Who Is the Stranger on 'The Rings of Power'? (2024)

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for the first three episodes of Season 2 of The Rings of Power.It's always special to go back to Middle-earth, and now it's finally time. Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has premiered on Prime Video with three episodes, and they actually go further into Middle-earth, into the lands of Rhûn. The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) continue their journey eastward, following the Hermit's Hat constellation and the promise that it will help solve the mystery of whom the Stranger really is. In the Season 1 finale, "Alloyed", he learns from the Mystics that he is not Sauron (Charlie Vickers), but one of the Istari - the wizards who join the fight against the second Dark Lord. But which Istar is he, really?

Which Istar Could the Stranger Be?

As it turns out, the Mystery Meteor Man is indeed one of the Istari. The Mystics thought the Stranger could be Sauron at first, but saying someone is Sauron is a big deal; you have to be sure of who you're talking to. The Mystics were not, and end up approaching an Istar instead of the Dark Lord. They surely paid a heavy price for that mistake; they realize that they made a mistake when the Stranger reveals his true power by taking one of their staffs and wielding it against them. "Istar" translates to "wise one" or "wizard," and, although he admits to being good, the Stranger is no fool, and quickly dispatches the three figures

As Season 2 of The Rings of Power begins, expectations are still high regarding the Stranger's true identity, and the reveal that he is indeed an Istar actually made people even more curious. What fans expect is that he will eventually turn out to be indeed a younger version of Gandalf (Ian McKellen), of course, but he may be another of the Istari, too, since there are five of them in J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium. They are a group of five powerful beings sent to Middle-earth by the Valar, whose purpose was to assist the free peoples of Middle-earth in their struggle against the rising power of Sauron.

The Istari are not ordinary men but are, in fact, Maiar - spirits that serve the Valar in Valinor. When they come to Middle-earth, they take on the form of elderly men and are forbidden from using their full powers directly to dominate or rule over others. Those rules are supposed to make the Istari look more reliable and sympathetic to the people of Middle-earth. The Istari are bound by their mission to guide and encourage the free peoples rather than to confront Sauron directly with their power. This limitation was a test of their wisdom and humility, with Gandalf emerging as the most successful in fulfilling his purpose.

In Tolkien lore, there are four Istari other than Gandalf the Grey, and, in principle, the Stranger could be any of them. First, Saruman the White (Christopher Lee), but that seems unlikely given the White Wizard's power-hungry nature in the books. Second, Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy), who is the protector of animals and nature - and it's important to note that the Stranger has been wearing brown robes so far. Finally, the two Blue Wizards, the only Istari who arrive in Middle-earth during the Second Age, when The Rings of Power takes place. They don't even have officially published names (although an essay has Tolkien refer to them as Alatar and Pallando). Upon arriving, they immediately go to the East, towards the land of Rhûn, as they were the home of many tribes of humans who were still devoted to Morgoth, and, later, to Sauron. Rhûn is where the Stranger, Nori, and Poppy (Megan Richards) are right now, so him being one of the Blue Wizards is also a possibility.

Is the Stranger Really Gandalf?

Most likely, yes. There were major hints about the possibility of him being an Istar laid out throughout the whole of Season 1, but they all could have pointed equally to him being any other of the Wizards (well, maybe not Saruman). The fire of his meteor wasn't hot to the touch, inviting the adventurous Harfoot Nori to rescue him. He was also always muttering and drawing runes to various effect. He connected to nature and protected his Harfoot friends, and that proved that he was essentially good.

Granted, other moments also gave off the idea that he could also potentially be Sauron. The shape of the crater his meteor made resembles the Eye of Sauron, and the fire of the impact not giving off warmth was taken by some to be a reference to Galadriel's (Morfydd Clark) words in Forodwaith, when she mentioned the place was so evil their torches didn't give off heat anymore. In the following episode, as the Stranger is frantically writing runes on the ground, Nori's father, Largo (Dylan Smith), breaks his foot, and, later, the fireflies summoned to draw the Hermit's Hat constellation all die. In Episode 7, too, the Stranger first breaks the rotting trees in the Grove before they fully heal. As much sense as it makes to see those as bad omens, they were also a sign of his good intentions. Even when his actions had bad consequences, now we know they pointed to the fact that he was not yet himself wholly, and needed to regain his true conscience in order to fulfill his purpose in Middle-earth.

What seals the deal in favor of Gandalf is the scene in the first season finale in which Nori pledges to follow the Stranger as he travels to the East, towards the land of Rhûn. There are references to two different scenes in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, both portrayed in Peter Jackson's adaptation (although one is a deleted scene). The first one sees the Fellowship departing Rivendell, with Frodo (Elijah Wood) in the lead as the Ringbearer. He immediately admits he doesn't know which way to go as the road takes a bifurcation, and Gandalf gently nods him in the right direction. The second is one of the Grey Wizard's most iconic lines as he meditates on which way to go when the Fellowship navigates the Mines of Moria. He settles on the right path by paying attention to the smell. "When in doubt, always follow your nose," he tells Merry (Dominic Monaghan). In the Rings of Power finale, the Stranger gives the exact same advice to Nori.

A short time earlier, he also mentions that a journey is one that someone undergoes alone, whereas an adventure is supposed to be shared. We know Gandalf is definitely fond of sharing adventures, as he goes on a number of those in his later years, especially with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) in The Hobbit and with Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. Another hint may be the Hermit's Hat itself. The constellation's name may be a nice nod to the fact that Gandalf is both a wandering pilgrim who travels alone through the lands of Middle-earth and to the fact that he is one of the few Istari who wears a hat.

T​​​​​​he Istari Come to Middle-earth Under Different Names

Now that The Lord of the Rings is a successful and established pop-culture franchise, it may be difficult to think about certain characters in ways other than the ones the general audience is used to. Before The Rings of Power, for example, we knew that Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast were unique wizards, but the term "Istar" hadn't been mentioned onscreen before. This is one of the things that make them such great characters in Tolkien's Legendarium: they are known by many different names.

In the Peter Jackson movies, Gandalf is the name the Hobbits and the Humans use when referring to the Grey Wizard, but the Elves actually call him something else. For them, he is called Mithrandir, which means "grey pilgrim," referring to his attire and the fact that he is constantly traveling between places. But there are at least three other names by which he is known, each reflecting different aspects of his identity or his role among various peoples. For example, as a Maiar, he has an "official" Ainur name: Olórin. This was the name he went by in Valinor before he came to Middle-earth, and it reflects his identity in that earlier existence. Among the Dwarves, he is known as Tharkûn, and, while its exact meaning isn't clarified in the texts, it is believed to be related to his appearance or deeds among them. Finally, among the people of the South, particularly around Gondor, he is known as Incánus, and this name's meaning is also debated.

And, of course, "Gandalf" also has a pretty special meaning. And not just any meaning, but one that perfectly aligns with the Stranger's quest in Season 2. Tolkien drew from Norse mythology to create this name, which means "Elf of the wand," a nod to the fact that Gandalf carries his staff around and requires it to perform his most powerful magic. Apparently, the Stranger's arc with Nori in Season 2 will be defined by a quest to learn his name and find a staff he can use. Of course, neither Gandalf nor the Stranger are Elves, but both are fond of Halflings, beings to whom anyone taller than them may as well be an Elf. The trailers for Season 2 also show the Stranger interacting with Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear), so perhaps that is where his quest is headed. After all, the Stranger is going after the Hermit's Hat constellation, and Bombadil is a hermit and wears a hat, too. We should know soon enough.

Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power airs on Thursdays on Prime Video.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Adventure

Fantasy

Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

Release Date

September 1, 2022

Cast

Morfydd Clark , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Lloyd Owen , Nazanin Boniadi , Dylan Smith , Alex Tarrant , Tyroe Muhafidin , Robert Aramayo , Geoff Morrell , Thusitha Jayasundera , Maxine Cunliffe

Main Genre

Adventure

Seasons

2

Website

https://amzn.to/3LT5k4R

Story By

Patrick McKay, John D. Payne

Writers

Patrick McKay , John D. Payne , J.R.R. Tolkien , Justin Doble , Jason Cahill , Gennifer Hutchison , Stephany Folsom , Nicholas Adams

Network

Amazon Prime Video

Streaming Service(s)

Amazon Prime Video

Franchise(s)

The Lord of the Rings

Directors

J.A. Bayona , Sanaa Hamri

Showrunner

John D. Payne , Patrick McKay , Louise Hooper , Charlotte Brändström , Wayne Yip

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