The main plot of season one of The Rings of Power focused on The Stranger (played by David Weyman) falling from the heavens to Middle-Earth. Throughout the season, this mysterious “Meteor Man” was teased to be Sauron, but with amnesia. During the finale, his memory is slightly restored, and he is revealed to be one of the Istari (i.e., Wizards). The writers had the Stranger tease he could secretly be Gandalf while speaking to Nori on their adventure East. However, who he really is has yet to be revealed. Many fans had hoped he could be one of the two Blue Wizards since not much is written about them and their travels east to Rhun. This allows the writers of the show to carve their own mythology of the two Blues without breaking any pre-existing lore.
Now, a report has gone out that has revealed that Amazon has gained rights outside of their initial deal with the Tolkien Estate. Originally, their deal allowed for the text written in the Lord of the Rings & the Appendices that only focused on the Second Age to be adapted to television (or streaming). Now, they have received permission from the estate to have two extra pieces of literature to be adapted for television/streaming. The streaming service now has access to all five of the Istari in their show. The five Istari included Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, and the two Blue Wizards. They also have access to state that they came to Middle-Earth sometime during the Second Age. Gandalf specifically states in the novels he came last and has never traveled east to Rhun.
It’ll be interesting to see if The Rings of Power simply breaks lore and makes The Stranger secretly Gandalf all along. This may upset many Tolkien purists but will make the show more relatable to those who only watch Peter Jackson’s films and want to see the origin of Gandalf. However, a second report does reveal that the Stranger and Nori do meet another Wizard who helps the Stranger regain all his memories as a Wizard. Leading to the possibility he really is one of the Two blues and finds his companion along the way east.
The Rings of Power season 2 returns to Amazon this Fall
Source: Fellowship of Fans
