The primary season of “The Rings of Energy” revealed that The Stranger was each a Wizard and one of many good guys. Within the finale, he and Nori set off East towards the distant area of Rhûn searching for extra solutions. Regardless of the hints that he is likely to be Gandalf, this transfer led to hypothesis that he would possibly as an alternative be a Blue Wizard since these two Istari solely function within the japanese areas of Center-earth. In distinction, Gandalf particularly says in “The Two Towers” guide, “to the East I’m going not.” This raised the likelihood that we had been seeing the origin of one of many two Blue Wizards.
Including additional gas to the hearth, a rumor from the fan web site Fellowship of Followers in early 2024 claimed, “When the Stranger and Nori journey East they may encounter a ‘Wizard’ that can assist practice The Stranger enhancing his talents and magic making him very highly effective. It’s uncertain but whether or not this ‘Wizard’ is likely one of the Istari or simply one other ‘magical’ character.”
Whereas nothing is ready in stone till Season 2 arrives, it appears fairly clear that Bombadil is the “magical character” that The Stranger meets. This considerably reduces the possibilities that The Stranger is a Blue Wizard. What appears extra doubtless is that The Stranger is Gandalf, and he will hone his otherworldly expertise with the assistance of Tom Bombadil — within the East. It is an unorthodox technique to deal with this, however to be truthful, these sections of Tolkien’s story are gentle on the small print, and the present is filling in rather a lot of gaps because it goes alongside. Here is hoping this inventive determination works out.