The Rings of Power the showrunners have confirmed that they are considering the Dark Wizard as one of the Blue Wizardswhich means the show will interpret one of Tolkien’s enduring mysteries. With The Stranger finally being revealed as Gandalf in The Rings of Power At the end of Season 2, the identity of the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) has since become the series’ biggest mystery. The character bears a similar resemblance to Christopher Lee’s Saruman from The Lord of the Rings films, but in a recent Reddit Q&AThe show’s creators, Patrick McKay and JD Payne, debunked this possibility, saying the following:
We know that there are five wizards mentioned in The Lord of the Rings . One of them is Saruman, one of them is Gandalf, one of them is Radagast and there are two others. Our expectation is that he will be one of these other two.
The Rings of Power covers the history of the Second Age of Middle-earth, a period of Tolkien’s history that is barely examined in the books. This allows the show’s writers to interpret the material in their own way, which they will apparently do with one of the two Blue Wizards, characters primarily mentioned in Tolkien’s book. Unfinished Stories. It is important to note that Amazon previously stated that it had no rights to the content of Unfinished Storieswhich may be why the character wasn’t named in the series. There is no confirmation whether or not they have the rights now.
Tolkien’s explanation for why the blue wizards are elsewhere during The Lord of the Rings is nebulous
Tolkien’s writings on blue wizards come from incomplete essays and letters
In Unfinished StoriesChristopher Tolkien analyzes an essay written by JRR Tolkien in 1954, which is the basis for the chapter “The Istari”. It’s a small chapter in a large book, and there are few mentions of the Blue Wizards in it. The essence of the matter is that the five Istari (Sorcerers) were sent to Middle-earth to contest Sauron’s growing power, but only one remained true to his purpose: Gandalf. Of the other four, only one plays an active role in The Lord of the Ringswhich creates some confusion as to the whereabouts of the others.
How does the public know The Lord of the RingsSaruman turned to evil before the War of the Ring, betraying his order out of pride and desire for power. Audiences will remember Radagast the Brown from The Hobbitbut according to Unfinished Tales, he “He fell in love with the many animals and birds that lived in Middle-earth and abandoned Elves and Men.“That leaves two remaining wizards who are not mentioned in The Lord of the Rings books or movies.
In Unfinished Stories, JRR Tolkien suggests that the two Blue Wizards had no names and traveled to the East with Saruman. Saruman returned, but they did not, and Tolkien offered multiple possibilities as to their fates, ultimately saying that it is unknown what happened to them. On a separate note, Tolkien referred to these wizards by the names Alatar and Pallando and described them as being associated with the Vala Oromë.
Tolkien also implies that Gandalf was the only Istar to return to Valinor, meaning that the Blue Wizards remained in the East, dead or alive.
In a 1958 letter, he added that “they feared they would fail,“, implying that they had abandoned their mission to oppose Sauron. Instead, he suggested that they became “founders or starters of secret cults and “magical” traditions that survived the fall of Sauron.” Importantly, Tolkien also implies that Gandalf was the only Istar to return to Valinor, meaning that the Blue Wizards remained in the East, dead or alive.
The Dark Wizard From The Rings Of Power Being A Blue Wizard Explains The Mystery
The Dark Wizard Turning Evil Explains Why He Wasn’t in LOTR
When it comes to JRR Tolkien’s books, readers can speculate as they wish about the fate of the Blue Wizards. In The Rings of PowerJD Payne and Patrick McKay are presenting their idea, which is consistent with the 1958 letter. Not much is known about the Dark Wizard character yet, but the second season shows him to be evil, which would explain why he wouldn’t end up fighting in The Lord of the Rings. Unfinished Stories it even poses the idea that they may have fallen to Sauron’s will at some point.
If the Dark Wizard committed evil acts in the Second Age in The Rings of Powerso it makes sense that he wouldn’t appear in the War of the Ring in one way or another. Either he doesn’t care because he has his own evil things going on in Rhûn, or he is reformed and good again but doesn’t trust himself because he was once evil and may be worried about the temptation of the One Ring. If Saruman, the leader of the Istari, was subjected to his power, then he might not think he could resist.
The remaining mystery in The Rings of Power it would then be the fate of the other Blue Wizard. There could be another still in Rhûn with whom Gandalf could unite to fight the Dark Wizard. He could already be dead, killed by his companion. Or he could have simply gone off to do his own thing, traveling the lands of Arda. Christopher Tolkien speculates on Unfinished Stories that JRR Tolkien associated the Blue Wizards with Oromë because of wanderlust, so this is certainly a possibility.
How rings of power that turn a blue wizard evil fit into Tolkien’s canon
Tolkien’s notes suggested that evil was a possible fate for blue wizards
Much of the speculation surrounding The Rings of Power respects your fidelity to the writings of JRR Tolkien. Given the nature of the Second Age, the show’s writers are forced to make far more claims about tradition than Peter Jackson did with the films, and the result is more intense scrutiny. As for the Blue Wizards, the decision to interpret one or more as being evil seems quite in line with what Tolkien intended for these characters. Tolkien himself didn’t seem certain about the fate of Alatar and Pallando.
According to what Tolkien wrote about them becoming founders of secret cults, the Dark Wizard in The Rings of Power appears to have established his own magical organization in Rhûn. Additionally, while he may be a villain in the series, the precise nature of his evil is still relatively unclear. The writers of The Rings of Power could still take this character in many different directions, exploring what exactly went wrong with the Istari’s mission to Middle-earth.