The Rings of Power season 2 confirmed that The Stranger is Gandalf, putting an end to two seasons’ worth of rumors and theories. Admittedly, The Stranger being revealed as Gandalf has been expected since The Rings of Power season 1’s ending. The story for the so-called giant in the show’s premiere installment surrounded his connection with the Harfoots, early versions of Hobbits from The Lord of the Rings’ Second Age.

Amid many other reasons, this caused the theories to flow that The Stranger, played by Daniel Weyman in The Rings of Power‘s cast, was the iconic gray wizard from The Lord of the Rings. The Rings of Power season 2 saw The Stranger traveling to the Middle-earth lands of Rhûn to discover his identity as much as his destiny, crossing paths with Old Tom Bombadil and a Dark Wizard. By the time this story came to a close in The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, the theories proved fruitful as The Stranger was finally confirmed as Gandalf himself.

The Rings Of Power Finally Confirms The Stranger Is Gandalf

The Wizard Is The Wandering Gray Pilgrim After All

Custom Image by Yeider Chacon

Although the story relating to Nori, Poppy, and Gandalf was relatively shortened in The Rings of Power season 2 in comparison to its predecessor, it always had a tight focus. The storyline was never about much more than the exploration of Gandalf’s identity, from his brief magic training under Tom Bombadil to his search for a staff and thus, his destiny as one of the powerful Istar. Despite Nori and Poppy’s story including hints about the origins of The Lord of the Rings’ Shire, much of the Rhûn plot revolved around the formerly-named Stranger.

In The Rings of Power season 2’s finale, Gandalf confronts the Dark Wizard who has taken the Stoors – another breed of Hobbits – captive. The Dark Wizard promises to reveal more about The Stranger’s identity, so long as he joins forces with his fellow Istar to defeat Sauron and take the Dark Lord’s place. However, The Stranger does not echo the darkness in his peer and refuses, using his burgeoning magical powers to save Nori, Poppy, and the Stoors before finding his staff and returning to Bombadil. There, he utters his name as Gandalf for the first time.

The Stranger Being Gandalf Was Heavily Foreshadowed For 2 Seasons

The Easter Eggs To Gandalf Were Not Exactly Hidden

As alluded to, several clues across The Rings of Power‘s two seasons hinted The Stranger was Gandalf. Many of these came in The Rings of Power season 1, from the wizard’s connection to the Harfoots that foreshadows his fondness for Hobbits in the Third Age, to his gray clothes and subtle magical spells that Gandalf is often shown using later in Middle-earth’s timeline. Perhaps the biggest hint came in The Rings of Power season 1’s finale, in which The Stranger told Nori to always follow her nose, an iconic Gandalf line from Fellowship of the Ring. 

More Gandalf clues came in The Rings of Power season 2. Once again, The Stranger’s fondness for Harfoots was evident, further teasing Gandalf’s Hobbit connection. More hints then came courtesy of Tom Bombadil, who uttered one of Gandalf’s other lines from The Lord of the Rings when talking about who does and does not deserve death, and who has the right to provide that to a person. Then there was the foreshadowing of Gandalf’s staff and, possibly most overtly, the Stoors referring to him as “Grand Elf.”

How The Rings Of Power Introducing Gandalf Compares To Lord Of The Rings Canon

Lord Of The Rings Canon Is Slightly Changed For Gandalf’s Inclusion

Undoubtedly, the biggest talking point now that The Stranger is confirmed as Gandalf will be how this affects The Lord of the Rings canon. The Rings of Power has long been the subject of debate regarding changes it makes to the original works of J.R.R. Tolkien, despite many of them being versed in advantageous storytelling benefits, the changes required between books and TV, and still keeping true to the spirit of Tolkien. That said, Gandalf’s inclusion in The Rings of Power‘s Second Age will cause some controversy.

Despite being much older than this, it was only in the Third Age that the Valar sent the wizards as physical beings to Middle-earth…

The reason for this is that Gandalf and the other four Istari were not said to have visited Middle-earth until the Third Age in the original books. Despite being much older than this, it was only in the Third Age that the Valar sent the wizards as physical beings to Middle-earth to aid the free peoples in opposing Sauron. As such, Gandalf’s appearance in The Rings of Power‘s Second Age is somewhat of a canon break.

Interestingly, there are several elements of Tolkien’s writing that could hint the wizards visited Middle-earth before this and are thus open to interpretation. For example, Tolkien’s book The Peoples of Middle-earth includes this passage: “That Olorin, as was possible for one of the Maiar, had already visited Middle-earth and had become acquainted not only with the Sindarin Elves and others deeper in Middle-earth, but also with Men, is likely…” With this in mind, The Rings of Power could simply be interpreting this passage as Gandalf being part of the Second Age.

The Rings Of Power Explains The Origins Of Gandalf’s Name In Middle-earth

Gandalf’s Name Was Given To Him By The Stoors

Regardless of how Gandalf’s Rings of Power appearance fits into Middle-earth canon, it is a fact he is part of the show. The Rings of Power season 2 is unabashed in this, as evident by teasing several elements of Gandalf’s character. One such element came in Gandalf’s final scene in The Rings of Power season 2 in which Tom Bombadil implores that a wizard does not find a staff nor a name, but that both find the wizard.

The Stranger contemplates this for a moment before thinking back to the Stoors. He states “Gandalf. That is what they’re going to call me, isn’t it?” to which Bombadil smiles. This links to another of Gandalf’s lines from The Two Towers after he is resurrected as Gandalf the White, “Gandalf? Yes… that is what they used to call me. Gandalf the Gray. That is my name.” Given that the Istari is named Olorin, Gandalf’s name being given to him by the peoples of Middle-earth makes a lot of sense.

Gandalf’s Staff Gets An Origin Story In The Rings Of Power Season 2

The Staff Found The Wizard

Another element of Gandalf’s character established in The Rings of Power season 2 was his staff. The Istari faced a choice earlier in the season, find his staff or save his friends. As Gandalf discovers, this was not a choice but a test; as an Istari sent to help the peoples of Middle-earth, he was never meant to choose power over friendship. In choosing the latter, he finds his staff in the ruined village of the Stoors, solidifying his status as not only a wizard of Middle-earth but Gandalf the Gray.

What Gandalf’s Presence Means For The Rings Of Power Season 3

Where Will The Wizard’s Path Take Him In The Show’s Future?

Naturally, Gandalf’s reveal in The Rings of Power season 2’s ending will lead to questions about what his story will be going forward. Now that one of the most iconic characters in Tolkien’s Legendarium has joined the others of that ilk in The Rings of Power, there are many possibilities going forward. The most immediate is Gandalf’s confrontation with the Dark Wizard. In The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, he and Nori have parted ways and the wizard returns to Bombadil, who previously told him it was his destiny to stop the Dark Wizard and thus, Sauron.

It could be the case that Gandalf remains confined to Rhûn until The Rings of Power ends, thus fitting with Tolkien’s canon slightly more…

This seemingly teases a further exploration of the dynamic between the two Istar in The Rings of Power season 3’s story. With Gandalf now aware that the Dark Wizard only wishes to defeat Sauron so he can take his place as a malevolent ruler of Middle-earth, it is unlikely the good Istar will leave his opposite unopposed. Beyond that, what the possibilities are for Gandalf’s role in The Rings of Power season 3 are admittedly unclear.

Given that Gandalf is a character who has no outright record of being involved in Middle-earth’s Second Age, it is not certain which direction the creators of The Rings of Power will take his arc. It could be the case that Gandalf remains confined to Rhûn until The Rings of Power ends, thus fitting with Tolkien’s canon slightly more, as his secluded arc would not explicitly blend with that of Galadriel’s, Sauron’s, or Elrond’s, for example. This would explain why there are no records of Gandalf in the Second Age, as he remained in Rhûn.

The other possibility is that The Rings of Power heavily involves Gandalf in the show’s overarching story. After defeating the Dark Wizard, Gandalf could meet up with the other characters of the show and directly oppose Sauron in what will likely be The War of the Last Alliance. If this possibility comes to pass, The Rings of Power would need to either explain why the record of Gandalf’s involvement in this war went unheard of by most, or change Tolkien’s lore and strike its own path through Middle-earth’s legends.

The Rings Of Power Explains The Origins Of Gandalf’s Name In Middle-earth

Gandalf’s Name Was Given To Him By The Stoors

Regardless of how Gandalf’s Rings of Power appearance fits into Middle-earth canon, it is a fact he is part of the show. The Rings of Power season 2 is unabashed in this, as evident by teasing several elements of Gandalf’s character. One such element came in Gandalf’s final scene in The Rings of Power season 2 in which Tom Bombadil implores that a wizard does not find a staff nor a name, but that both find the wizard.