Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power season 2, episode 8!
There was a popular theory regarding the wizards ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but the finale of season 2 officially debunked it. The Prime Video series' Istari has been controversial since there were limited ways in which the Stranger’s story could play out without diverting Tolkien canon. Hope remained going into season 2 thatRings of Powerwould take a fresh angle with these characters, avoiding any extensive changes toThe Lord of the Ringsstory. However, the confirmation that the Stranger is Gandalf and a subtle reveal about the Dark Wizard dashes this.
Rings of Powerquickly confirmed that the Stranger and the Dark Wizard were Istari. The problem with this is that these characters didn’t quite align with any of thewizards from Tolkien’sLord of the Rings. Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast didn’t arrive in Middle-earth until the Third Age, and theBlue Wizardsdidn’t befriend Harfoots or blatantly join Sauron. This led to the populartheory that one of both ofRings of Power’s wizard characters was the invention of Prime Video and not among the five Istari described by Tolkien. However, season 2 officially proved this false.
The Dark Wizard Confirms The Rings Of Power’s Istari Are The Same Ones From LOTR
The Dark Wizard Cannot Be An “Original” Rings Of Power Character
The Stranger has officially been confirmed as Gandalf, but it might have been possible for the Dark Wizard to be an originalRings of Powerwizard rather than one of Tolkien’s five Istari. However, the character (played by Ciarán Hinds)mentions in the finale of season 2 that he and Gandalf were among the “five.“This officially banishes hopes that the Dark Wizard is an originalcharacter ofRings of Powerand means that the Prime Video series is instead adapting one of Tolkien’sLord of the Ringscharacters.
How The Rings Of Power’s Istari Break The Lord Of The Rings Canon
The Dark Wizard’s M.O. Doesn’t Quite Fit
Rings of Poweradapting Tolkien’s canon characterwouldn’t typically be an issue. After all, most of those in the series come directly from the author’s works (that’s the point, after all). The problem here is that the Istari stories are the most significant divergences from canon in the Prime Video series. The reveal that the Stranger is Gandalf means that the timeline for these beings' arrival has been significantly moved up. Even more extreme changes include this character’s arrival as a meteor, his friendship with Harfoots so soon, and his trip to Rhûn, none of which happened to the wizard in canon.
The Dark Wizard is just as much a problem, which is why the theory that these characters were brand new inventions ofRings of Powergained popularity. It would have still been a change to canon, but it wouldn’t significantly alter the history of characters like Gandalf, Saruman, or the Blue Wizards. Timeline changes are one thing and nothing new to the Prime Video series, butconfrontations between Gandalf and an evil wizard in Rhûn in the Second Age are something else entirely—especially when considering that the Dark Wizard must be one of the four remaining Istari.
If The Stranger Is Gandalf, Who Is The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Dark Wizard?
The Options Are Limited
The Stranger being Gandalfand the confirmation thatRings of Poweracknowledges that there are only five Istari means that theDark Wizard can only be Saruman, Radagast, or one of the two Blue Wizards. We can safely rule out Radagast since a reveal that this nature-loving wizard once ran an evil cult in Rhûn is simply too outrageous to accept. The events ofRings of Power’s season 2 finale seemed to be hinting at the Dark Wizard being Saruman, with the implication that Gandalf may again lose his memories. Still, this is a bit too uncomfortable of a stretch and feels like a red herring.
It’s most likely that the Dark Wizard will ultimately be revealed as one of the two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando.
It’s most likely that the Dark Wizard will ultimately be revealed as one of the two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando. Tolkien gave contradictory information about what happened to these Istari, but one version of their tale saw them establish cults in Rhûn. This would align with the Dark Wizard’s goings on in the East, thoughhis confrontation with Gandalf and his apparent training with Tom Bombodil would be inventions ofRings of Power. In the end, it might have been interesting to explore brand new Istari rather than forcing canon ones to fit, but perhaps the fantasy series will pull it off whens said and done.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
