Why The Rings Of Power's New Wizard Doesn't Appear In LOTR, Despite Being Canon

Published Oct 28, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT

Lewis is a Lead Writer for Screen Rant and has written for the site since 2022. This has allowed Lewis to explore a vast array of films, TV shows, books, comic books, and games from across the mainstream world of pop culture, reflecting his lifelong love of all media and typifying his experience in the world of fiction storytelling. To top this off, Lewis graduated from Northumbria University with First Class Honours in Film & TV Studies, truly exemplifying his experience in the medium.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power features a brand-new wizard, though one that mysteriously doesn’t feature in the original trilogy. Since the first episode of Prime Video’s fantasy show, theories have been commonplace about how it will tie into what audiences know from The Lord of the Rings. Of course, a few of these aspects are obvious, be it several of The Rings of Power’s cast members directly appearing in the original trilogy or the foundation of iconic Middle-earth landmarks like Mount Doom and Rivendell.

However, some elements, specifically some of The Rings of Power’s book changes, have led to theories and speculation. Perhaps the biggest of these theories, especially early in season 1 and going into season 2, was the identity of Daniel Weyman’s The Stranger. Initially teased as a magical servant of Sauron with no memory, The Stranger became an ally of Nori Brandyfoot, with a strong hint at the end of Rings of Power season 1 that he was an early version of Gandalf the Grey before these hints turned into reality in season 2.

Going into The Rings of Power season 3, Gandalf’s story will see him come into conflict with the Dark Wizard in the far east of Middle-earth. This wizard was also the subject of many theories, with many pinning him as the foil of early Gandalf and an early version of Saruman. However, the Dark Wizard’s Rings of Power identity has been officially confirmed, raising questions of why he wasn’t in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Rings Of Power's Villainous Wizard Is A Blue Wizard

In a Q&A shortly after the release of season 2, the identity of The Rings of Power’s Dark Wizard was confirmed. The show’s creators, Patrick McKay and JD Payne, stated that there are five wizards in the franchise: Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and two blue wizards. According to the duo, the Dark Wizard “will be one of those two others.” This confirms that Ciarán Hinds’ character is a mysterious Blue Wizard, who even J.R.R. Tolkien himself revealed very little about.

Concerning exactly what his role will be in The Rings of Power, he will indeed be a foil to Gandalf. As alluded to, Gandalf’s season 2 journey led him east across Middle-earth, to the desolate lands of Rhûn. There he encountered Hinds’ Blue Wizard, who both served Sauron yet also sought to supplant the dark lord with Gandalf’s help. Gandalf rejected him, leading to a confrontation between the Istari. As teased by the trailers for The Rings of Power season 3, the clash between Gandalf and the Blue Wizard is only set to continue.

What Happens To The Blue Wizards In The Lord Of The Rings

Naturally, though, the biggest question this raises is why the Blue Wizard and his companion are not part of either The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. In both trilogies, only Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast appear, and neither of the Blue Istari are part of Tolkien’s original books either. The reason for this was Tolkien’s dedication to keeping the fate of both wizards a mystery. Some of his earlier ideas included the possibility of the Blue Wizards falling to evil, which The Rings of Power is seemingly running with.

However, in some of the author’s final notes, he neglected to reveal exactly what became of the two wizards. The only hint at what became of them is frustratingly broad, with Tolkien simply stating they lived out their days far to the east of where The Lord of the Rings takes place. Whether this is Rhûn or other lands even further east is unclear, but it explains why the Blue Wizards did not aid Gandalf in his fight against Sauron and Saruman.

Despite this unclear conclusion, The Rings of Power is writing its own version of events. Based on Tolkien’s idea that they became evil and built magical cults in the east, the Prime Video show is set to make the story of the Blue Wizards, or Wizard in this case, much more compelling and integral to Sauron’s rise.