There's little doubt that the stranger is none other than Gandalf, as many theories suspected all along. There are several concrete reasons for this, paired with some subtle hints and some homages to the grey wizard of previous adaptations.
The appearance of The Stranger, grey and bearded, led many to instantly believe they were being shown the arrival of Gandalf to Middle Earth. While that is still possible, there is a lot to suggest the character is actually another iconic wizard of Tolkien's creation; Saruman.
Although the finale, “Alloyed,” opens with the reveal that the Stranger is Sauron, that's a fakeout, and the trio of white-cloaked women who were after him was mistaken. We later learn that Halbrand is Sauron, while the Stranger is one of the Istari — the formal name for wizards in Middle-earth.
Gandalf, like all the five wizards of Middle-earth, was a Maia, an angelic spirit of the same order as Sauron.
On the official Rings of Power podcast, they reminded listeners that there are five known wizards in Tolkien's canon, including Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and the mysterious Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallandro. "We know wizards can be good and bad," Payne said.
There's little doubt that the stranger is none other than Gandalf, as many theories suspected all along. There are several concrete reasons for this, paired with some subtle hints and some homages to the grey wizard of previous adaptations.
As one of the Maiar, Gandalf was not a mortal Man but an angelic being who had taken human form. As one of those spirits, Olórin was in service to the Creator (Eru Ilúvatar) and the Creator's 'Secret Fire'.
But, when his spirit returned to the Undying Lands, the Valar sent him back to complete his task as Gandalf the White. Gandalf was scared of this beast because he knew how powerful it was since it was a Maia like himself, but it was purely evil.
He returned in The Two Towers as Gandalf the White, a similar but seemingly more powerful being. It was this resurrection process that transformed him from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White.
Except for Tom Bombadil, nobody seemed to be immune to the corrupting effects of the One Ring, even powerful beings like Gandalf and Galadriel, who refused to wield it out of the knowledge that they would become like Sauron himself.
The hobbits are perhaps the only creatures in The Lord Of The Rings that can stand against the power of the Ring because of their love of all things good and simple. Not even the elves or wizards are able to fully resist the draw of power or evil.
Tom Bombadil, the only person unaffected by the power of the One Ring, could both see its wearer and remained visible when he wore it.
Next, Sauron sought to bring the Elves into his service, so he disguised himself as Annatar, Lord of Gifts, to seduce them. The Elves helped Sauron forge the Rings of Power. In secret, Sauron also forged the One Ring, to rule all other rings, in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor.
The greater indication that he's Alatar the Blue Wizard is because he's tasked to search the eastern lands to find Sauron in hiding, and the Hermit's Hat constellation The Stranger has been obsessed with is in the eastern lands.
Sean Connery, who died in 2020, was the first choice to play Gandalf in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy. The Hollywood star featured in several films in the James Bond saga as well as titles that are part of the history of cinema.
For more than five millennia, the Balrog hibernated in his deep hiding place at the roots of the mountains in Khazad-dûm. He remained undisturbed throughout the Second Age and most of the Third, before the mithril-miners of dwarf-King Durin VI awoke him in T.A. 1980.
Gandalf pursued the monster for eight days, until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil, where the Balrog was forced to turn and fight, its body erupting into new flame. Here they fought for two days and nights. In the end, the Balrog was defeated and cast down, breaking the mountainside where it fell "in ruin".
No, Balrogs do not serve Sauron. Similar to Sauron, Balrogs are Maiar, powerful spiritual beings second only to the Valar themselves. They were corrupted by Melkor's evil before the first age and were made into Valaraukar (Demons of Power). They very strength and wills were bound to Melkor.
To many he appeared fair, to others terrible; but to some evil." After the destruction of his fair form in the fall of Númenor, Sauron always took the shape of a terrible dark lord. His first incarnation after the Downfall of Númenor was hideous, "an image of malice and hatred made visible".
Gandalf's greatest power is his wisdom. He's known throughout Middle-earth and beyond as the wisest being in the land, which is made symbolic in his form of an old man. But Gandalf's strengths also lie in his extensive knowledge of history, culture, and traditions.
Magical Kinesis: This spell allows Gandalf to telekinetically push back his foes with his staff, even being powerful enough to disarm his enemies in the process.
As one of the most powerful Maiar, Sauron was created by Ilúvatar before the Music of the Ainur. At the beginning of Time, he was amongst the Ainur who entered into Eä. Here he became one of the Maiar of Aulë, among whose people he was deemed mighty and surpassed only by the Smith himself, and was known as Mairon.
Saruman knew that Gandalf had been given the third Elvish ring Narya by Círdan the Shipwright. This nurtured his jealousy of Gandalf and his resentment towards the Elves.