Sauron and Gandalf were both Maiar: a supernatural race that serve the Valar, and many Maiar assumed different forms. Gandalf is one of five Wizards, a group of Maiar originally sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to aid the resistance against Sauron, and were given the appearance of old men.
As one of the Maiar, Gandalf was not a mortal Man but an angelic being who had taken human form. As one of those spirits, Olórin was in service to the Creator (Eru Ilúvatar) and the Creator's 'Secret Fire'.
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.
Why Was Sauron so Powerful? (Even Among Maiar) - Middle-earth Explained
Who is more powerful, Galadriel or Gandalf?
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.
Characters who can easily defeat Sauron are; his Creator Eru Ilúvatar, his old master Melkor, and the Valar. Others who could overcome him would be Ungoliant who physically dwarfed Morgoth, and some great Maiar of Valinor described as almost as great in power as the Valar themselves.
Summary. Gandalf's claim to be Saruman when he returned in The Two Towers was because his resurrection as Gandalf the White meant he had taken on the role and form of the White Wizard. The wizards in Middle-earth were avatars or incarnations of the powerful Maiar beings, with Saruman as the leader.
She calls him Mithrandir. It's his name in elvish. The root word is mith which has to do with silver. Mithril, for example, is that silver armor shirt that Bill has that is later given to Frodo.
But, we are talking about Gandalf the White. This Gandalf defeated Saruman, so he is also above Saruman. However, he is still les powerful then Sauron.
Sauron's deepest fear was that Aragorn would use the Ring against him. With its powers of domination, Aragorn could comfortably take over the entirety of Sauron's dark army. Though this would eventually corrupt Aragorn, it would allow him to destroy Sauron and take his place.
"So I think in his pitch to Galadriel, it cannot mean that he loves her or that there's any kind of romantic relationship. There should be no ambiguity around the fact that Sauron is evil — he's terrible, and he's using Galadriel to enhance his power."
Meanwhile, a few faithful Númenóreans, led by Elendil, were saved from the flood, and they founded Gondor and Arnor in Middle-earth. Sauron still considered them his hated enemies and he launched a pre-emptive attack on Gondor in S.A. 3429.
Sauron was originally a shape-shifting fallen angel and could take on various forms, including a vampire and a werewolf. Sauron's final form was terrifying and demonic, reflecting his own hate and evil, and he did not wear armor in the books.
After remaining hidden for five centuries, Sauron reappeared. With the intention of taking over Middle-earth, he named himself the next Dark Lord. By SA 1000, Sauron had established a stronghold in the land of Mordor in eastern Middle-earth. There, he began building the dark fortress Barad-dûr near Mount Doom.
For those that haven't read Tolkien's work, it's easy to see why many audiences suspect Gandalf and Galadriel are in love. After all, many of their interactions in The Hobbit trilogy practically scream romance. However, their relationship remains purely platonic in Tolkien's source material.
Thus, Galadriel's dark form in Jackson's The Lord of the Rings personified what would have occurred had the Lady of Lothlorien given in to temptation and taken the One Ring for herself. She would have succumbed to evil because the Ring was indomitable, even with her power.
He plays a pivotal role in one final tactical battle to distract Sauron, thus enabling Frodo to destroy the Ring once and for all. After Sauron's defeat, Aragorn is crowned King Elessar of Gondor and Arnor, a name bestowed to him by Galadriel.
Sauron, in origin a Maia of Aulë like Saruman, awed and frightened him. During the height of his arrogance, Saruman thought he could contend with Sauron, but in the end he found himself meddling with a spirit of far greater power and knowledge than himself.
Saruman's real intention was to allow Sauron to build up his strength, so that the Ring would reveal itself and he could claim it first. Concealing his contempt, Saruman persuaded Radagast to teach him how to tame birds and beasts; these he used as spies for his own purposes, unbeknownst to the Brown Wizard.
Getting back to the puzzle, however, the solution is simply that the name "Gandalf" was tied to a prior life. After he was sent back, Gandalf would have recognized his friends, because they were all part of the job he was sent back to do.
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.
Morgoth, the first to reign terror upon Middle-earth, was more powerful than Sauron and commanded an army of dragons and Balrogs. While both Morgoth and Sauron were cunning, Morgoth's rule and terror lasted longer and his corruption spread further, making him more formidable in the Lord of the Rings universe.
The whole reason why Gandalf got the dwarves and Bilbo on their mission to Erebor was because he feared an alliance between Sauron and Smaug. While it was unlikely that the dragon would serve Sauron, a collaboration was more than possible in Gandalf's mind (and his mind tended to be spot on).
