Well, the first season of Amazon's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has come and gone, but just because it's on an undisclosed-length hiatus, doesn't mean we're through discussing the show. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's work in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the Amazon series tells the story of the Second Age of Middle-Earth - or, at least a condensed version of that tale. Although the streaming giant doesn't have the rights to Tolkien epics such as Unfinished Tales or The Silmarillion, which explore the Second Age in detail, The Rings of Power has taken from the appendices of his most popular work and made the legendarium its own.

Of course, with any derivative work, there are some who enjoy the changes and others who don't, but at the end of the day, it's fun to explore a new age of Middle-Earth, one we've rarely seen on screen outside the prologue to Peter Jackson's epic trilogy. Among the new additions is the Stranger, a character played by Daniel Weyman who's been revealed to be one of the Istari aka the Wizards of Middle-Earth. Sent from the heavens above, this Stranger has allied himself with Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) and her tribe of Harfoots - precursors to Hobbits - as he journeys on to discover who he is, why he's here, and what to do about it.

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Image via Amazon Studios

There have been countless speculations as to the identity behind this Stranger, including a fake-out on the show that he might be Sauron himself, but now that he's been confirmed to be an Istari, many of the theories have been narrowed down. Some believe (and hope) that the Stranger is one of the two Blue Wizards that Tolkien alluded to in The Silmarillion and wrote about in his Unfinished Tales. These Istari - named Alatar and Pallando - are known to have traveled to the east of Tolkien's world, a region previously unexplored in any live-action medium, and were sent there during the Second Age to stop Sauron from gaining more power.

On the other hand, there are plenty of folks who are convinced that the Stranger is indeed Gandalf himself - or, at least a younger version of the Grey Wizard. Though Gandalf doesn't traditionally appear in Middle-Earth until the Third Age, and there's no record that he traveled that far east, there are plenty of other reasons to think that the Stranger may be our favorite Tolkien Wizard. In fact, there's a strong case to be made that the Stranger will (and maybe even should) turn out to be Gandalf after all.

Consistency Is Key

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Image via New Line Cinema

For starters, Gandalf is one of three Tolkien characters to appear in every recent live-action adaptation of Tolkien's works. Played by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, the Grey-turned-White Wizard has always been associated with all things Tolkien. Alongside Cate Blanchett's Galadriel and the Dark Lord Sauron himself, Gandalf is one of the few characters to appear in all six Middle-Earth films, making his appearance here a pretty safe bet. If Amazon were smart, they'd continue the tradition. Given that both Galadriel and Sauron are leads on The Rings of Power, the Grey Wizard would be the only odd one out...

Naturally, there are Tolkien diehards who would hope against the Stranger being Gandalf. After all, the character doesn't show up in any of the Second Age tales, and the two Blue Wizards have yet to be truly explored - meaning, there's plenty of room for embellishing and new takes on these undiscovered characters. But, for the majority of folks watching - especially those who already believe the Stranger to be the Grey Wizard - there's already an expectation that this is a younger Gandalf. Between his mannerisms, his grey-clad appearance, and the use of Gandalf's own dialogue from The Lord of the Rings books, it seems pretty clear that the Stranger is in fact our favorite Wizard.

Of course, the fact that so many casual viewers - and diehard fans of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in particular - expect this Istari to be Gandalf could actually be the twist, and it would be genuinely shocking to many if he weren't the Grey Wizard after all. However, after the reveal that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) is indeed the Dark Lord Sauron - something that many found "too obvious" from the get-go - it seems that Amazon will probably play it safe. Though, we could be wrong...

RELATED: Was Sauron Ever Good Before 'The Rings of Power'?

A Friend to Halflings

Frodo and Gandalf-Elijah Wood Sir Ian McKellen

Possibly the strongest case to be made for the Stranger and Gandalf being one and the same is that this Wizard is a friend to the Hobbit's own ancestors the Harfoots. A nomadic people, the Harfoots have yet to set foot in the Shire, and are currently wandering across the map as they migrate with the seasons. Though the Stranger traveled alongside the Brandyfoots for the majority of the first season, he and Nori have since set out to the east on their own adventures together - which admittedly feels a lot like Gandalf's eventual travels with both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.

The Stranger has often looked out for the halflings, a people who most in Middle-Earth would pay no mind to. In fact, the only other species to acknowledge the Harfoots besides the Istari himself - or the three Mystics who were in search of Sauron - are the wild animals who wish to consume them. Since Gandalf has always been a friend to the Hobbits, and has always viewed them in high regard, it stands to reason that this Istari's interactions with the Harfoots could, and probably should, be the origin story for the Grey Wizard's own love for the "little folk."

If the Stranger were indeed Gandalf, this would explain why he believes that Hobbits are the key to stopping Sauron in the Third Age. In his eyes, these often over-looked people are the perfect way into both the dragon Smaug's domain within the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit and the Dark Lord's realm of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings. After all, as the Grey Wizard once told Frodo, "Hobbits really are amazing creatures... You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch."

A New Direction for the Wizards

Gandalf riding towards Gondor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Image via New Line Cinema

Of the five Istari Wizards that Tolkien mentioned in his writings, only three are ever expanded on in detail. Of course, we know the most about Gandalf himself. This is actually another reason why the Stranger is probably Gandalf given that Amazon only holds the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but we digress. We also know at least a little about Saruman the White and Radagast the Brown, who could each theoretically be the Stranger also. On the other hand, the Blue Wizards are still something of a mystery, hence why folks hope to see the Stranger turn out to be one of them. But, what might be even more compelling, is if the Stranger-as-Gandalf traveled to the east only to encounter these two Blue Wizards as they fight against Sauron's work in these regions.

So far, we've seen Gandalf interact with both Saruman and Radagast, but what if he were to interact with Alatar and Pallando too? What if, in traveling to the east with Nori, the Blue Wizards were to help him discover his true purpose as an ally to the little folk and as an adversary to the Dark Lord himself. Since we don't know much about the Blue Wizards and their work in the east, many have rightly speculated that they failed their mission during the Second Age, giving way to Sauron's corruption of the armies of the eastern men. If this turns out to be true, it would be fascinating to watch Gandalf witness the Blue Wizard's failure and learn from it for his own return in the Third Age.

Since Gandalf has existed for centuries - known in the unseen realm as Olórin - there's no reason that he couldn't appear in Middle-Earth whenever he needs to, and while Tolkien's legendarium doesn't mention Gandalf walking in the physical world until the Third Age, there's still a lot about the other ages we don't know. The Rings of Power could also easily establish Gandalf's friendship with Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Galadriel, and given that they often call him "Mithrandir" rather than Gandalf, the Grey Wizard's most common name might not even need to be spoken. Ultimately, only time will tell as to who this Istari Stranger is, but whether you're rooting for one of the Blue Wizards or Gandalf the Grey himself, it's clear that the world of Middle-Earth needs the Wizards, especially when Dark Lords are afoot.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available for streaming on Prime Video.