The Rings of Power showrunners say their fascination with revealing who the Dark Wizard is stemmed from some of their very first conversations about the show.
"The idea of Blue Wizards who went east is such a tantalizing piece of the lore," Patrick McKay told Radio Times. "It was one of the first things we talked about wanting to explore in the show – reaching that moment and figuring out who they were, what they were about, what happened to them, and his eventual fate."
After a brief interaction with the Secret Fire, Gandalf was gifted the knowledge of the identity of Ciaran Hinds' Dark Wizard. As some had speculated, he was the Blue Wizard Pallando, sent to Middle-earth to quell Sauron's rise to power – but his own murderous ambitions laid waste to Rhun.
First mentioned in appendices and notes to Return of the King by Tolkien, the Blue Wizards were expanded on slightly in the posthumous Unfinished Tales book. Since then, however, their role in Middle-earth's machinations have largely been untouched – and remain one of the franchise's great unanswered mysteries.
But Gandalf deepening his pool of knowledge from Middle-earth's First Age wasn't the only intention here. For those in charge, it was a perfect chance to dovetail Gandalf's own character growth with that as Pallando.
Fellow co-showrunner J.D. Payne said, "It also felt like an opportunity character-wise for Gandalf, because season one was about him figuring out who he is, and season two is how he controls his magic. In [season] three, the character has to go deeper because he realizes he's not just a human firework who can make sparks fly out of his staff, but that he has a prophetic register to his character."
Payne added, "It's a place where Gandalf's character journey meets Pallando's character journey and gives us a perfect opportunity to make a great story."
The Rings of Power season 3 is now streaming on Prime Video. For more on when the next episodes are dropping, consult your nearest Palantir – or The Rings of Power season 3 release schedule.
