Who is the Istari? The identity of the Dark Wizard of ‘The Rings of Power’

The second season of ‘The Rings of Power’ premiered on Prime Video on August 29th and the great success of the first episodes makes it beat ‘House of the Dragon’ on Rotten Tomatoes. The new installment of J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe focuses on Sauron. The Dark Lord was the great revelation of the first season, and in the second, he will use his evil to try to lead Middle-earth into absolute chaos.

In one of the first chapters, the novel character of the Dark Magician appears, and when he uses his power for the first time, he kills some mysterious hooded women who are chasing him. Before disappearing, they call him “Istari”, a term that is fundamental and whose meaning we will explain later.

Though not officially known, this Dark Wizard may be Saruman. This theory seems to fit, since the Dweller, the Nomad and the Ascetic have been scouring Middle-earth in search of someone they believe to be Sauron, and their encounter with the Dark Wizard made them think that he might be the figure they were looking for, and it is possible that they may have finally stumbled upon the true target of their quest.

It could also be any other Istari who came to Middle-earth, and if we look at Tolkien’s canon, there were 5 Istari who came. Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast and two whose names we do not know. This could fit with the two wizards who still have no names, both the dark one and the one many associate with Gandalf, who walks next to the Harfoot Nori.

What is an Istari in the world of Tolkien?

The Istari, also known as the Five Wizards, are a group of Maiar sent to Middle-earth with a clear purpose: to save the free peoples from the menacing shadow of Sauron. They took human form, appearing as old men with long beards, dressed in cloaks and boots, and carrying long staffs.

Their primary mission was to protect the people of Middle-earth without imposing their power or attempting to match Sauron’s might. They were sent at a critical moment when Sauron, Morgoth’s most loyal servant, returned. Their names are different, and each of them adopts a color of clothing: Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, and the blue wizards, Alatar and Pallando.

Will we see the Istari in ‘The Rings of Power’?

The show has already confirmed the presence of two of them. One is the Dark Wizard, and the other is the alien who walks alongside Nori. What is not yet known is the identity of each of them, as we know that the five previously mentioned have arrived in Middle-earth, so we will have to wait to know for sure what each of them is hiding.

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