The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas introduced some new characters on the big screen that we haven’t seen before. Characters like the mystics from Season One who were hunting the Stranger,now finally revealed to be a younger Gandalf, are shrouded in mystery.
They answer to the Istar, who is referred to as the Dark Wizard by the Hobbit tribe of Rhun. He seems to have evil intentions that are disguised as the greater good, and it is the wall that Gandalf now has to face before embracing his destiny. Unfortunately, The Rings of Power has kept the Dark Wizard a mystery and his identity can be inferred by the fact that there were only five Istar sent to Middle-earth in Tolkien’s canon, and he could be one of them.
The Dark Wizard Could Be Saruman
Saruman,originally the leader of the Istari, was known for his wisdom and power,but also for his eventual fall into darknessas seen in The Lord of the Rings. In Tolkien’s works, Saruman was sent to Middle-earthto guide its people against Sauron.
He was eventually corrupted andbecame obsessed with the powerof the One Ring andtried to claim it for himself, leading to his betrayal of both the people of Middle-earthand his original mission.
Many fans believe theDark Wizard might be an earlier version of Saruman. The Dark Wizard hints at knowingthere are five of his kind,and he refers to the Stranger (now revealed to be Gandalf)as an old friend just like Saruman.
Though both Gandalf and Saruman’s appearance on Middle-earth at this timegoes against canon, The Rings of Power is not shy toalter the story for entertainment purposes.
The Dark Wizard Could Be One Of The Blue Wizards
An alternative theory suggests thatthe Dark Wizard is one of the mysterious Blue Wizards. In Tolkien’s lore,little is known about these two characters, except that they were sent into the East and South of Middle-earth,far from the events taking place in Rings of Powerand The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien initially wrote that theBlue Wizards failed in their mission, just like Saruman. However, in later writings, he hinted thatthey might have succeeded in their tasksbyslowing down Sauron’s rise to power in the East.
This ambiguity gives The Rings of Powera lot of creative freedom. The Dark Wizard in the showis connected to Rhun, a region in the East, where the Blue Wizards are believed to have journeyed.
Since the Blue Wizardswere never heard from again in the West, it’s possible that one of them became corrupted by Sauron’s influence, mirroringthe transformation of Saruman in later years.
The fact that the Dark Wizard appearsto be on the side of evilin The Rings of Power could indicate thatone of the Blue Wizards has gone rogue, aligning himself with Sauron andforgetting about his mission, just like Saruman does in the books and movies.
