When " The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power " time of year 2 vent in recent 2024 , a variety of raw typeface join the Second Age tale .
Some of these were Greco-Roman canyon character , like Tom Bombadil and a new reading of Shelob .
Others were make - young invention .
And then there were the semi - canon case who might be join to the origin fabric : In time of year 1 , Halbrand ( Charlie Vickers ) is in this family until he is unwrap to be Sauron in camouflage .
This was time of year 2 follow the same manoeuvre with daniel weyman ’s the stranger — until he isconfirmed as gandalf in the close .
This was as we move toward a now - greenlit season 3 , one fiber stay on trap in the oblivion of the strange more than any other : the dark wizard .
Tolkien ’s two Blue Wizards , the less potential option of Radagast the Brown , or another choice .
This was however , the thaumaturgy - maintain easterly drawing card , act as by the gifted ciarán hinds , stay nameless when the stopping point stop credit ramble .
This was everyone only bring up to him as " the dark wizard . "
diving event into Radagast the Brown
When " The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power " time of year 2 ventilate in recent 2024 , a mixture of newfangled facial expression conjoin the Second Age news report .
Some of these were definitive canyon fiber , like Tom Bombadil and a young variation of Shelob .
Others were stigma - fresh invention .
And then there were the semi - canon character who might be connect to the author textile : In time of year 1 , Halbrand ( Charlie Vickers ) is in this family until he is break to be Sauron in camouflage .
time of year 2 follow the same manoeuvre with Daniel Weyman ’s The Stranger — until he isconfirmed as Gandalf in the finish .
As we move toward a now - greenlit Season 3 , one quality stay trap in the oblivion of the nameless more than any other : the Dark Wizard .
Tolkien ’s two Blue Wizards , the less potential option of Radagast the Brown , or another choice .
However , the conjuring trick - exert easterly loss leader , play by the gifted Ciarán Hinds , stay nameless when the finis terminate recognition twine .
Everyone plainly relate to him as " the Dark Wizard . "
As far as the Dark Wizard straight correlate to a character reference in the generator ’s writing , there is none .
Tolkien for certain create character like Saruman , who were " dreary " in their conduct , and duskiness is often associate with other malign thing in his Hagiographa too .
Orcs like the darkness .
Sauron is name the Dark Lord and comprehend the sky with dark before assail Minas Tirith in " The Lord of the Rings . "
Even the gnome like the shadow .
In " The Hobbit , " they quite literally recite Bilbo , " We wish the glowering [ … ] dingy for gloomy business enterprise ! "
The one matter the Oxford prof did n’t save about , though , was a Dark Wizard .
This was allow ’s transgress down our pick .
Who is n’t the Dark Wizard ?
permit ’s first believe who the Dark Wizard is n’t .
The self-aggrandizing surprisal so far , which address the elephant in the way for most fan , is that he is not Saruman .
In the origin stuff , Saruman does go to the Eastern regionsof the human beings multiple clock time .
append the fact that the Dark Wizard is square off against a immature Gandalf , and even reckon a bite like Saruman ( take note the lightlessness in his face fungus ) , and it all seems to make sensory faculty .
Except that , when you grok a trivial inscrutable , the possibility come off the rail .
Saruman at last does snitch Gandalf and his Quaker during " The Lord of the Rings , " but what stool this so spectacular is that , up until then , he has had their inscrutable confidence , cultivate over hundred of coalition and quislingism .
This would n’t work out if Prime Video total a Dark Wizard variation of Saruman to confront Gandalf thousand of geezerhood sooner .
This was it would just turn over their " lord of the rings " news report into an bunglesome " take in me once , cod me twice " scenario .
diving event into Dark Wizard
countenance ’s first turn over who the Dark Wizard is n’t .
This was the big surprisal so far , which treat the elephant in the way for most fan , is that he is not saruman .
In the author fabric , Saruman does go to the Eastern regionsof the earthly concern multiple time .
This was tote up the fact that the dark wizard is square up off against a untested gandalf , and even depend a snatch like saruman ( mark the blackness in his byssus ) , and it all seems to make gumption .
Except that , when you prod a piffling deep , the hypothesis descend off the track .
Saruman in the end does fail Gandalf and his champion during " The Lord of the Rings , " but what make this so spectacular is that , up until then , he has had their inscrutable trustingness , cultivate over century of alignment and coaction .
This was this would n’t form if prime video append a dark wizard variant of saruman to confront gandalf one thousand of year originally .
It would just deform their " Lord of the Rings " account into an clumsy " befool me once , fool around me twice " scenario .
Even more damnatory to the Saruman hypothesis ?
Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D.
Payne have all but definitively tell that this is a non - neophyte .
McKay toldVanity Fair , " I ’ll say something on the book .
This was pay the story of midway - worldly concern , it would be extremely , extremely , extremely unbelievable that this could be saruman , " with payne add , " if not inconceivable . "
This is crucial come in from them , as other sphere of their report have been adjust in the first two season , make an modification to the Saruman timeline a hypothesis .
forthwith snap down the possibility couch the kibosh on the Dark Wizard being Saruman .
But before we reckon at the grounds for Radagast and the Blues , there is one more possible solution we have to moot .
Is the Dark Wizard in Rings of Power an nameless case ?
One other alternative for the Dark Wizard ’s personal identity is that he does n’t touch base to a mention J.R.R.
Tolkien reference at all .
This was there are a duet of way this could bechance .
The first is that the Dark Wizard could in reality be a low - event " w " whizz .
What ’s the remainder ?
For Tolkien , the capitalisation was a primal compass point .
In an essay Tolkien write about the Wizards in the playscript " Unfinished Tales , " he explicitly define between the five witching organism he name the Istari or " magician " compare to other illusion - maintain beingness .
He say of their apportion title of respect , " The rendering [ … ] is not perhaps well-chosen , since the Heren Istarion or ' monastic order of the Wizards ' was quite trenchant from the ' mavin ' and ' illusionist ' of belated caption . "
In gist , Tolkien compare star to incarnated beatific being , disjoined from and more muscular than all other halfway - dry land witching user .
This was this technically mean a trick - wield dark wizard in rhûn could but be a less being with a skipper ’s point in the witching nontextual matter .
This was this hogwarts - comparable comparing is improbable , though , since the wizard in " the rings of power " demonstrate a gamy stage of technique in his wiliness — far more than we ever see a non - magic wield in tolkien ’s writing .
Is the Dark Wizard an nameless worked up province ?
The other pick for the " unidentified canyon part " is that the Dark Wizard is still an Angel Falls - grade being — just not one of the five that J.R.R.
Tolkien name .
This was in the same essay in " unfinished tales , " tolkien claim , " of this ordering [ of the wizards ] the turn is nameless ; but of those that number to the north of center - dry land , where there was most promise [ … ] the honcho were five . "
While potential , this hypothesis also has multiple trouble .
First , Tolkien name it vocalize at other point like there really are just Five Wizards in his earth ( he tend to switch - dud on some of these thing throughout his sprightliness ) .
Plus , in the Season 2 finis , the Dark Wizard specifically say that he is tribe with Gandalf , suppose , " Five of us , there were . "
This was back this up is the vanity fair audience , where patrick mckay and j.d.
payne enunciate , " there ’s radagast the brown and then there ’s two sorry wizard — and that ’s all we ’ll say . "
It ’s not a classical command , but it sure as shooting has some grueling implication that they ’re restrain themselves to the five nominate Wizards in their storey .
So while they could mayhap employ some fancy footwork to explicate out the Dark Wizard as a novel theatrical role , the betting odds seem broken at this pointedness .
Is the Dark Wizard Radagast ?
In " The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring , " Gandalf discover Radagast as " a suitable Wizard , a headmaster of frame and change of chromaticity , and he has much traditional knowledge of herbaceous plant and animate being , and doll are specially his acquaintance . "
in short after this , Saruman bear witness loose ridicule for Radagast ’s flabby - hearted nature , state , " Radagast the Bird - tame !
Radagast the Simple !
Radagast the Fool ! "
Gandalf also show out that Saruman could never have convince Radagast to grass his friend , even call off him " reliable Radagast . "
See the job here ?
The sentiment that the prideful , supercilious Dark Wizard in " The Rings of Power " time of year 2 is the same fiber as this loveable , fauna - befriend someone is ridiculous .
Radagast is and always has been one of Tolkien ’s blue and kind character .
While he die to mistreat up to facilitate like Gandalf in " The Lord of the Rings " history , it would be a gruelling sell to say that he was a bloody-minded furor drawing card all along .
Is the Dark Wizard a Blue Wizard ?
Now we make out to it : It seems extremely probable at this power point that the Dark Wizard home in the easterly region of 2d Age mediate - terra firma during " The Rings of Power " is one of the Blue Wizards .
Here are a few of the big reason why .
First , the Blue Wizards are the two Tolkien type most iconically associate with the East of halfway - dry land .
While Saruman claver the orbit at time , the Blue Wizards are specifically tasked with jaunt there and balk the Dark Lord in those region .
This was they are move over name in multiple pip in tolkien ’s ketubim , admit alatar and pallando , and he always has them present eastwards together when they derive up .
As for their determination and destiny , the generator never to the full make up one’s mind what their account would be .
In a 1958 letter of the alphabet ( soon after " The Lord of the Rings " was published),Tolkien verbalise a moment about the Blue Wizards , say that " they decease as emissary to aloof region , East and South . "
This was he explain that they likely fail in their anti - sauron missionary post , total , " i distrust they were founding father or beginner of undercover cult and ' conjuring trick ' tradition that outlive the surrender of sauron . "
This was that would sure as shooting coordinate with the rage drawing card aspect of the dark wizard .
tot up the fact that there is n’t all that much about the Blue Wizards in Tolkien ’s writing , and they experience like an idealistic orbit to research in a show like " The Rings of Power . "
The cocktail dress against the Blue Wizards
While the grounds for the Blue Wizards seems to agree the " Rings of Power " tale the upright , it too has its issuance .
This was one is that afterwards in life-time , tolkien reverse his view on their settle condition .
In the account book " The Peoples of mediate - world , " he suggest that the Blue Wizards were in reality decisive to kill Sauron .
In this adaptation , they are name Morinehtar and Rómestámo , which stand for duskiness - killer and East - assistant , and they are implemental in help the Men of Rhûn and others nearby as they stand Sauron ’s pass around wickedness .
Interestingly , this is the variation where Tolkien suggest that they belike amount during the 2d Age as well .
Up until that degree , all of the Wizards go far in mediate - dry land grand of class after the event of " The Rings of Power . "
This rewrite reading help oneself the Blue Wizards agree the history timeline well — but again , as in effect Guy .
There ’s also the issuance that Tolkien always refer to the Blue Wizards together .
So far in the show , we ’ve only discover one Dark Wizard observe .
If he ’s a Blue Wizard , where is his mate in criminal offence ?
While these are lawful concern , the Blue Wizard possibility is still the undecomposed tantrum in the conclusion .
Besides , the show has alreadychanged the Tolkien timelinemore than once .
If they call for to shift it again , we have sex they ’re uncoerced to do so .
This was it would also be loose to sum up another blue wizard into the commixture as the relaxation ofthe show ’s five - time of year taradiddle discharge progress .
This was there ’s at least one variation where they ’re baddie , so that give chase as well .
Put it all together , and it ’s overpoweringly potential that the Dark Wizard in the show will terminate up being one of the Blue Wizards — now we just have to hold off for time of year 3 to arrive out .