Saruman was a higher-ranked wizard and the leader of the White Council, while Gandalf was primarily seen as a wise warrior and counselor to Frodo. Gandalf became stronger as the White Wizard and the leader of the wizards, ultimately besting Saruman in combat due to his loyalty and growth in power and authority.
Originally, Saruman was supposed to be the leader of the Wizards and the most powerful of them. In the films, he even bested Gandalf in a Wizard fight.
Though wizards are technically Maiar, they do not possess all the same abilities in their wizard forms. This is why, despite Balrogs and Sauron also being Maiar, Gandalf wasn't evenly matched in his wizarding form—especially as Gandalf the Grey.
As a wizard, Gandalf's magical power is in light and fire, which he is able to manipulate by casting beams of light, starting and directing fires, and more. Although he is very powerful magically, his power does have its limits.
He was originally the chief of the wizards as well as the White Council that was formed to fight against Sauron. He was more powerful than Gandalf at these stages, but his study of dark magic turned him to support Sauron. However, before he turned to the dark forces, he was a very powerful wizard.
As previously stated, Gandalf is a Maia and is therefore superior to Elves regarding power. Still, this isn't to say that an elf couldn't develop enough skill and power to defeat a Maia. As a bearer of one of the Three Elven Rings (Nenya), Galadriel would have an edge against Maiar like Saruman and Radagast.
Saruman was a higher-ranked wizard and the leader of the White Council, while Gandalf was primarily seen as a wise warrior and counselor to Frodo. Gandalf became stronger as the White Wizard and the leader of the wizards, ultimately besting Saruman in combat due to his loyalty and growth in power and authority.
Morgoth Would Beat Sauron Because Of How They Were Created
Melkor — who eventually became Morgoth — was the first and strongest of the Valar, but his view of what Arda should be differed greatly from Ilúvatar's, so the rest of the Valar were constantly forced to combat his evil.
Galadriel's powers were so vast that it's said that other powerful beings like Saruman or even Elrond could not fully comprehend them. The powers she did have were used for good, of course, such as protecting Lothlórien and even toppling Dol Guldur, a fortress that was enhanced by Sauron's magic.
As such, Saruman wouldn't have been able to use the Ring against Sauron, per se. Rather, Saruman would have had to dominate Sauron's will and essentially kick him out of the Ring. If he succeeded in doing that, Sauron would have been defeated because it was his saving anchor.
With the One Ring, Saruman would be very powerful, given his knowledge of ringlore and his already formidable powers of manipulation. He already had the Uruk Hai and Dunlendings on his side, was able to manipulate Treebeard from a position of weakness, and came very close to dominating Theoden.
Seeing how Saruman was likely still as powerful as ever, this just goes to show how much stronger Gandalf the White had become. Unless the feats of the blue wizards become widely known and are somehow even greater, it is safe to say that Gandalf the White is the most powerful of all of Middle Earth's wizards.
There's no question that Sauron is among the strongest beings in Middle-earth, so powerful that even when defeated, he lay dormant and gathered strength in non-corporeal form. Sauron poured his power and will into the One Ring so that as long as it existed, he could never be truly defeated.
Originally a Maia of Yavanna, Radagast was mainly concerned with the well-being of the plant and animal worlds, and thus did not participate heavily in the War of the Ring. He is eighth most powerful of all the Maiar.
Bloodlines are very important in Tolkien's stories, and it makes a lot of sense that Sauron would fear the great-grandson of the man who cut off his hand. Aragorn carried the blood of Numenor with him. His genetic connection to the heroes of the Second Age established him as a dangerous opponent of Sauron.
Rather than cast magic at Sauron, Galadriel opts to challenge him on the spiritual plane; she resorts to her Wrath form to penetrate Sauron's mind and break his will. She obviously succeeds, as Sauron audibly cries aloud as he flees.
Dumbledore kicks some serious ass, especially when it comes to wizarding duels, but in a contest of all-out brawls, the points have to go to Gandalf. Gandalf will frequently throw himself into the heat of battle, dispatching orc after orc with his sword and staff combo.
In a one-on-one battle, Galadriel would likely lose to Sauron. Even though she's an Elf, both powerful and intelligent, Sauron is Maiar. Odds are, Sauron didn't fear a physical defeat — only a fellow Maia ring-bearer could physically oppose him and win, after all — but Galadriel is threatening in other ways.
Gandalf is no mere man, but a Maiar, which are essentially the equivalent of angels in Tolkien's world. Not only that, Gandalf is capable of feats of sorcery that could easily beat back the Dark Lord. Fighting the Balrog for three days and two nights makes everything else seem like a cakewalk.
Ultimately, the only being more powerful than Morgoth in his prime was Eru Ilúvatar. Only the combined effort of the Valar could stop Morgoth, and only after countless battles. Sauron might have bested his mentor under certain circumstances, but Morgoth is the greater Dark Lord by every metric.
Although both the Balrog and Smaug are creatures of fire, and Gandalf is able to match them thanks to the power of his fire ring, defeating the Balrog takes far more spiritual prowess, which is why Gandalf is able to essentially 'level up' and comes back as Gandalf the White, whereas defeating such an immense physical ...
