Rings Of Power Showrunners Explain Why Gandalf’s Identity Reveal Was Prolonged

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, finally clear up all that confusion about why “The Stranger’s” identity was kept a secret for so long and why they didn’t reveal that the mysterious figure was actually the mighty wizard Gandalf in season two. The Rings of Power has seen plenty of theories throughout its run on Amazon Prime regarding its key characters and plot twists, some of which have still left fans in a state of confusion with the hope that season three will help clear some up.

One popular fan theory suggested that the Dark Wizard in Rings of Power could be Saruman, who was played by the late and great Christopher Lee in Peter Jackson’s films. However, the fantasy series’ showrunners confirmed that it was “highly improbable” that Ciarán Hinds’ character could be Saruman due to the history of Middle-earth. Even though many Lord of the Rings fans guessed from the start of Rings of Power‘s second season that the cryptic stranger could only ever be Gandalf, other theories floated about that Daniel Weyman’s character could be Sauron, Radagas or one of Tolkien’s other wizards. Thankfully, The Rings of Power season 2 finale confirmed the identity of its most mysterious character, but why was it prolonged for so long?

Rings Of Power Showrunners Explain The Purpose Of Gandalf’s Hidden Identity

In an interview with Screen Rant, The Rings of Power‘s showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay finally open up about why it took so long to reveal that The Stranger was Gandalf all along. Payne explained that they wanted the audience to follow along with “The Strangers” journey in self-discovery of where he came from and how he eventually got his incredible powers. Payne also noted that they had their “suspicions from the beginning” of who the mysterious character could be but wanted to leave hints for viewers as season two came along, especially regarding the strong friendship he had with Nori and Poppy as “Gandalf loves halflings”, so the idea that he could have been Sauron was cast out early due to his known disdain for them, as well as Radagast, who seemingly “doesn’t care one way or another.”

Payne was also quick to express that they didn’t want to keep hold of Gandalf’s identity for longer than it needed to be, stating that drawing it out until season four would have been far too much. McKay said that Gandalf’s process throughout Rings of Power season two was more important than giving away what his name was straight off the bat, as that’s not the story they wanted to focus on. “It’s about what he’s learning, about who he’s going to be. That is more important than just a name.”