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TL;DR:

  • The Rings of Power hasn’t revealed who The Stranger is, but fans have theories.
  • One moment from The Rings of Power Episode 5 reminded viewers of Gandalf.
  • Although The Stranger could be Gandalf, he could also be another J.R.R. Tolkien character.
Daniel Weyman as The Stranger in 'The Rings of Power' for our article about who he is. His hair is down and messy, and he's crossing his arms.
Daniel Weyman as The Stranger | Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power sees a man falling from the sky during its premiere, and viewers still don’t know the identity of The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) — though they have several theories about who he is. One posits that he’s a younger Gandalf, sent by the Valar to protect Middle-earth. And although that take is controversial among diehard J.R.R. Tolkien fans, viewers spotted a hint that supports in during The Rings of Power Episode 5.

‘The Rings of Power’ fans spot a subtle hint that The Stranger is Gandalf

The Rings of Power Episode 5 sees The Stranger accompanying Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and her family on their migration. He proves a great help to the group, especially with Largo’s (Dylan Smith) injury slowing them down. Viewers still don’t know who The Stranger is in The Rings of Power, and the character appears to be grappling with that himself. However, fans believe they’ve spotted a subtle clue about his identity during “Partings.”

There’s a moment from The Rings of Power Episode 5 where the Brandyfoots are making fun of Marigold (Sara Zwangobani) for snoring. She briefly looks to The Stranger for help. And the expression he offers is reminding fans on Reddit of Ian McKellen’s Gandalf.

It’s not the first time fans have guessed that The Stranger might be Gandalf. From his crash-landing on Middle-earth to his resemblance to the wizard, there are numerous reasons such a reveal would make sense. After all, the Valar did send him to the continent to stop darkness from rising there — a feat that could have been accomplished through a meteor. He also had no human form before that point, so he might be confused about his physical body and its abilities.

But even if The Stranger looks like Gandalf — and has some traits that line up with Gandalf’s backstory — there are also several problems with this theory.

Does it make sense for Gandalf to appear in ‘The Rings of Power’?

Although The Stranger bears a striking resemblance to the Gandalf we know and love from The Lord of the Rings, there’s no telling if that’s who he really is. As mentioned above, there are several hints that Nori’s new friend is a much younger version of the wizard. However, there are also reasons that Gandalf’s inclusion in The Rings of Power wouldn’t make sense.

For one, Gandalf doesn’t come to Middle-earth until the Third Age — and The Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age. The writers told Vanity Fair that they planned on condensing the timeline a bit. However, that would be quite a stretch — and a risk when it comes to keeping J.R.R. Tolkien fans engaged.

Additionally, showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay told Entertainment Weekly that they didn’t want to approach The Rings of Power as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings movies.

“We were not interested in doing a show about the younger version of the same world you knew, where it’s a little bit of a prequel,” McKay said. “We wanted to go way, way, way back and find a story that could exist on its own two feet.”

With that in mind, it’s hard to believe they’d build to a Gandalf reveal by making a connection to the movie version of the character. But if The Stranger isn’t the Grey Wizard, who could he be?

Who else could The Stranger be?

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If The Stranger isn’t The Rings of Power‘s take on Gandalf, who else could he be? He has powerful magic abilities and an important role to play in this story. As such, he could be another one of the Istari — the wizards sent by the Valar to help Middle-earth.

Although Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast don’t appear until the Third Age, The One Wiki to Rule Them All notes that the two Blue Wizards may have entered the picture earlier. Introducing these characters — neither of whom have really been explored on-screen — would certainly help The Rings of Power stand on its own. However, it’s hard to say why only one of them would show up near the Harfoots’ camp.

The Stranger could also be a villain in The Rings of Power, which keeps raising questions about whether he’s good or evil. Fans have guessed he could be Sauron. However, that may be a stretch, too, especially since there’s no real reason Sauron would fall from the sky.

We’ll have to keep watching The Rings of Power Season 1 to learn more about The Stranger and his relationship to Middle-earth. Whatever happens, his arrival is likely to play a pivotal role in the fight between good and evil.

New episodes of The Rings of Power stream every Friday on Prime Video.

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