The Rings of Powershowrunners have confirmed that they’re considering the Dark Wizard to be one of the Blue Wizards, which means the show will be interpreting one of Tolkien’s lasting mysteries. With The Stranger finally being revealed as Gandalf inThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s ending, the identity of the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) has since become the show’s biggest mystery. The character has a similar likeness to Christopher Lee’s Saruman fromThe Lord of the Ringsmovies, but in a recentReddit Q&A, show creators Patrick McKay and JD Payne debunked that possibility, saying the following:
We know there are five wizards talked about inThe Lord of the Rings. One of them is Saruman, one of them is Gandalf, one of them is Radagast, and then there are two others.It is our expectation that he will be one of those two others.
The Rings of Powercovers the history ofMiddle-earth’s Second Age, a period of Tolkien’s history that’s barely examined in the books. This allows the show’s writers to interpret the material in their own way, which they’ll seemingly be doing with one of the two Blue Wizards, characters primarily mentioned in Tolkien’sUnfinished Tales. It’s important to note that Amazon previously stated that they didn’t have rights to the contents ofUnfinished Tales, which could be why the character hasn’t been named in the show. There’s no confirmation regarding whether or not they have the rights now.
Tolkien’s Explanation For Why The Blue Wizards Are Elsewhere During The Lord Of The Rings Is Hazy
Tolkien’s Writings On The Blue Wizards Come From Incomplete Essays & Letters
InUnfinished Tales, Christopher Tolkien analyzes an essay written by J.R.R. Tolkien in 1954, which is the basis for the chapter “The Istari.” It’s a small chapter in a large book, and scarce are the mentions of the Blue Wizards within it. The gist of the matter is thatthe five Istari (Wizards)were sent to Middle-earth to contest Sauron’s growing power, but only one remained true to his purpose: Gandalf. Of the four others, only one has an active role inThe Lord of the Rings, which creates some confusion as to the whereabouts of the rest.
As audiences know fromThe Lord of the Rings, Saruman turned to evil before the War of the Ring, betraying his order due to pride and desire for power. Audiences will remember Radagast the Brown fromThe Hobbit, but according toUnfinished Tales,he “became enamored of the many beasts and birds that dwelt in Middle-earth, and forsook Elves and Men.” That leavestwo wizards remaining who aren’t mentioned inThe Lord of the Ringsbooksor films.
Istari is the plural term, while Istar refers to a singular wizard. The same can be applied to Maiar and Maia or Valar and Vala.
InUnfinished Tales,J.R.R. Tolkien suggests that the two Blue Wizards had no names and traveled into the Eastwith Saruman. Saruman returned, but they did not, and Tolkien offered multiple possibilities as to their fates, ultimately saying it’s unknown what happened to them. In a separate note, Tolkien referred to these wizards with the names Alatar and Pallando and described them as being associated with the Vala Oromë.
Tolkien also implies that Gandalf was the only Istar to return to Valinor, meaning the Blue Wizards remained in the East, alive or dead.
In a letter from 1958, he added that he"feared that they failed," implying they had abandoned their mission to oppose Sauron. Instead, he suggested thatthey had become “founders or beginners of secret cults and ‘magic’ traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron.“Importantly, Tolkien also implies that Gandalf was the only Istar to return to Valinor, meaning the Blue Wizards remained in the East, alive or dead.
The Rings Of Power’s Dark Wizard Being A Blue Wizard Explains The Mystery
The Dark Wizard Becoming Evil Explains Why He Wasn’t In LOTR
As it pertains to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, readers can speculate as they please regarding the fate of the Blue Wizards. InThe Rings of Power, JD Payne and Patrick McKay are posing their idea, which is befitting to the 1958 letter. There’s still not much known about the Dark Wizard character, butseason 2 shows that he’s evil, which would explain why he wouldn’t end up fighting inThe Lord of the Rings.Unfinished Taleseven poses the idea that they might have fallen to the will of Sauron at some point.
If the Dark Wizard has committed evil acts in the Second Age inThe Rings of Power, then it makes sense that he wouldn’t appear in the War of the Ring one way or another. Either he doesn’t care because he has his own evil stuff going on in Rhûn, or he’s reformed and good again but doesn’t trust himself because he was once evil and might be worried about the temptation of the One Ring. If Saruman, the leader of the Istari, was subjected to its power, then he may not think he could withstand it.
Rings Of Power’s Crying Sauron Isn’t A Problem For LOTR Canon (Not Yet Anyway)
Sauron shedding tears in Rings of Power season 2 has been divisive, but it won’t be a contradiction to Tolkien’s canon until later in the story.
The remaining mystery inThe Rings of Powerwould then be the fate of the other Blue Wizard. There could be another one still in Rhûn that Gandalf could team up with to fight the Dark Wizard. He could already be dead, killed by his companion. Or he could just have left to do his own thing, journeying the lands of Arda. Christopher Tolkien speculates inUnfinished Talesthat J.R.R. Tolkien associated the Blue Wizards with Oromë because of a desire for journeys, so this is undoubtedly a possibility.
How The Rings Of Power Making A Blue Wizard Evil Fits Into Tolkien Canon
Tolkien’s Notes Suggested Evil Being A Possible Fate For The Blue Wizards
Much of the speculation surroundingThe Rings of Powerregards its faithfulness to J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings. Given the nature of the Second Age, the show’s writers are forced to make far more of their own assertions regarding the lore than Peter Jackson had to with the films, and what results is more intense scrutiny. As for the Blue Wizards, the decision to interpret one or more as being evil seems fairly in line with what Tolkien intended for these characters. Tolkien himself didn’t seem certain about the fates of Alatar and Pallando.
The Rings Of Power’s Dark Wizard Identity Makes Gandalf Becoming “Gandalf The White” An Even Bigger Deal
The Rings of Power showrunners have suggested the Dark Wizard’s identity, and the idea would make Gandalf all the more impressive and virtuous.
In line with what Tolkien wrote about them becoming founders of secret cults, the Dark Wizard inThe Rings of Powerseems to have established his own magical organization in Rhûn. Also, while he may be a villain in the show, the precise nature of his evil is still relatively unclear. The writers ofThe Rings of Powercould still take this character in many different directions, exploring what exactly went wrong with the Istari’s mission on Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
