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.
Tolkien once described Gandalf as an angel incarnate; later, both he and other scholars have likened Gandalf to the Norse god Odin in his "Wanderer" guise.
The Istari were originally Maiar, an order of higher beings that served the Valar directly, acting as envoys or advisors to the races of Middle-earth from Valinor. As the Stranger explains to Nori, the term means "wise ones" or "wizards".
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.
The Ring of Power | METEOR MAN IDENTITY CONFIRMED and He is That Which MOST Expected
Who's stronger, Gandalf or Sauron?
This Gandalf defeated Saruman, so he is also above Saruman. However, he is still les powerful then Sauron. But, there are other beings in Middle-Earth at that time (Third Age). For example, Galadriel and Elrond.
"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."
Yet, since Tolkien does give family trees for other important Elves in the book, such as Galadriel and Elrond, it's clear that Galadriel is not Legolas's mother. (Besides, she is one of the Noldor, not a Silvan or Sindar Elf.)
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.
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.
Summary. The Rings of Power Season 1 revealed that the Meteor Man is an Istar, a powerful being sent as an encourager to Middle-earth by the Maiar. The series heavily implies that the Meteor Man is none other than Gandalf the Grey, but doesn't yet introduce the other four Istar who were also sent to the physical realm.
During his wanderings in Eriador, Gandalf met and befriended the isolated and secretive people of the Hobbits in their country, The Shire. During the Long Winter of 2758 Gandalf came to their aid. It was then when he witnessed and admired the pity and courage the humble Hobbits reserved in their hearts.
The thing is, while many fans took the finale as confirmation that Meteor Man is Gandalf, that was never outright said. He is a wizard, but there was no mention of Mithrandir, Olorin or any other of Gandalf's names.
It's that friendship with Nori that develops throughout the season, according to Weyman, that shows the Stranger the path forward to becoming (we assume) Gandalf.
In many ways, Gandalf seems like the obvious identity of this mysterious figure. He is found and helped by harfoots, which neatly aligns with his later affection for hobbits. The nature of his arrival via flaming meteorite is also apt, in that he is the Istar associated with fire.
There is no indictation in any of Tolkien's work that Galadriel ever met Sauron. The idea that she did, promoted by the Rings of Power series is based on a subjective (mis)reading of two passages in Tolkien's work.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 concluded shortly after Galadriel learned that Halbrand had actually been Sauron in disguise, but she didn't tell anyone.
Surprise! Halbrand is Sauron. The truth was revealed after Galadriel became suspicious of the supposed Southlander's sudden sway over Celebrimbor early in the season finale. One phrase, "a power over flesh", was imparted by Halbrand and led Galadriel to do some digging of her own.
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.
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.
Through her great-grandmother, Idril, Arwen was a descendant of King Turgon of the Noldor. Through her mother, she was the granddaughter of the Elf-queen Galadriel of Lothlórien. Through both of her parents, Arwen was a direct descendant of the ancient Elven House of Finwë.
In his notes, Tolkien remarks that Sauron saw Galadriel as his equal. Add that to the fact that she's untrusting of Sauron (yes, even when he's in his Annatar guise) and an unwavering, single-minded force, and it's more likely than not that Sauron feared Galadriel — or the potential she held to upend his plans.
This was how Halbrand/Sauron actor Charlie Vickers played the part, saying he believed the proposition to become his queen came "from a place of selfishness." Regardless, Galadriel denied the proposal. However, her answer did not come without hesitancy -- which was exactly why Celeborn needed to be out of the picture.
