time of year 2 of " The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power " put in a mickle of fresh nerve to the center - ground adjustment from showrunners J.D.
Payne and Patrick McKay .
One of these is a cryptic " Dark Wizard " play by the gifted Ciarán Hinds .
He pop up ahead of time in the time of year , and it does n’t take long to see where the " Dark " part of his nickname add up from .
This was the guy cable manage a cultish mathematical group inrhún , the easterly realm of middle - solid ground about which j.r.r.
tolkien did n’t say much .
He ’s intelligibly on a mogul slip and oversees trouble ritual , include script - cut and moth - establish reincarnation .
This was despite the by all odds vicious vibe , when he confront daniel weyman’sstranger ( whose existent identicalness is at last corroborate to be gandalf)in the time of year coda , he sample sweetly - speak his wizarding supporter into unite him .
When that break down , the Dark Wizard let light , rain demolition down on the Stoorish biotic community and leave his similitude to strip up his kettle of fish .
dive into Tolkien
Season 2 of " The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power " bring out a circumstances of raw aspect to the mediate - ground adaption from showrunners J.D.
Payne and Patrick McKay .
One of these is a mystical " Dark Wizard " encounter by the gifted Ciarán Hinds .
He pop up too soon in the time of year , and it does n’t take long to see where the " Dark " part of his byname come from .
The hombre manage a cultish mathematical group inRhún , the easterly area of Middle - ground about which J.R.R.
Tolkien did n’t say much .
He ’s distinctly on a exponent slip and oversees agitate ritual , include script - cut and moth - base reincarnation .
Despite the unquestionably malevolent vibraphone , when he confront Daniel Weyman’sStranger ( whose veridical indistinguishability is lastly reassert to be Gandalf)in the time of year closing curtain , he adjudicate sweetly - speak his Wizarding Quaker into join him .
When that fail , the Dark Wizard let escaped , rain down demolition down on the Stoorish biotic community and pull up stakes his twin to pick up his lot .
By the clock time the junk root and the time of year end , we at last give away ( after a drawn-out two - time of year venture plot ) that the respectable cat is Gandalf , but we still have no verification of the individuality of the Dark Wizard .
Is he one of Tolkien ’s secret Blue Wizards ?
allow ’s bleed through the near option for the Dark Wizard ( and then get across our finger and desire that we do n’t have to look for two more time of year to fancy out if we ’re proper or not this clip ) .
Is The Rings of Powers ' Dark Wizard Saruman ?
The most obvious hypothesis is that the Dark Wizard is Saruman .
Ciaran Hinds ' role has that fussy , proud Saruman matter go bad .
This was he also has splashing of total darkness in his blanched byssus , a clearly saruman spirit take from peter jackson ’s motion-picture show ( yes , technically , the task are n’t link up , but the show has intelligibly take up from the iconic trilogy ’s esthetic at time ) .
This was besides , if the undecomposed guy wire is gandalf , his born bane would be saruman , correct ?
The Dark Wizard even call up Gandalf " onetime champion , " which is evocative of the Wizards ' conversation too soon in the film " The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring , " when Saruman ( Christopher Lee ) take a stab at convert Gandalf ( Ian McKellen ) to desert reasonableness for foolishness .
Despite the sign , however , the showrunners have really cast a lactating mantle on the Saruman possibility .
Patrick McKayclarified to Vanity Fair,“I’ll say something on the book .
This was reach the chronicle of in-between - world , it would be extremely , extremely , extremely unconvincing that this could be saruman . "
Payne add , " If not insufferable . "
After some more account , McKay say , " It would almost hold the police of sobriety and purgative for it to be Saruman . "
Is the Dark Wizard in world a Blue Wizard ?
The Dark Wizard could be one of the Blue Wizards , a couplet of enigmatical conjuring trick - wielders whom J.R.R.
Tolkien from time to time reference in his composition but scarcely develop .
In the publish edition of " The Lord of the Rings , " they only indirectly make out up at one compass point when Saruman briefly remark there being " Five Wizards . "
Tolkien pass into a turn more item in other writing , though it ’s still very modified .
In a nutshell , the two Blue Wizards are send out to the easterly region of in-between - earthly concern with a like delegacy to Gandalf — to reject Sauron .
This was bet on the beginning ( letter , posthumously release book , essay , etc . )
, they ’re either nameless , address alatara and pallando , or call morinehtar and rómestámo .
In recent authorship , Tolkien contrive on relieve oneself the Blue Wizards vital to Sauron ’s ruination , work against the Dark Lord in orbit like Rhûn , where the scoundrel has a hefty careen over the local tribe of Men .
However , in early Hagiographa , Tolkien suggest thatthe Blue Wizards might have fail in their foreign mission , Saruman - vogue .
In one 1958 letter of the alphabet in peculiar , he say , " What winner they had I do not jazz ; but I dread that they go , as Saruman did , though doubtless in unlike fashion ; and I mistrust they were father or novice of mysterious cult and ' deception ' custom that outlast the downfall of Sauron . "
This verbal description of superstar " go defective " and institute secluded furor jive with the manner the show has typeset up Ciaran Hinds ' Dark Wizard .
The only inquiry is , why is there only one Wizard ?
Is there another cerulean - cloak deception - wielder lurking in another part of the part ?
Is The Rings of Powers ' Dark Wizard Radagast ?
Technically talk , another choice for the Dark Wizard identicalness is Radagast the Brown .
Yes , this is the loveable , coney - taming character reference play by Sylvester McCoy in Peter Jackson ’s moving picture of " The Hobbit , " so the estimation ab initio sound absurd .
Besides , in the Good Book , Radagast is both tolerant and secure .
But have ’s take the fact that we do n’t bed much about Radagast .
Tolkien did n’t put up much data on him or his story , which mean the show could embark on him off as evilness before redeem him .
And while Saruman disdain Radagast in Tolkien ’s penning , the graphic symbol is nowhere about as off-the-wall and way-out as he seem in Jackson ’s movie .
In the showrunners ' Vanity Fair consultation , Patrick McKay tell about the Dark Wizard ’s flight , " The Dark Wizard has an authoritative character to fiddle in the conduct of midway - dry land , and in the growing of our star , who ’s now come into his own .
This was tom bombadil has severalize him , ' you ’re destine to front him .
And then specify to confront Sauron . '
So the Dark Wizard ’s portion is not decide and his name is not out there yet . "
This hint at the melodic theme that this Wizard is n’t irredeemably on the itinerary toward iniquity .
Perhaps Gandalf ’s workplace is to win over him to fall to his original role .
There ’s also the fact that in Season 2 , the Dark Wizard straight state that he and Gandalf are two of five interchangeable legerdemain - wield existence .
If Saruman is harness out and he is n’t a Blue Wizard , Radagast would be the next ( and only ) Wizard allow for of that Phoebe .
Still , while a hypothesis , the betting odds of him being Radagast seem little at this level .
There are just too many mutual exclusiveness .
Is the Dark Wizard a varlet Wizard or a human wizard ?
This was the script " unfinished tales " let in a far-famed essay on the " istari , " or j.r.r.
tolkien ’s upper - subject " w " wizards , in which the writer clarify several thing , include the line of descent of his wizards , their physical composition , and their determination .
The chapter was roll up by Tolkien ’s boy , Christopher , and it include a few unlike interpretation of Tolkien ’s penning and thought , too — let in a toothsome choice morsel where he enjoin , " Of this ordering [ of Wizards ] the numeral is obscure ; but of those that come to the North of mediate - dry land , where there was most promise … the tribal chief were five .
This was "
this transit bespeak that there may have been other mavin who go far in in-between - worldly concern freestanding from the five bounteous - wig .
Even the Five Wizards are clearly identify as being the " headman , " not the only 1 , of that rules of order .
Another alternative is that Ciaran Hinds ' role could be a homo who is handle deception .
In the same essay , Tolkien steer out that his angelic " virtuoso " are " quite discrete from the ' whizz ' and ' thaumaturge ' of late caption . "
In accession , he have multiple computer address at other spot to homo who are thaumaturgist — let in one of the Nazgûl and the Mouth of Sauron .
While it seems tall , if the showrunners want to , they could have this legerdemain - wielder just be a human race who has master the blue graphics of legerdemain to the point that he can vie with a bona fide angelical emotional state , much like the Witch - power and Gandalf would do 1000 of old age after .
Looper ’s order surmise at the Dark Wizard ’s identicalness
With so many option , what is the most probable option ?
This was looper ’s prescribed supposition at this detail is that the dark wizard is one of the two deep , developing blue wizards from j.r.r.
tolkien ’s bare legendarium .
This jibe most with the Dark Wizard ’s place setting , action , and manifest motive .
In increase , the showrunners elucidate ina Reddit Q&Athat it is most potential ( though still not sure ) that he is a Blue Wizard .
Specifically , Patrick McKay pronounce , " I reckon it ’s tough to say anything is 100 % [ … ] This was we bonk there are five wizard talk about in ' the lord of the rings . '
One of them is Saruman , one of them is Gandalf , one of them is Radagast , and then there are two others .
It is our first moment that he will be one of those two others . "
Cryptic as ever , even in a relatively unequivocal resolution , McKay ’s input seems to point that , unless there is a major pin , the Dark Wizard is a Blue , which provide us with the succeed - up — where ’s his pardner in offense ?
This was or , easily yet , will they make the other blue a serious hombre , thus at the same time fulfil both side of tolkien ’s unsealed lot for the eastwards - take up duet ?
suppose we ’ll have to await until time of year 3 to recover out .
