Dear ‘Rings of Power,’ please don’t make ‘the Stranger’ Gandalf

Who is the Stranger? It’s the main question everyone watching The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has, and so far, it’s yet to receive an answer. All signs point to Gandalf, but going down that road is a recipe for disaster.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Gandalf just as fiercely as the rest of the LOTR fandom, which is precisely why I think he should be left alone. Ian McKellen’s portrayal of the kind-hearted Istar is memorable and beloved, and while Daniel Weyman has done a fine job with the Stranger, a transition to Gandalf would undoubtedly be hindered by comparison. I mean, come on. We all know how fans reacted to Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo’s younger portrayals of Galadriel and Elrond. Does anyone really want to watch Gandalf go through that same scrutiny?

I’ll even argue that making the Stranger Gandalf is the safe choice. Perhaps Rings of Power thinks, “People like Gandalf. People watch show.” However, as mentioned above, that’s not necessarily the case. People don’t want characters with established backstories to get butchered and rewritten, either. Rings of Power has already done that enough with Sauron and Galadriel. (Where the heck is Celeborn?)

If the Amazon Prime Video series wants to take risks, why not flesh out characters with less source material? To put it bluntly: Stop being cowards, Rings of Power, and give us the Blue Wizards.

The Blue Wizards are a risk worth trying

Rings of Power confirmed that the Stranger is an Istar, meaning he is one of the five Maiar, compiled like a boy band by the Valar and sent to Middle-earth to assist in the good fight against Sauron. Unless Rings of Power goes completely rogue and creates a sixth member of the Order of Wizards, the Stranger’s identity is limited to Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, or one of the Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando.

There’s a lot of evidence to suggest Gandalf:

• The Stranger’s friendship with the harefoot Nori could explain Gandalf’s fondness for hobbits.
• He recites Gandalf’s famous “when in doubt … always follow your nose” quote.
• Gandalf refers to himself as the “wielder of the flame of Anor,” the Elvish word for sun, and the Stranger quite literally falls from the sky like a fiery shooting star.
• Oh, and of course, the Stranger wears a lot of gray.

That said, all of them could be red herrings. Rings of Power has proven it enjoys a twist. No one knew what form Sauron had taken upon his resurrection, including the audience, until the big Halbrand reveal in season 1’s finale. So, yeah, we all think Gandalf is the obvious choice, but maybe … just maybe … Rings of Power shoots for misdirection again.

This is where one of the Blue Wizards could (and should) come in. Although J.R.R. Tolkien originally said the Order of Wizards all arrived on Middle-earth together, he later confirmed that Alatar and Pallando came first in the Second Age, with Saruman, Gandalf, and Radagast following much later in the Third Age. Largely absent from the rest of LOTR lore, the Blue Wizards dropped down on Middle-earth only to wander off in the East like wayward travelers. Not even Tolkien seemed to know what happened to them, which is why one or both of them would work so perfectly in Rings of Power.

Early season 2 has Nori, Poppy, and the Stranger wandering through Rhûn, the eastern land that will eventually host many of Sauron’s followers. While Alatar and Pallando’s fates remain a mystery, Rhûn just so happens to be one of their last known locations. Did they turn to darkness like Saruman or start their own cult of magic? Tolkien lists both as possibilities, offering some pretty juicy jumping-off points for an Alatar or Pallando origin story. Is this why Ciarán Hinds’ mysterious Dark Wizard just showed up? I certainly hope so.

Personally, I’d much rather see the Blue Wizard’s mythology explored than watch Rings of Power haphazardly stitch together some sort of Frankensteinian monster to account for Gandalf’s early arrival. Of course, going down that road isn’t without risks, either. Giving the Blue Wizard’s backstory might be sacrilegious to some LOTR fans. However, I’d rather watch a series that fills in gaps in Tolkien’s plot rather than rewrite it. But, hey, that’s just me.