Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episodes 1-5 of The Rings of Power.Long have we waited for our ships to dock at the Gray Havens once more, and now our return to Middle-Earth has finally happened. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is here bringing back that feeling of wonder when seeing all sort of strange folk and unusual beings that only J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium could create. And from the very first episode until now, one of the biggest mysteries of the show remains the identity of the man inside the meteor that fell from the sky.
For the sake of clarity, let's call this individual The Stranger (Daniel Weyman), because that's how he's been marketed so far. Even though his presence has not been among the biggest in the marketing for The Rings of Power, every little moment shown of him back then was already sparking all sorts of speculation in the depths of the internet. Now that we've seen a little more about him, we are starting to get some clarity, although far from any definitive answer.
What we know isn't much: he fell from the sky aboard a meteor and clearly has magical abilities. The fire caused by the fall isn't hot to the touch, which allowed the ever-curious Harfoot Elanor "Nori" Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh) to approach him safely. Afterwards, he spent most of his time passed out, waking up the following day after Nori and her friend Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) hid him in a safe spot, away from the Harfoot camp. Upon waking up, he was still very weak, so he basically devoured the snails Nori had brought him, shell and all, while uttering the words "mana" and "urë" and writing runes on the ground - which, coincidentally or not, happens at the same time as Nori's father breaks his ankle. When Poppy approaches unannounced, he elevates his voice to a supernatural tone, influencing weather and light as he does it. And a while later, he gets the fireflies in the Harfoots' lanterns to draw a constellation in the sky, a clue about where he might come from. All the fireflies perish right after, though.
As of now, there are two main possibilities about who and where The Stranger might come from, and, so far, the show has done a great job of instigating viewer curiosity towards both of them equally and not giving anything away just yet. The first and most popular so far is that he is none other than the Gray Wizard of the Istari himself, Gandalf. The second is a darker theory, that he is the big bad of the whole show, the Dark Lord Sauron himself. But let's see what is what before drawing any conclusions, shall we?
The Case for Gandalf
Everybody loves Gandalf - and if you don't, well, you are just wrong. But if The Stranger is indeed him, it's important to note that he is still not the Gandalf we all know and love, he has a long way to go before getting there. This possibility would require some artistic liberties to be taken by creators J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and we all know how protective the Tolkien Estate is of their properties. But for the sake of storytelling, it shouldn't be much a problem. The first of those artistic liberties is changing the moment in which Gandalf arrived in Middle-Earth. In the books, the Maiar known as Olórin arrived at the Gray Havens in the beginning of the Third Age to aid in the fight against the threat of Sauron and, therefore, after all the events to be portrayed by The Rings of Power. He arrived along with two other of the Istari, Saruman (Christopher Lee) and Radagast (Sylvester McCoy), the Blue Wizards having arrived earlier.
The arguments in favor of this theory are his abilities. The Stranger has much of the same powers displayed by Ian McKellen's version of Gandalf in the Peter Jackson trilogy. The loud and intimidating voice, the friendship with animals and the constant uttering of runes and magical words. He also is capable of warding off the wolves in Episode 5, "Partings". He does so by hitting his arm on the ground, which leaves a bruise. For a wizard, that is a big hint that he needs something to channel his magic. Something like... a staff, maybe?
The Stranger Might Be Gandalf Given His Connection to Harfoot Hobbits
Of course, after defending the Harfoots from the wolves and getting himself hurt, he heals himself by freezing a little pool of water, and Nori gets herself trapped in the ice. It goes without saying that he did that without noticing with no intention of hurting her. This leads us to another important aspect of his personality: he knows he is aware that he is a liability for the Harfoot caravan and, especially, for the Brandyfoot family. He also knows the fireflies died because of him, and questions his alignment, only settling that he is good after Nori makes a point of reinforcing this idea with him.
Another big hint that The Stranger might be Gandalf is the fact that he was discovered by a Harfoot. The Gray Wizard has always been a friend of the Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings, despite his status as a "disturber of peace." He has deep respect admiration for the Halflings, and has always been their champion against those who would look down on them. The kindness displayed by Nori towards The Stranger may be a first step in setting up this beautiful friendship (and Gandalf always did have a preference for the most adventurous Hobbits, of which Nori must clearly be an ancestor because come on).
Also, in the Tolkien Legendarium, stars are usually seen as a good omen, and what is a meteor if not a fallen star? None of that rule out the possibility of The Stranger being any other of the Istari, too, or someone related to them that we just don't know at this point. Gandalf is just such a beloved character that not seeing him again in a Lord of the Rings show would be a big missed opportunity.
The Case for Sauron
Now, on to You-Know-Wh... I mean, Sauron. Ever since the beginning of the marketing campaigns for The Rings of Power, The Stranger has been depicted as a simple figure, rarely wearing anything more than a cloak and holding nothing but an apple in his hand. Tolkien fans are usually no strangers to Christian iconography, and apples are gifts that usually come with consequences (thanks, Adam and Eve), and that would fit the bill for Annatar, the name taken by Sauron in his fair Elvish form.
In the history of the Second Age, before waging war against them, Sauron attempts to dominate the peoples of Middle-Earth by forging the Rings of Power. Now, as fine a craftsman as Sauron may be, he still wasn't all that hot himself at the moment the show is currently at. He needed guidance and expertise, so he turned to the Elves. Disguised as Annatar (which translates to "lord of gifts"), he first tries to befriend Gil-Galad (Benjamin Walker), but is quickly dismissed by the High King of the Noldor. He then goes to Eregion, where he finds a much warmer welcome in the forges of Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). There, they would together forge the Rings of Power, with the Elven smith having no idea of who he was really working with.
Okay, but what does that have to do with the Harfoots? Sauron is known for subverting everything he touches, turning good things bad with a lot of time and patience. He also has powerful magical abilities, obviously, so the displays of The Stranger wouldn't be misplaced in this theory as well. There are also hints of Sauron's theme in Bear McCreary's score for the moment he is found by Nori and when he makes his voice louder a while later. Another thing worth noticing is that Nori doesn't burn her hand when touching the fire in the crater, something that may be a reference to a line said by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) when her company is at the Forodwaith Fortress in the North, in the beginning of the first episode. When one of the Elves notice that his torch is not giving off warmth, she notes that that is so because the place is so evil, it cancels the heat of fire.
The Stranger Is Connected to the Dweller Hooded Figure
Episode 5 also shows us a character that left an impression from the teasers, that people immediately connected to Sauron, but is revealed to be connected to The Stranger instead (unless they are the same people, right?). The blonde person played by Bridie Sisson, referred to by some as the Dweller, finally appears with an entourage of fellow priests. They carry shields bearing the constellation that The Stranger has drawn in the sky with the fireflies in Episode 2, so the connection is clear. Sisson's character is dressed all in white, but is also wearing an interesting necklace, with markings that resemble the symbol of the Silmarils seen in the opening title sequence of The Rings of Power - a star with three points that bend clockwise into circles. So far, there is no real meaning attached to the constellation and the Silmarils symbol in the narrative itself, but the appearance of those priests is unsettling, and happens to the tune of Sauron's theme, so...
But, even after all that, the apple remains one of the most important leads on him being Sauron. When Nori hands him an apple, he understands the logic of exchange among the being of Middle-Earth. An apple may represent the simplest things in nature, but it's also a gift that represents sin. That would be a way of foreshadowing his reveal as Annatar and his devious nature, subverting even the most natural things for his evil ends. So let's all hope he is just Gandalf!
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres new episodes every Friday exclusively on Prime Video.