar, but he grew corrupted and went against his creators' will. Existing as such a powerful being means that completely ending him forever is an impossibility.

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Yet, despite his spirit still festering, Sauron can never return to the physical world without the Ring, and his defeat was so devastating that he'll be weakened forever. While it's a shame to know he isn't completely gone, it's perhaps an even greater punishment for Sauron to powerlessly sit and watch the Age of Men come into being as he slowly fades into myth once more.

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