This revelation refutes any lingering theories that The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), the man who fell from the sky at the start of the season, is in fact Sauron, with the finale confirming he's actually one of the Istari, Tolkien's version of Wizards.
The final episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's first season revealed that the “meteor man” (aka The Stranger) was actually one of the Istari, or Wizards.
Is the man who fell from the sky in The Rings of Power Gandalf?
Though the episode stops short of confirming which Istari the Stranger is (the safe money is on him being Gandalf, but there are other possibilities, for sure), the revelation gives the Stranger more control over his magic powers and he's able to speak and think clearly.
As soon as the Mystics realize the Stranger isn't Sauron, they label him an "Istar." With this label, and several other hints throughout the episode and the season, The Rings of Power has all but confirmed that the Stranger is everyone's favorite wizard: Gandalf the Grey.
And from the very first episode until now, one of the biggest mysteries of the show remains the identity of the man inside the meteor that fell from the sky. For the sake of clarity, let's call this individual The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), because that's how he's been marketed so far.
The Ring of Power | METEOR MAN IDENTITY CONFIRMED and He is That Which MOST Expected
Is the meteor man Gandalf or Sauron?
In the closing moments, the Istar told Nori, "Always follow your nose.” That was a clear reference to The Fellowship of the Ring, and unless all wizards have a thing for noses, it's a pretty clear confirmation that Meteor Man is Gandalf after all. The Rings of Power Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.
Unless Gandalf secretly arrived thousands of years before Tolkien said he did and looped back around later to pretend he arrived during the Third Age, Meteor Man is not Gandalf. And if this guy does turn out to be Gandalf, The Rings of Power will have committed a pretty big canon violation.
That line is said by Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring to Merry. Now, the show hasn't outright confirmed The Stranger is Gandalf, but the Istar link and Fellowship callback means we're about 99% sure the fan theory has come true.
Once they have found Meteor Man, they believe him to be Sauron and offer themselves as his servants. Many fans also thought him to be Sauron and made a good case for it, but as it turns out, he is not Sauron. Instead, he uses his magic to save Nori and the other Harfoots from the White Cloaks.
While The Rings of Power season 1 includes no overt clues to suggest a direct link between Harfoot characters and the Fellowship Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, several subtle details indicate that Nori Brandyfoot could potentially be an ancient relative of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.
Gandalf was one of the five Istari sent to Middle-earth by the Valar in the Third Age. In Valinor he was known as Olórin. Gandalf was instrumental in bringing about the demise of Sauron in T.A. 3019, chiefly by encouraging others and dispensing his wisdom at pivotal times.
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.
Halbrand does not deny his heroism out of bashful humility, though; he knows that as Sauron, he's not the hero she wants him to be for the Southlands -- not when his plans involve scorching it into Mordor. No, Halbrand was never a hero, nor did he ever claim to be.
With the help of the kindhearted harfoot Nori, the Stranger realizes that he is good, not evil. As the witches attempt to kill Nori and her harfoot friends, the Stranger rounds on the witches and battles them. After seeing his power they realize that he is not Sauron but an istar, a word that translates to wizard.
Halbrand is the form of a Human that he has taken in order to trick people, in the series. It's well documented in the Silmarillion that Sauron can take on pretty much any form he likes, and he seems to generally default to 'fair' form. So looking like Charlie Vickers isn't really a problem.
None of that excludes the possibility of the Stranger being indeed Gandalf, and later finding his way to the Gray Havens by ship in the Third Age. There is a lot that has not happened yet in The Rings of Power, but the only certainty now is that the Stranger is an Istar — and definitely not Sauron.
By the end of the second episode, Nori and her best friend Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) are watching the large man, played by Daniel Weyman and credited only as “The Stranger,” throw fireflies into the sky to create what Nori thinks is a map of specific stars he's trying to find — before those fireflies burn out ...
Melkor is the most powerful of the Valar but he turns to darkness and is renamed Morgoth, the primary antagonist of Arda. All evil in the world of Middle-earth ultimately stems from him. One of the Maiar of Aulë betrays his kind and becomes Morgoth's principal lieutenant and successor, Sauron.
The wizard called himself "Saruman of Many Colors" and "Saruman Ring-maker," indicating his covetous nature led him to try to make a Ring of Power for himself. Still, it lacked the strength of Sauron's or Gandalf's, so the former White wizard joined the Dark Lord in an attempt to claim some of his power.
Why does Gandalf have no memory in Rings of Power?
Stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as the life age of the earth." From that explanation, it makes perfect sense why Gandalf wouldn't remember much. He had left the confines of time, reembodied his Maiar form and been thrust back into the mortal realm.
6 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.
Who Are The Rings of Power's White Cloak Characters? The three figures who first appeared at the site of the Stranger's meteorite crash are known as The Ascetic (Kali Kopae), The Nomad (Edith Poor), and The Dweller (Bridie Sisson), the group's apparent leader.
Saruman was the first Wizard to arrive in Middle-earth, followed by Gandalf and then Radagast. Because of Saruman's slight distaste toward Hobbits in Jackson's films and Radagast's connection with woodland creatures, it's safe to assume the Stranger is likely not Saruman or Radagast.
And also, no. Gandalf is a divine spirit clothed in a mortal form. In Middle-earth parlance, he's a creature known as a Maia (plural: Maiar). The Maiar are sort of like demigods, in that they serve a higher order of godlike beings, the Valar.
