Spoilers for the finale of The Rings of Power ahead.
In the finale of the Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power, we got more clarity about some of the more mysterious characters in the TROP cast. The two big reveals were finding out the identity of the evil Sauron, and getting a hint as to who The Stranger could be. One of the leading theories is that the mysterious man who fell out of the sky is the beloved wizard Gandalf. While this is not confirmed, there are lots of clues that seem to point in that direction, and the actor behind the character has just pointed out another one.
In an interview with TV Line, Daniel Weyman, the actor behind The Stranger, explained that fans picked up on some big clues that point to him being Gandalf. However, there is one more small detail that adds fuel to the theory. He said:
I don’t know whether people have noticed, but the costume changes slightly over the course of the season.
He’s right. His costume does slightly change over the season. At first, he is draped with a mossy fabric when Nori finds him in a crater. That blanket-like situation then evolves into more of a disheveled poncho. Then, in the finale, when he is attacked by, and defeats, the Mystics you can see he is now wearing more of a robe that mirrors the robes of the Istari we already know and love. From his dialogue and the manifestation of his powers all the way to his costume, all signs seem to point toward Gandalf. In regard to the costume Weyman said:
The fact that they were surrounding The Stranger meant that they subtly changed and altered themselves. It’s like they all got pulled in, and so it goes from being a very big, wild costume to being more of a costume of an Istari.
Along with the evolution of the outfit, The Stranger also is able to fully converse with others after his run-in with thy Mystics. Clearly, this interaction made him realize some of the aspects of himself he had forgotten after he fell out of the sky.
While the costume is a subtle hint, there was a line of dialogue in the finale that is almost the exact same line of dialogue Gandalf says to Merry in the first Lord of the Rings movie. However, this line of dialogue is at the very end of Season 1, and Weyman said it was a great place to leave the audience.
When you get that moment of ‘Follow your nose,’ that’s a moment of almost putting their arms around each other just going, ‘This is our adventure. This is us going off and doing this together.’ It’s a great place to leave it.
The actor has said he has been reading the fans’ theories about his character. Let me tell you, they’ve really run the gamut. From being a prime suspect for the character behind Sauron all the way to being one of the great wizards, he really could have been anyone. However, once he started talking in the finale and told Nori to follow her nose, I think it became clear to a lot of us who The Stranger really is.
The Rings of Power was one of the biggest shows on the Fall TV schedule, and now with all the episodes out, it will be subject to even more speculation and theories while we wait for Season 2. You can go back and investigate for clues about The Stranger’s identity, as well as other hints that point toward various characters’ futures, by watching The Rings of Power with an Amazon Prime subscription.
