The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has nearly the identity of its Dark Wizard, creating the question of whether one key Lord of the Rings cameo will occur. While viewers asked who Sauron was throughout The Rings of Power season 1 and who the Stranger was in season 2, season 3 will be all about the Dark Wizard’s identity. Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) was Sauron and the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) was Gandalf, setting up a key duality and opposition in the show. The Dark Wizard is fascinating as he could upset this balance, allying with one or the other.
The Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) claims to be an Istar in Rings of Power season 2. The Istari were originally good Wizards sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to oppose Sauron. However, the Dark Wizard seems to have tactics more aligned with the brutal and tyrannous regime of Sauron than the Valar, having no qualms about killing his own followers. In a Reddit Q&A, showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne all but confirmed that the Dark Wizard is a Blue Wizard, an Istar with an unconfirmed fate in lore. Although cruel, he is not Saruman — but Saruman himself could still appear.
The Dark Wizard isn’t Saruman, but that doesn’t rule out a Saruman appearance in Rings of Power season 3 or future seasons. The Lord of the Rings movies’ fiendish Saruman (Christopher Lee) betrays the White Council and turns to Sauron before betraying him too, representing greed and a purely selfish drive for power. He clearly will not occupy the villainous role of the Dark Wizard in Rings of Power, which makes sense — if Gandalf had to deal with a morally dubious Saruman in the Second Age, he would be less trusting of him in the Third Age.
Saruman pulls the wool over Gandalf’s (then played by Ian McKellen) unsuspicious eyes in the future, so Saruman would more likely be Gandalf’s ally in the show to ensure this logic is maintained. However, Rings of Power‘s Istari have been a fascinating storyline, and adding to it would be beneficial. There are lots of advantages to exploring all the Istari, and now that one Blue Wizard has been introduced, it stands to reason that the others will be too. Only Saruman and Radagast are left for the show to investigate, and the former’s storyline would complement Gandalf’s nicely.
Rings of Power could show Saruman before his turn to evil in Lord of the Rings. The faithfulness of Amazon Prime Video’s Rings of Power would be compromised by adapting a Second Age Saruman, since no such Saruman was ever described in detail in the books. However, Saruman wasn’t always the bitter, cynical traitor that Peter Jackson shows in his movies, and a more heroic version of him would be fascinating to see. Additionally, Rings of Power has excelled at showing prequel content for Lord of the Rings characters so far.
An optimistic Saruman could be a great addition to the show while demonstrating the first inklings of his later fall from grace.
Rings of Power is a definitive prequel show, depicting Lord of the Rings’ Second Age, whereas the movies show the Third Age. However, the show showcases versions of characters that are younger than their most widely known Third Age counterparts. For instance, Rings of Power‘s Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) is more reckless and less wise. Likewise, the show’s Gandalf has only just arrived in Middle-earth and isn’t in control of his powers yet. An optimistic Saruman could be a great addition to the show while demonstrating the first inklings of his later fall from grace.
The Stranger has always been one of Rings of Power’s main characters, and adding Saruman to proceedings would flesh out his arc even more. Even before it was clear that the Stranger was Gandalf, he brought a joyous innocence to the show, while Sauron and Galadriel’s subplot normally comes across as quite dark. This levity is key to an adaptation that resembles the tone of Lord of the Rings, which is a wise aim, knowing the success of the novel and movies. The show could explore this aspect of Gandalf further through a Saruman appearance, playing to its strengths.
| Tolkienian Age | Event Marking The Start | Years | Total Length In Solar Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before time | Indeterminate | Indeterminate | Indeterminate |
| Days before Days | Ainur entered Eä | 1 – 3,500 Valian Years | 33,537 |
| Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.) | Yavanna created the Two Trees | Y.T. 1 – 1050 | 10,061 |
| First Age (F.A.) | Elves awoke in Cuiviénen | Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590 | 4,902 |
| Second Age (S.A.) | War of Wrath ended | S.A. 1 – 3441 | 3,441 |
| Third Age (T.A.) | Last Alliance defeated Sauron | T.A. 1 – 3021 | 3,021 |
| Fourth Age (F.A) | Elven-rings left Middle-earth | Fo.A 1 – unknown | Unknown |
Saruman could join the show in season 3 or 4 for an origin story of the friendship and rapport between him and Gandalf. This would be non-canonical and could be divisive, but it would illustrate the depth of Saruman’s later betrayal if viewers have an awareness of the friendship that may have once existed between him and Gandalf. Moreover, the show could portray Tolkien’s lore on Saruman heading out east, which is specified in The Silmarillion. Saruman was in the east before he settled in Orthanc.
If Rings of Power shows Saruman in Rhûn, it wouldn’t contradict canon, only further developing it.
The eastern land of Rhûn is a mysterious place in Middle-earth, and Rings of Power is painting detail into it. This is controversial, as the Rhûn arcs are original material and therefore don’t represent Tolkien’s views. However, they allow the show a creative opportunity to interpret Tolkien’s key themes in a novel setting. If Rings of Power shows Saruman in Rhûn, it wouldn’t contradict canon, only further developing it. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may have an interesting opportunity in the form of Saruman, in more ways than one.
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