TROP Writers Suggest That the Stranger’s Identity is Still an Open Question

The identity of the Stranger in The Rings of Power is still an open-ended question, according to the show’s writers.

The Lord of the Rings spin-off series aired its season finale last week. The series is a prequel to the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and is based on J.R.R Tolkien’s novel, The Silmarillion. It follows the events of Middle-Earth’s fabled Second Age.

The Stranger was first introduced in the series premiere, titled “A Shadow of the Past”. He crash-landed on Middle-Earth where a group of Harfoots were residing. Since he was suffering from memory loss, his identity remained a mystery throughout season 1. But it was clear that he possessed magical abilities.

Due to his magical powers, he soon attracted the attention of a group of mystics who mistook him to be the Dark Lord, Sauron. However, it was confirmed in the season finale that he was not Sauron. He was, in fact, revealed to be an ‘istar’, meaning wizard.

It is still not clear whether he is good or bad, as istars can be both good and evil. This can be illustrated with the example of Gandalf and Saruman from the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

After the season finale aired on Prime, writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay appeared on The Official the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power podcast to break down the episode for fans. When discussing the Stranger’s identity, the writers said it is still an open-ended question and he may not turn out to be as good as the audience think he is.

Check out their entire statement below –

Well, what I would say there is we know wizards can be good and bad. And wizards are of the same class as Sauron.

JD Payne

Yeah, they’re both Myars.

Patrick Mckay

So, the answer is, there is no point at which, “He’s a wizard, oh great, everything’s cool.” Because, wizards can be as evil and as dangerous, they can be rivals for Sauron, or allies of Sauron, and The Stranger’s journey will continue. So, I think that’s an open question still, though I do think by the end of the eighth episode, he sure seems like a force for good.

JD Payne

In The Rings of Power finale, The Stranger sort of proves himself to be a force of good by saving his Harfoot friends from the women of Rhun. He mentioned that he is an istar and not Sauron.

The finale hinted strongly that the Stranger is in fact Gandalf the Gray. However, this is just a speculation based on a line he said towards the end of the finale. The Stranger said, “When in doubt, Elanor Brandyfoot, always follow your nose.” This is a callback to Gandalf’s iconic line from ‘The Fellowship of the Ring”.

In the first LOTR movie, Gandalf says “If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose”. Although it did seem like The Stranger was actually Gandalf, his identity was never explicitly confirmed. He could be any of the five known wizards in Middle-Earth.

These five known wizards are Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and the two blue wizards. The Stranger could be any one of these individuals, though my bet still remains on Gandalf. Apart from the nose reference, The Stranger is known for wearing gray and befriending hobbits. If you’re a LOTR fan, this should seem familiar!

However, according to canon, the wizards only came to Middle-Earth during the Third Age. So, if The Stranger indeed turns out to be Gandalf (or any other wizard) it will be a deviation from Tolkien’s novels. Since The Rings of Power only loosely follows Tolkien’s novels, I guess it will not be a surprise if the writers choose to take this route.

Hopefully, The Stranger’s memory will return in season 2 and we will soon know his true identity.

About The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is an American TV series, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay for streaming on Amazon Prime. 

Set 3,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the show will be set in the Second Age of Middle-earth. Beginning with a time of peace, the series will follow the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron and the forging of the rings of power.

The cast includes Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, and Dylan Smith among many others.