In the Second Age, there is no wizard. He comes when he wants to, not during that time.
Speculation is already rife after seeing the first trailer for the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The image of Harfoot and the mysterious, blazing man in the teaser is perhaps the most intriguing and perplexing shot in the entire clip.
Who is this person, and why is there so much fire?
It’s a question that some fans are even asking if this is a young Gandalf. So why not give us younger versions of some of our favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings, like Galadriel and Elrond?
We regret to inform you that Gandalf will most likely not appear in The Two Towers. Let’s open some books that are about fictional history and see what they say about the past.
The Theory of Gandalf in The Two Towers: The Power Rings
When it comes to this “Young Gandalf” theory, it seems to revolve around a trailer scene that shows Gandalf falling to Earth. Every time he steps off the plane, someone from Harfoot is there to greet him.
If Tolkien’s writings are to be believed, we know that Gandalf and Saruman are Maiar, immortals in service to the Valar, and that their fellow wizards are the same (basically the angels of this universe).
One of Gandalf’s ancestors has been around since before the dawn of recorded history; it was when he was sent to Middle-earth to confront Sauron’s threat that Gandalf took on human form. Sauron, on the other hand, is one of the Maiar, but he has become twisted and malformed because he wants to be powerful all the time.
In the movie, if this scene is about a young Gandalf who lands in Middle-earth, it opens up a lot of interesting storytelling possibilities. We could see the early stages of his life’s work to unite Middle-earth against Sauron, which takes a long time.
Tolkien may have taken a page from Diablo III’s Tyrael, whose amnesia causes him to lose track of his mission after crashing into the mortal world.
Even if Sauron has corrupted Saruman and Alatar and Pallando, Tolkien’s two Blue Wizards, we could see Gandalf and Saruman working together, and perhaps even meet the two Blue Wizards.
Some people think that Gandalf’s first human friend is Harfoot, an ancient relative of Hobbits. This idea has some good ideas for what could happen.
There could be more to learn about why Gandalf likes these simple, sheltered Halflings so much from the series, it’s an interesting idea. The problem is that it isn’t one that Middle-timeline earth’s of events agrees with.
The Rings of Power: A Chronological History
However, there is one thing we know for sure so far about The Rings of Power. During the Second Age of Middle-earth, the show is set.
There doesn’t seem to be a chance that Gandalf would appear in The Rings of Power on his own.
The timeline set up by Tolkien divides Middle-history earth’s into four separate Ages. A major event in Arda’s history occurred during the First Age: Melkor’s rise to power as the first Dark Lord (later renamed Morgoth).
The Second Age begins after Morgoth is expelled from this world, and it culminates in the war between Morgoth’s successor, Sauron, and the Last Alliance of men and elves, which is the culmination of the story (as seen in the opening flashback in The Fellowship of the Ring).
LOTR and the Hobbit films are set in the Third Age and show Sauron’s last defeat. This is the era after the Third Age, during which time the elves and other magical creatures withdraw from the mortal realm and man rises to become the dominant force on the planet.
A lot of the story takes place in Middle-earth during the Second Age. Gandalf’s appearance in The Rings of Power appears to be ruled out by this fact alone.
Apparently, they don’t show up in Middle-earth until the Third Age, long after the events in The Rings of Power. In this time, there are no elves, men, or Dwarves who can fight back against Sauron, who has been revived.
That’s why the wizards were sent to Middle-earth. There are a lot of elves leaving the mortal world.
The dwarves are far too preoccupied with treasure mining to do anything else. King Isildur corruption and subsequent demise have forever altered human history.
In order to hold off the forces of Mordor, they will need the assistance of Gandalf and his companions. Young Gandalf isn’t the only problem with the theory we’re seeing right now.
Gandalf has never been young in the first place. They disguise themselves as elderly men in order to blend in better with the people of Middle-earth.
Having said that, it is still possible that the series will deviate from the source material and introduce Gandalf and his companions much earlier than is customary for the franchise. Vanity Fair recently published an interview with one of the writers, and we now know that they are shortening the Second Age’s chronological span.
There are a lot of things that happen over time in the books, but on TV, they’ll all happen at the same time or close to it. If The Fellowship of the Ring is already altering Middle-history, earth’s it’s not out of the question that Gandalf will be included.
It is possible that Rings of Power will bring a new wizard
The teaser’s enigmatic scene could also be explained in a different light. We might see a completely new wizard character show up in Middle-earth, but we don’t know yet.
TV show Watchmen is similar to Rings of Power because it is a continuation of the original source material, but also a show that mixes up some of the same types of things that people have seen before. Middle-earth tropes like Arondir and Bronwyn, for example, have been given a modern twist in the form of the characters.
As for Charlie Vickers’ character Halbrand, while we know very little about him, he certainly appears to be the Aragorn figure of the series, fleeing from a fate that is both significant and tragic for him.
This figure with flames around it could be a riff on Gandalf, but it could also be Gandalf himself. Gandalf and Saruman may have arrived in Middle-earth after other Maiar, according to the show.
In the absence of Gandalf, this character could serve as a replacement. Writing about a new character gives the writers more freedom because they don’t have to worry about how Gandalf’s story ends.
No, I don’t think we see Gandalf. If you have any ideas for us, write them down in the comments.
Keep an eye out for a full analysis from IGN, as well as our in-depth look at the rings of power teaser and the Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness trailer, as well.
