Who is the Stranger in The Rings of Power?

The Rings of Power season 2 has come to an end...and the Stranger's identity has finally been revealed.

The Istar first appeared – literally crashing into the show – in season 1, and we've come a long way since then. He's found his voice, discovered his magic, and even made some new friends to accompany him on his quest through Rhûn. 

A very telling line at the end of season 1 that left us almost certain he was Gandalf, but fans weren't entirely convinced.  Season 2 didn't too much to solve that – it even threw us a few red herrings that made us think it was a different wizard entirely. In episode two, Nori even  comes up with some potential names for the wizard: Doderic, Andwise, and Fredegar. Although, these are all just allusions to famous Hobbits.

Then in The Rings of Power season 2 episode 4, the Stranger asks Tom Bombadil for some help discovering himself. In a typically Bombadil way, he does raise more questions than answers, but we do learn that he is on a path set to collide with both the Dark Wizard and Sauron. Certainly seems plausible that's where Gandalf is heading, right? Then, The Rings of Power season 2, episode 6 features another allusion to Gandalf. 

Finally, in the Rings of Power season 2 finale, the Stranger's identity is revealed. We've also broken down all the other main candidates for the bearded figure, but scroll on to find out who the Stranger really is…

Is the Stranger actually Gandalf?

Yes! In the season 2 finale, the Stranger encounters the Dark Wizard, who calls him an "old friend" and tells him that there were five of them (and he means five Istari, Gandalf being one of the five). Later in the episode, the Harfoots and the Stores bid their farewells to the Stranger, calling him the "grand elf."

He then finds his faithful staff in the Stores’ home – realizing that it was his path to find them all along. The Stranger then walks across Rhun to find Tom Bombadil once more.  When the pair meet, Bombadil tells him: "A wizard does not find his staff, it finds him, like his name." The Stranger then replies: "Gandalf, that’s what they’re going to call me, isn’t it?"

There were clues all along, of course: The season 1 finale confirmed that the character is an Istar/Istari (otherwise known as a wizard in Middle-earth parlance), but one line clued us in even further to The Stranger's identity.

At the season's end (and a new journey's beginning), The Stranger, having regained "fragments" of his memories, tells Nori "When in doubt... always follow your nose." That line is said by Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring to Merry.

In season 2, episode 6, Tom Bombadil even quoted Gandalf to the Stranger (in a roundabout way, considering that, chronologically, Bombadil was the one saying it first, so maybe Gandalf is quoting him?).

Who else could the Stranger have been?

Even though it seemed very likely from the start that the Stranger was Gandalf, there were a few more candidates he could still have been. The biggest issue lied within Tolkien lore, which states that Gandalf, Saruman and Radagast traveled to Middle-earth in the Third Age to help combat the growth of Sauron. Therefore, it would be slightly early to see the beloved character in The Rings of Power.

There were some other options, but the most likely contender was that he was one of the Blue Wizards. These two mysterious characters named Alatar and Pallando (or Morinehtar and Rómestámo in later Tolkien writings) arrived in Middle-earth in the Second Age to stop the reach of Sauron. Their mission was to reduce the Dark Lord's reach in the eastern and southern parts of Middle-earth, which is very intriguing when you consider that season 2 sees the Stranger head east to Rhûn.

For more, check out our guide to the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, as well as our The Rings of Power season 2 review and our The Rings of Power season 2 release schedule.