Rings Of Power Season 2 Scoop: How A 'Wizard' Might Help The Stranger Fight Sauron
"The Rings of Power" has a lot of irons in the fire. Storylines are already percolating surrounding the Men of Númenor, the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, and the Elvish communities across the Middle-earth continent. All of these groups will eventually have to face the conquering might of the Dark Lord Sauron, and it will require all of their strength to stop him. A recent multi-part rumor from the fansite Fellowship of Fans claims that there is yet another anti-Sauron iron being added to the fire in Season 2, as well, in the form of a magic-wielding alliance in the East.
The exclusive scoop starts by stating, "When the Stranger and Nori travel East they will encounter a 'Wizard' that will help train The Stranger improving his abilities and magic making him very powerful. It is unsure yet whether this 'Wizard' is one of the Istari or just another 'magical' character."
The finale of Season 1 revealed The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) to be a Wizard, though it was still never clarified who that Wizard might be (more on that in a minute). The season also ended with him heading off into the East with the Harfoot Nori (Markella Kavenagh). This temporarily moves him away from the center of the action over in Elvish Eregion or down in the newly minted Mordor. Nevertheless, according to Fellowship of Fans, The Stranger's story is ultimately going to circle back around. Another part of the robust rumor claims, "The Stranger is being built up to be a future major rival and enemy against Sauron in future seasons. This season is where he will learn and improve his abilities."
If the splashy bit of unconfirmed news is correct, we could be getting a Wizarding alliance that seemed unlikely as the credits rolled on Season 1.
Is the Stranger Gandalf or not? And who could he meet in the East?
In the Season 1 finale, The Stranger tells Nori to always follow her nose. For many suspicious viewers, it was a major hint that his identity is none other than Gandalf, who says something similar to Meriadoc Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) in the Mines of Moria in Peter Jackson's trilogy. While the connection is uncannily similar, there are plenty of factors that don't line up. When Gandalf explains his name in "The Two Towers" book, he has a name in most areas of Middle-earth — except the East. In fact, he specifically says, "to the East I go not." He has no history in the east, and if you want to get technical, he doesn't even show up in Middle-earth as Gandalf until long after the end of the Second Age, when the show takes place.
Nevertheless, if the showrunners want to rewrite Gandalf's backstory and The Stranger is, indeed, the Grey Wizard, the new scoop could hint at a meeting between Gandalf and none other than Saruman. While we don't know much of Saruman's backstory, the appendices of "The Return of the King" explain that he "journeyed often into the East." Perhaps The Stranger will bump into none other than Saruman as he and Nori head in that direction. There's also the caveat that this could be just another magic wielder. J. R. R. Tolkien makes regular references to sorcerers and similar "mortal" types that aren't the same as his angelic order of Wizards. Perhaps The Stranger is simply going to bump into another individual like the three Mystics he vanquished in Season 1.
That said, there is another reading of the tea leaves here — and it's a blue one.
The new rumor adds fuel to the idea that the Stranger is a Blue Wizard
Speculation has run rampant since the magic-wielding Stranger showed up that he could be none other than one of Tolkien's mysterious Blue Wizards. These are two of the Five Wizards or "Istari" (the other three are Saruman, Gandalf, and Radagast.) The Blue Wizards are famous for operating exclusively in the Eastern regions of the continent, out of sight and out of mind of Tolkien's main story.
One of the big issues with this theory is that, as far as has been officially confirmed, Amazon Studios doesn't have the right to the Blue Wizards. Showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay previously reported that "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" are the primary source material they're allowed to work from. The Blue Wizards are barely referenced (out of context) in "The Lord of the Rings" and never in "The Hobbit."
However, the Fellowship of Fans report adds the juicy claim that Amazon has obtained special rights to a pair of Tolkien's original texts outside of their primary source material for the Rhûn storyline in the East. The site elaborates, "One being from the Unfinished Tales around the Istari and consequently access to use all 5 wizards if needed. The other text they got access to is where Tolkien mentioned some of the Istari being around in the Second Age and travelling East."
The Istari essay in "Unfinished Tales" is a massive score, as it includes the bulk of Tolkien's thoughts on the Five Wizards — and especially the Blue Wizards. The other text probably refers to a passage from the book "The Peoples of Middle-Earth," which reworks the Blue Wizard's history — specifically turning them into a critical force in the Second Age fight against Sauron.
Fighting Sauron in the East
Most of Tolkien's stories take place in the west of Middle-earth. However, he hints that Sauron stays busy conquering and manipulating the nations of Men in the eastern and southern regions of the continent. Tolkien also gives us breadcrumb pieces of information about how the Blue Wizards impact that story.
In a letter in 1958, he explained, "What success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and 'magic' traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron." If the show uses this version, they could have The Stranger run into a rogue Blue Wizard or even one of their magic-wielding cult followers, similar to Season 1's Mystics.
However, the aforementioned passage from "The Peoples of Middle-Earth" was written late in Tolkien's life, and it dramatically changed the narrative, turning the Blues into key heroes in the East. It explains that they were sent to stir up rebellion against Sauron in eastern Middle-earth, adding, "They must have had very great influence on the history of the Second Age and Third Age in weakening and disarraying the forces of East ... who would both in the Second Age and Third Age otherwise have ... outnumbered the West."
If the new scoop is correct, it could mean The Stranger is one of the two Blue Wizards. The other "Wizard" he meets could be his azure partner and together, they could team up to resist Sauron in the East. Then again, if The Stranger is simply a reworked version of Gandalf, the story could go in any number of directions. Either way, we'll have to wait to find out until Season 2 airs, hopefully later in 2024.