The Rings Of Power Reinforces The Importance Of A Wizard's Staff
Contains spoilers for "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" Season 1 finale, "Alloyed"
A wizard's staff is a well-known thing in Tolkien's works. In Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," two of the most famous wizards in Middle-Earth — Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and Saruman the White (Christopher Lee) — constantly lean on their study, intricately designed staffs. In their massive magical battle in Saruman's tower Orthanc, said staffs are also heavily utilized.
However, magic comes in many forms, and in Amazon Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" there seems to be a whole lot of it going around. Though the power of the elves might be waning, folks like Sauron (disguised as Charlie Vickers' Halbrand), the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), and the group of mystics led by the Dweller (Bridie Sisson) all sport some version of supernatural craft. Even so, the show hasn't forgotten about the role a wizard's staff can play, and in "The Rings of Power" Season 1 finale, the show reminds the viewers just how important it can be.
Give a wizard a staff, and his enemies will see trouble for days
The Dweller's group has been hot on the Stranger's heels ever since they were introduced in "The Rings of Power" Episode 5. However, the chase is a misinformed one. They've been after the mysterious man because they think he's their lord, Sauron. As they manage to capture the Stranger and the Harfoots are no match for their might, things seem to be leading toward a truly unfortunate ending. Luckily, the ever-crafty Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) saves the day by stealing the Dweller's staff and handing it to the Stranger, who promptly powers up and vanquishes the trio, using the staff to focus his hitherto unwieldy powers.
This isn't the first time "The Lord of the Rings" franchise has depicted a wizard's staff as a highly dangerous thing in the hands of "The Lord of the Rings" wizard. Apart from the aforementioned duel between Gandalf and Saruman, the former famously refuses to hand over his staff when he enters the halls of Théoden (Bernard Hill) ... and promptly uses it to free the ruler of Rohan from Grima Wormtongue's (Brad Dourif) gloom-inducing influence. Now that the Stranger has a staff at his disposal, there's no telling how powerful he turns out to be ... and maybe, just maybe, "The Rings of Power" Season 2 will finally reveal his true identity.