Warning! Spoilers for Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 8!
There was a popular theory about the wizards of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerBut the season 2 finale officially debunked it. The Prime Video series ‘Istari was controversial since there were limited ways in which the Stranger’s story could play out without diverting Tolkien canon. Hope continued going into season 2 that Rings of power Would take a fresh angle with the letters, avoiding any extensive changes to The Lord of the Rings History. However, the confirmation that the stranger is Gandalf and a subtle reveal about the Dark Wizard dashes that.
Rings of power Quickly confirmed that the stranger and the dark wizard were Istari. The problem with this is that the characters don’t quite match up with any of Tolkien’s wizards Lord of the Rings. Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast didn’t arrive in Middle-earth until the Third Age, and the Blue Wizards didn’t free Harfoot or blatantly join Sauron. This led to the popular Theory that one of both of Rings of powers magic letters was the invention of prime video and not among the five Istari described by Tolkien. However, season 2 officially proved this wrong.
The Dark Wizard confirms the Rings of Power’s Istari are the same from LOTR
The Dark Wizard may not be an “original” Rings of Power character
The stranger has officially been confirmed as Gandalf, but it could be possible for the Dark Wizard to be an original Rings of power wizard rather than one of Tolkien’s five Istari. However, the character (played by Ciarán Hinds) mentioned in the season 2 finale that he and Gandalf were among the “Five.” This officially banishes hopes that the Dark Wizard is an original character from Rings of power And means that the Prime Video series is instead adapting one of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Letters.
How the Rings of Power’s Istari break the Lord of the Rings canon
The Dark Wizard’s MO doesn’t quite fit
Rings of power Adapting Tolkien’s canon characters wouldn’t typically be an issue. After all, most of those in the series come directly from the author’s work (that’s the point, after all). The problem here is that the Istari stories are the most significant differences from canon in the Prime Video series. The revelation that the stranger is Gandalf means that the timeline for the arrival of these beings has moved significantly. Even more extreme changes include the 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 of a problem, which is why the theory that the characters are brand new inventions of Rings of power Gained popularity. It would still be a change to canon, but it wouldn’t significantly change the history of characters like Gandalf, Saruman, or the Blue Wizards. Timeline changes are one thing and nothing new in the Prime Video series, however Confrontations between Gandalf and an evil wizard in Rhûn in the Second Age are somewhat different– 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 Gandalf and the confirmation that Rings of power Acknowledging that there are only five Istari means that the Dark wizard can only be Saruman, Radagast or one of the two blue wizards. We can safely rule out Radagast since a revelation that the nature-loving wizard once ran an evil cult in Rhûn is simply too outrageous to accept. The events of Rings of powerThe season 2 finale seemed to hint at the Dark Wizard being Saruman, with the implication that Gandalf could lose his memories again. Still, this is a bit too uncomfortable of a stretch and feels like a red herring.
It is most likely that the Dark Wizard will finally be revealed as one of the two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando.
It is most likely that the Dark Wizard will finally be revealed as one of the two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando. Tolkien gave contradictory information about what happened to the Istari, but one version of their tale saw them establishing cults in Rhûn. That would be right up there with the Dark Wizard’s goings on in the East, though His confrontation with Gandalf and his apparent training with Tom Bombodile would be inventions of Rings of power. In the end, it might have been interesting to explore the new Istari, rather than forcing canon ones to fit, but perhaps the fantasy series will pull it off when said and done.