Ever since he fell to Earth in the opening episode of Rings of Power, speculation has surrounded the Stranger’s identity – but he’s obviously Gandalf.
At the end of the first episode, a meteor crashes down near the Harfoots’ home Rhovanion, creating a rather large, fiery crater with a large naked man at its center.
While he seems like a threat at first (some people even thought he was Sauron, ha!), Nori Brandyfoot slowly establishes a relationship with him.
Rings of Power Season 2 is following their adventure to Rhûn, the mysterious far-east of Middle-earth. Will we find out his name? If we do, you should bet on it being Gandalf.
The Stranger is Gandalf, I’m sure of it
Just look at him: he’s very tall; he has a great big, bushy beard; he’s armed with some sort of magical powers; and he’s found by the Hobbits’ ancestors. You don’t need to be a Tolkien disciple to feel the immediate suspicion: he’s almost definitely Gandalf.
Here’s what we know: he’s an Istar, and he believes he’s good (unlike the Dark Wizard, whose identity is unclear). That’d be enough to guess that he’s Gandalf… but the Season 1 finale dropped one huge tease.
At the end of the final episode, the Stranger and Nori are getting ready to leave together. Nori is understandably nervous to leave her family, and is unsure where they’re planning on going. To comfort her, the Stranger says “If in doubt, always follow your nose.”
Fans immediately recognized it as one of Gandalf’s iconic quotes from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Some people think it’s a red herring, but that’s needlessly cynical; do you think a series that ultimately appeals to people with a baseline knowledge of Lord of the Rings would hint at a Gandalf reveal without pay-off?
Here’s the thing: Gandalf (played by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson’s movies) is originally introduced in the Third Age, arriving in Middle-earth on a boat to assist in the fight against Sauron.
Amazon acquired the rights to Middle-earth’s Second Age on the strict condition the show doesn’t touch the Third Age, as explored by the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This would seem to kibosh any notion of the Stranger being Gandalf… but not necessarily.
Firstly, Amazon has a lot of money. The Rings of Power is said to be the most expensive show of all time, so if Jeff Bezos and co. want Gandalf in their show to pluck our nostalgia strings, one can see how the Tolkien estate would fold.
Secondly, there’s precedent for his earlier arrival when you consider his actual origin: Gandalf wasn’t always Gandalf. He was once known as Olórin while part of the Maiar, a group of primordial spirits created to help the Valar first shape the World. He’s also one of the Maiar who joins the Istari, taking on the aesthetic of an old wizard.
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If the Stranger is a Maiar spirit, there’s a possibility of him being Gandalf, considering Gandalf is the Istar with the ability to produce fire. It would mean The Rings of Power taking some creative license with the source material, but it doesn’t infringe the Third Age, and the door is certainly open.
If he’s not Gandalf, who is he?
If Gandalf isn’t the Stranger, he’s most likely another Maiar. In an interview with Vanity Fair, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay were asked if there’d be any wizards in Rings of Power, such as Gandalf, Radagast, or Saruman.
“Well, I would say those are not the only beings, those names, in that class. So maybe, but maybe not. And the mystery and the journey of it is all of the fun, I would say,” McKay said.
“There are tiny little nods to Tolkien that could send you this way or send you that way. And we are hoping people will like taking that and putting together a huge puzzle,” Payne added.
Instead of the Istari wizards we know, he could be either Alatar or Pallando, two Blue Wizards who arrived in Middle-earth during the Second Age. Albeit, that was closer to the forging of the One Ring, but their earlier introduction seems more realistic and tolerable than having Gandalf kicking about.
As Tolkien wrote, Alatar and Pallando’s task was to “circumvent Sauron: to bring help to the few tribes of Men that had rebelled from Melkor-worship, to stir up rebellion… and after his first fall to search out his hiding and to cause dissension and disarray among the dark East.
“They must have had very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of the East… who both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have… outnumbered the West.”
Crucially, very little is known about their fate in Tolkien’s writing – so, if the Stranger is a Blue Wizard, he could have a lot more freedom within the story.
But he’s Gandalf, so you should just get used to the idea now.
With Rings of Power Season 2 airing now, check out our recaps of Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, and Episode 6, and read our breakdown of Tom Bombadil. You can also read our guides on Morgoth’s origin, the Undying Lands, and Forodwaith.
You can also find other TV shows streaming this month.
