I’m So Glad ‘Rings of Power’ Season 2 Didn’t Try To Subvert My Expectations

Now that Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is finally in the books, it’s been officially confirmed that Daniel Weyman‘s mysterious Stranger is indeed Gandalf the Grey. While this doesn’t exactly come as a surprise, it’s probably the right move for the show, which has already departed greatly from J.R.R. Tolkien‘s original material anyway. More than anything, we’re glad to at least have an answer as to who the Stranger has been all along. This is a reveal that’s been a long time coming and (like Charlie Vickers‘ role as Sauron) has been the subject of much speculation over the past few years. But although the Prime Video series could have pulled the rug out from under us and made the Stranger another character entirely, it’s probably best that he ended up being Gandalf.

‘Rings of Power’ Was Probably Right To Make the Stranger Gandalf

From the moment the Stranger set foot on Middle-earth, many fans have been (rightfully) linking him to Gandalf. From his affinity for halflings (Harfoots in this case) to quoting lines directly from the original books (“When in doubt, always follow your nose…”), he’s been a dead-ringer for the Grey Wizard ever since he crash-landed. Of course, the Istari traditionally arrive in Middle-earth by boat, sailing on behalf of the Valar to help thwart the rise of Sauron. But, as we’ve established, Rings of Power is known for playing fast-and-loose with the classic continuity (often for worse, but sometimes it makes things interesting). Then there’s the fact that the Stoors have named the Stranger “Grand-Elf” because of his height and Elvish appearance, despite his not having pointed ears. Season 2 was pushing the Gandalf narrative the whole time, with the Wizard’s budding friendship with Rory Kinnear‘s Tom Bombadil being another clear signpost.

But as far as making the Stranger into Gandalf is concerned, it’s definitely the safe choice. Given that we don’t know much about either of the Blue Wizards — and making him either Saruman or Radagast would’ve just been strange — Gandalf is the only character with direct ties to The Lord of the Rings who is instantly recognizable to general audiences. Rings of Power‘s ability to only pull primarily from Tolkien’s original novels certainly gives them a lot of material to work with. Though Gandalf doesn’t actually appear in Middle-earth in Tolkien’s writings until the Third Age, there have been a lot of shifts in the Prime Video series timeline already. Of course, the biggest reason this is probably the right move is because of the previously established clues the series already left us. If the Stranger turned out to be a Blue Wizard or Saruman, but was doing all of these Gandalf-y things, it would just be confusing. More than that, it would feel disingenuous, and given that’s already a criticism of the series by many, this was the safer bet.

Those hoping that the Stranger would be a Blue Wizard, with a potential civil war between him and Ciarán Hinds‘ Dark Wizard character — who should not be Saruman, by the way, this one probably is a Blue Wizard — introduced this season, are likely disappointed. That makes sense. But the truth is, even Tolkien wasn’t sure that the Blue Wizards even stuck with their task. According to the professor, it’s more likely that they each fell away from their mission to the cares of the world and instead dabbled in secret cults and magics that pulled them from their goal of defeating Sauron. Tolkien himself was clear that, of the five Istari who arrived in Middle-earth, only Gandalf was faithful until the end. Given that Rings of Power already has Isildur’s (Maxim Baldry) fall from grace in sight (after first turning Halbrand into Sauron last season), it’s probably wise that they didn’t make their only wizard into a tragic character.

Gandalf Doesn’t Have To Go by “Gandalf” in ‘Rings of Power’ Season 3

Called Olórin in Quenya, Gandalf would be known by various names during his time in Middle-earth. Greyhame, Old Greybeard, the Wandering Wizard, and others are among the monikers he would undertake throughout the Third Age. While the show will probably just call him Gandalf so as not to confuse the audience, among different races he’s actually known by different names. The Elves, for instance, call Gandalf “Mithrandir” (which means “Grey Pilgrim), a name that we hear uttered in Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well. The Dwaves, on the other hand, called him Tharkûn, and in the South he had other names entirely. It was the Men of Arnor (the kingdom that Elendil would eventually set up in Middle-earth) who would eventually name him Gandalf, and given that the Stranger tells Tom Bombadil that “they will call me Gandalf,” the show seems to be implying that it will stick true to that idea.

Much like Sauron, who boasts of many names, Gandalf isn’t just Gandalf, and Rings of Power should lean into that a bit more going forward. The show hasn’t really delved much into the concept of multiple names, something Tolkien wrote a lot about in his legendarium, and the Second Age might be the perfect time to do just that. While the audience will likely refer to the Stranger as Gandalf going forward, the characters in Rings of Power don’t have to. Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) can call him Mirthandir the way she traditionally does and the Dwarves could use their own name for him. Since it seems as if Elendil (Lloyd Owen) is going to be leaving Númenor sooner rather than later, his establishment of the Kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor might prove the perfect time to re-introduce the Gandalf name.

Either way, it’s nice to see that Rings of Power is finally committing to the Gandalf idea. Even if it’s not the greatest reveal, it feels good to be able to stop speculating about it. After teasing his identity for two seasons and being fairly noncommittal about it the whole time, it’s a change that at least offers fans closure concerning this multi-season mystery. Sure, it’s a bit on the nose, and it’s not the most inspired choice, but at least it helps justify all the obvious hints along the way. It’s certainly much better than if Rings of Power pulled a Game of Thrones Season 8 on us by tossing in a random name, just to throw us off the whole time. Sometimes, it’s better if the audience has an idea where you’re going, and that’s certainly true of this reveal. Now, if only Rings of Power could give Gandalf something interesting to do in Season 3 instead of just wandering about the desert…

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available for streaming on Prime Video.

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