Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power season 2.
The Rings of Powerseason 2 hinted that the other wizards of the Istari Order could appear in the show’s future. As ofThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s ending, two wizards are positioned as having big roles in upcoming installments of the Prime Video show. On the side of good, there is the wizard formerly known asThe Stranger and now Gandalf, whose identity was confirmed. His counterpart is known only as the Dark Wizard, with a confrontation between the two being teased forThe Rings of Powerseason 3’s story.
This confrontation will likely serve as one of the main plotlines for Gandalf in season 3, who is still located in the far-eastern lands of Rhûn. Away from the otherpotential storylines ofThe Rings of Powerseason 3, Gandalf will likely learn more about his identity now that he has his staff, with his lost memories and history as a friend to the Valar likely being explored. What makes this storyline even more enticing, however, is the hint found inThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s ending that implied more wizards could appear in the show’s future.
The Dark Wizard Hints That The Remaining Istari Will Appear In The Rings Of Power Season 3
The Dark Wizard Talks About The Other 3 Wizards
The Rings of Power’s Dark Wizardis the vehicle of this hint that suggests more of the Istari will appear in the show’s future. InThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s finale, the Dark Wizard talks to Gandalf as an old friend. The Dark Wizard makes it clear that he knows who Gandalf is and that the two have a history, despite the latter not being aware of the former or his own past. It is via this conversation that the Dark Wizard hints at the other Istari fromThe Lord of the Rings.
All 5 Wizards/Istari In Lord Of The Rings Explained
In Lord of the Rings, and all of Tolkien lore, there were five Wizards that came from Valinor to help the peoples of Middle-Earth defeat Sauron.
The Dark Wizard mentions to Gandalf that there are five total Istari. He goes onto say that it was Gandalf who implored his fellow Istari to venture to Middle-earth as none of the wizards can defeat Sauron alone.This implies that the other wizards are either in Middle-earth or could follow in Gandalf’s and the Dark Wizard’s footstepsand go there in future seasons of the show. If so, the other three Istari could appear, marking a full appearance for Tolkien’s order of wizards in live-action.
Which Wizards The Rings Of Power Can Still Introduce
Four Wizards Are Still Unconfirmed In The Rings Of Power
With the possibility of more wizards appearing inThe Rings of Power, attention will naturally turn to which others could be introduced. As ofThe Rings of Powerseason 2’s ending, only Gandalf and the Dark Wizard have been confirmed as members of the Istari. Of course, Gandalf’s identity has been confirmed thanks to his experiences withThe Rings of Power’s Stoors, yet the Dark Wizard’s remains a mystery, as does that of the three other Istari.
Pallando
The Blue
The other four Istari known from Tolkien’s source material are Saruman the White, Radagast the Brown, and two unnamed Blue Wizardswho have only been referred to as Alatar and Pallando. One of these four wizards will be confirmed as the Dark Wizard in future seasons ofThe Rings of Power,likely one of the Blue Wizards who were said to have ventured east - where Rhûn is located - never to return. As such, the other potential inclusions inThe Rings of Powerare early versions of Saruman, Radagast, and the other Blue Wizard from Tolkien’s works.
How The Five Wizards In The Rings Of Power’s Middle-earth Rewrites Canon
Rings Of Power Makes Some Slight Alterations To Tolkien’s Lore
Although the possibility of more Istari appearing inThe Rings of Power’s future seasons is incredibly exciting, there is no denying that this reality would change the lore of Tolkien’s Legendarium. Already, Gandalf’s appearance has drawn criticism.Tolkien wrote that he and the other five Istari did not come to Middle-earth until the Third Age- thousands of years afterThe Rings of Power’s Second Age timeline- when they were sent by the Valar to aid the free peoples of the world in resisting Sauron’s darkness.
Where The Rings Of Power Fits Into The Middle-earth Timeline
Middle-earth’s timeline covers over 60,000 years, with Frodo’s Lord of the Rings story featured at the end - so where does Rings of Power fit?
Admittedly,there is one passage from Tolkien’sThePeoples of Middle-earththat hints Gandalf may have been around in the Second Age, which is likely whereThe Rings of Powertook inspiration from. However, there are no such hints for the other four wizards, meaning their appearance inThe Rings of Powerwould alter Tolkien’s stories fairly significantly. That said,The Rings of Poweris only an adaptation, after all, and even Peter Jackson’s projects of the same ilk made changes to the original novels in favor of storytelling excitement and intriguing character work, the latter regarding the Istari.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Cast
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.
