Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy brought the story to worldwide prominence and, despite many deviations from the book, is considered faithful. Jackson even managed to weave in reference to Morgoth.

Morgoth was The Lord of the Rings' original villain, having been the one to corrupt the Lord of the Rings himself (Sauron) at the start of the formation of the world. Although never mentioned in The Hobbit and only minorly referenced in The Lord of the Rings novels, Morgoth is key in the legendarium as a whole, with the legendarium being Tolkien's wider circle of texts set in Middle-earth. The fact that Jackson managed to represent Morgoth in his movies speaks to the depth of his respect for Tolkien and the level of his research into his subject matter.

Sauron's Design In The Lord Of The Rings Movies Is Heavily Based On Tolkien's Morgoth Description

Movie Sauron Looks Like Book Morgoth In Lord Of The Rings

Between a few lines and Sauron's character design, the New Line Cinema Lord of the Rings movies include Morgoth. Sauron's costume is heavily based on Morgoth, as he was written by Tolkien in the legendarium. Tolkien drew a picture of Sauron (below) that does back up Peter Jackson's choice of character design, but the Sauron costume is even closer to John Howe's drawing of Morgoth for an edition of Morgoth's Ring (above). Tolkien described Morgoth in no uncertain in "The Lay of Leithian" (a poem published in The Lays of Beleriand):

Black-armoured, towering, iron-crowned

This description also occurs in The Silmarillion, with the addition of a shield and mace, and indicators of his size. Morgoth put a foot on Fingolfin's Elvish neck and nearly crushed him, so he was bigger than Elves, but his foot wasn't bigger than a whole Elf. Howe interpreted this creatively for his Morgoth illustration ("The Killing of the Trees"), and went on to do the earliest sketches of Sauron's armor for the movies. Bearing in mind Sauron was never described this way by Tolkien, it can be said that the movies' Sauron design is based on Tolkien's descriptions of Morgoth.

How Sauron Is Supposed To Look In The Lord Of The Rings

Sauron Had A Body In The Lord Of The Rings

Lord of the Rings' Sauron had a body in the Third Age, though that was hard to guess from the giant, disembodied eye that represented him in the movies. As per Tolkien's illustration of Sauron, Sauron had a "black hand" - confirmed by Gollum. Gollum could have been using metaphor, but Tolkien's drawing s Gollum's descriptor as a physical one. Plus, the fact that Sauron had a hand to torture Gollum with at all speaks to his corporeality. His gaze was unbearable, his touch burned Isildur, and his laugh inflicted pain on Pippin.

Gollum also confirmed that Sauron only had four fingers on one hand. Isildur cut Sauron's ring finger off, ending the life of his body in the Second Age. But like Morgoth always had a limp after being injured by Fingolfin, despite being able to shapeshift, Sauron's ring finger never healed, even after being reborn. Evil deeds in this species increasingly depleted their knack for disguise through shapeshifting. Both Morgoth and Sauron were bigger than Men, but not gigantic, according to Tolkien (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). Sauron's fair form in Lord of the Rings never returned after Númenor fell.

Where Else The Lord Of The Rings Movies Mention Morgoth

Morgoth Is Mentioned By Various Characters In The Lord Of The Rings

Different characters mentioned Morgoth throughout The Lord of the Rings, directly and indirectly. In the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Legolas referred to the Balrog that fought Gandalf as a Balrog of Morgoth. Little references to Lord of the Rings' world of Middle-earth were littered throughout the book and movie, constituting a key part of the story's profound world-building.

This world was only revealed in full in The Silmarillion, Tolkien's posthumous collection of Elvish myths, and in his posthumous The History of Middle-earth series, elaborating on The Silmarillion. Gandalf called the Balrog "flame of Udûn," Udûn being a valley in Mordor named after one of Lord of the Rings' toughest strongholds, Morgoth's first fortress.

Udûn is a cognate of the primitive Elvish word "utupnu," meaning to hide. The fortress was also known by another derivative of this word, Utumno. In the history of Middle-earth, this fortress was probably second only to Valinor (home of the demigod Valar) in strength, power, and impregnability. The dark fire referenced by Gandalf that "will not avail" the Balrog also refers to Morgoth's dark power and forces.

Morgoth & Sauron Looking Alike Does Make Sense

There Is Logic Behind Sauron's Character Design

Sauron and Morgoth worked together, so it makes sense for them to look alike. While John Howe worked up some of the earlier sketches of Sauron's armor, a wider team took on the task as well, from Warren Mahy to Alan Lee, another famous Tolkien illustrator deeply familiar with the many ages of Middle-earth. This team would have understood how Sauron took over after the last of Morgoth's defeats in The Lord of the Rings. Sauron seemed to fear Morgoth's punitive wrath in "The Lay of Leithian". So, clearly, their relationship wasn't always smooth sailing. Yet, Sauron was loyal.

Sauron made the One Ring using a ritual Morgoth invented in The Lord of the Rings, and may well have worn similar armor to Morgoth, in Úmaiar style and tradition.

Sauron became Morgoth's second-in-command over the First Age, which ended with Morgoth being thrown into the Void for his crimes against Middle-earth in Lord of the Rings. Sauron went into hiding. Despite whatever complex personal feelings he may have held towards his master, it would have served him to emulate him and take his place, helping him assume control of Morgoth's forces. Sauron made the One Ring using a ritual Morgoth invented in The Lord of the Rings, and probably did wear similar armor to Morgoth, in Úmaiar style and tradition.