Includes SPOILERS for the Rings of Power season 2 finale.
After laying out several notable clues, Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power has finally confirmed The Stranger to be Gandalf. In the television prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power cast features Daniel Weyman as The Stranger, though the actor will finally be able to use his character’s true name. At the end of season 1, it actually seemed fairly clear that The Stranger was Gandalf, but the series continued to dodge answering concretely, finally delivering confirmation in the season 2 finale.
The misdirection continued to encourage theories of other options, suggesting The Stranger was a Blue Wizard, Saruman, or someone else entirely. Now that he’s been finally confirmed as Gandalf in the Rings of Power season 2 ending, it seems fairly obvious in retrospect. It was crucial for his character to fulfill a small arc in season 2 before fully revealing his name. Season 1 revealed that he was a “good” wizard, but season 2 importantly demonstrated the qualities that make him so, showing Gandalf’s values of friendship that would one day be instrumental in the War of the Ring.
The Stranger Used A Classic Gandalf Quote From The Fellowship Of The Ring
In the climax of The Rings of Power season 1, The Stranger fights off The Dweller and co, and the primary purpose of this scene is to confirm that he isn’t Sauron. The Stranger confirms that he’s not an evil Maiar and that he’s one of the good guys. But this still didn’t confirm he was Gandalf. It was his final quote of the season that really led fans to confirm their beliefs in The Stranger being Gandalf, which was him advising Nori to “Always follow your nose.”
This is a quote from The Fellowship of the Ring. As the Fellowship journeys through the Mines of Moria, Gandalf loses his way, eventually deciding on a path by following his nose, where he shares this quote for the first time. The Rings of Power made it pretty clear who The Stranger was in the season 1 finale, as this is quintessential Gandalf philosophy.
8 The Stranger Meeting Tom Bombadil Before The Lord Of The Rings
Gandalf & Tom Bombadil Have Met, But The Books Don’t Say Why Or When
The Stranger meeting Tom Bombadil in The Rings of Power may have been a surprise, as neither is known for making an impact on the Second Age of Middle-earth. With that being said, Gandalf definitely knows about Tom Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings, and he mentions having had previous run-ins with him. They don’t actually see each other in the books, but Gandalf speaks about the mysterious character in a way that implies knowledge of him.
Tom Bombadil and Gandalf’s meeting in Rhûn is an invention of the show, but the books never state that it didn’t happen. If the purpose of The Rings of Power is to compile the events of the Second Age into a five-season drama, then taking some creative liberties with interpretation is required. But Tom Bombadil’s appearance could have been another hint about The Stranger being Gandalf.
Loving Hobbits Is Crucial To Gandalf’s Role In The Lord Of The Rings
The Stranger arrives in Middle-earth, and the first being to look after him is Nori Brandyfoot.
All of the Harfoots and Stoors in The Rings of Power are original characters in the TV series, and they’ve served a critical purpose in establishing Gandalf in the series. Anyone who loves The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings understands why Gandalf loves hobbits, but the prequel essentially shows an origin to that love. The Stranger arrives in Middle-earth, and the first being to look after him is Nori Brandyfoot.
In Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit, Gandalf explains to Galadriel that the reason he needs Bilbo Baggins is because he gives him hope. In the Amazon Prime interpretation of the Second Age, audiences see a version of Gandalf who’s arrived on Middle-earth confused and alone, and Nori is the first person to give him hope. She’s crucial to laying the foundation for his character, and even though they’re going their separate ways in season 3, she’ll always be with him.
6 The Stoors Call The Stranger “Grand-Elf”
The Rings Of Power Makes A Reference To Gandalf’s Etymology
When the protagonists first arrive and meet the Stoors, where the leader Gundabel takes issue with The Stranger. She describes him as a “great big Grand-Elf,” mistaking his species for being an Elf due to his height. Aside from being a combination of words that sounds like “Gandalf,” triggering The Stranger’s realization of his proper name, The Rings of Power plays with the original etymology of Gandalf’s name.
In the language of men in Middle-earth, Gandalf means “Wand-elf” or “Elf-of-the-wand.” And beyond The Lord of the Rings, “gandr” is an old Norse word that means “wand” or “staff,” which is how Tolkien came up with the name. Part of what makes the world of Middle-earth so fascinating is that each name and term is designed with astute attention to language, so this reference in the TV series pays homage to that.
5 Tom Bombadil Uses A Gandalf Quote From The Fellowship Of The Ring
Rings Of Power Provides The Origin For A Classic Gandalf Quote
In The Rings of Power season 2, episode 6, Tom Bombadil utilizes an altered quote from The Fellowship of the Ring quote when speaking to The Stranger. He says, “Many that die deserve life, some that live deserve death. Who are you to give it to them?“ In the first movie, Gandalf speaks to Frodo on their journey through Moria. Frodo suggests Bilbo should have killed Gollum, to which Gandalf responds with a valuable philosophy about mercy.
This means that Gandalf heads Tom Bombadil’s words in The Rings of Power. At least, sort of. Tom initially uses the quote when he’s posing that The Stranger chooses training in magic over returning to help his friends. Once The Stranger realizes that saving Nori, Poppy, and the Stoors is the right thing to do, he likely realizes the phrase is better suited in reverse, instead saying, “Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life.“
4 Tom Bombadil Mentions The Secret Fire
The Secret Fire Is Described As A Source Of Magic In Rings Of Power
When talking to Tom Bombadil about magic in The Rings of Power season 2, Tom mentions the “Secret Fire” multiple times, hinting that The Stranger could learn to wield this mysterious power. This suggests that the Istar’s source of magic would be the Secret Fire, which is an original idea for the show. In the books, the Secret Fire is a term used to describe Ilúvatar’s (the creator of Arda) ability to create life. Much of the conflict of The Silmarilion is that Morgoth is jealous that he can’t create life as Ilúvatar does.
As for how this connects to Gandalf, the Secret Fire is primarily tied to him in the original Lord of the Rings text. In the famous scene where Gandalf faces off with the Balrog on the bridge of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring, he says this:
“You cannot pass,’ he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. “I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass”
3 The Dark Wizard Refers To The Stranger As “Istar”
The Stranger Was Confirmed To Be An Istar
A massive reveal in The Rings of Power season 2 is The Dark Wizard character, played by the always-outstanding Ciarán Hinds. This introduces a new mystery box, as his character’s identity is now the biggest question mark in the show. As for The Stranger’s identity, the Dark Wizard gives a pretty clear-cut clue by referring to him as “Istar.” Of course, the Dark Wizard could be wrong, but his own mysticism implies that he has a better idea of what’s going on, and his words carry some weight.
Confirming that The Stranger was an Istar essentially limits the possibilities of his character to five different options in Middle-earth. Radagast and Saruman never fit the bill well enough, and while the Blue Wizards are a bigger mystery because not much is known about them, it doesn’t seem like the show would’ve made such a big deal out of keeping a big secret reveal for a character most audiences wouldn’t recognize.
2 The Stranger’s Physical Appearance Resembles Gandalf
Grey Beard & Grey Robes Should’ve Been A Dead Giveaway
Now that he has his staff all Gandalf needs in
The Rings of Power
is a pointy hat to match his set.
The most apparent clue that The Stranger is Gandalf has always been the simple fact that he just looks like him. Of course, Daniel Weyman and Ian McKellen aren’t very similar-looking actors, but Weyman’s iteration of The Stranger has almost all of the essential qualities of what one would think of with Gandalf. A tall man with a massive gray beard, long gray hair, and gray robes are tell-tale signs of the beloved wizard.
Of course, looks can be deceiving. This was a character who landed in Middle-earth with no memories, so he likely wasn’t spending much time considering fashion. But with everything else in mind, it would be such an enormous misdirection to dress him like Gandalf, only to throw away the shaggy gray look for pristine white wizard robes or something else later on. Now that he has his staff all Gandalf needs in The Rings of Power is a pointy hat to match his set.
1 The Stranger’s Magical Abilities Resemble Gandalf
The Rings Of Power Draws From Peter Jackson’s Movies For Magic Visuals
The Stranger’s magical abilities are quite vague in The Rings of Power by design, as Tolkien never went into too much detail about what the Istari could actually do. It’s more important in The Lord of the Rings that a wizard is present to provide counsel and advice to the leadership of Middle-earth than to be a powerful magic wielder. However, Peter Jackson’s movies provided some visual motifs for what magic looks like in this world.
The Rings of Power emulates many magic tropes from Gandalf in the movies, including him slamming his staff down onto the ground to create a magical vortex of some sort. In the movies, Gandalf notably slams his staff during the famous “You shall not pass!” scene. Furthermore, The Stranger in The Rings of Power is shown wielding light with a staff in the season 1 finale, allowing him to send the witches to the Unseen Realm. Early in season 1, The Stranger whispers to fireflies, similar to how Gandalf whispers to a moth on Isengard’s pinnacle in the movies.