One of the most fun things about new shows like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the speculation about what characters from the original trilogy could potentially show up. One of the most speculative is the character of The Stranger.
The Meteor Man, also known as The Stranger, is someone Harfoot Nori Brandyfoot encounters during her travels. Many theorize this could be Gandalf as a younger person. One fan took this to hilarious extremes by mashing up an image of Grogu/Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian with Gandalf The Grey/White from the original LOTR.
The results are pretty hilarious. Take a look below.
“I like the new Lord of the Rings show but I thought Baby Gandalf felt a little desperate,” Twitter user Dan Sheehan said.
Commenters on the post also had some fun with it, including this one from Screenwriter Jon Spaihts.
“He really hits his stride in the Mandarillion,” he said.
User JFClifford also gave him a new name: “Gandalf the wee.”
Another user asked OP to “do a baby Sauron.”
Whether or not Gandalf will actually appear in the series, or if he’s actually The Stranger, seems promising. When Express asked showrunner Patrick McKay about whether The Stranger and Gandalf were the same, he didn’t shut the idea down.
“In some ways, I would say it’s not a secret. What you see is what you get.” He also said that the show wasn’t in the habit of twists or secrets but just wanted to tell a good story.
“We’re not really all about, like, withholding information from the audience, or some huge twist or some huge reveal. We’re more about the journey.”
The Stranger, he said, will have his own storyline that is hopefully more engrossing than whether he is Gandalf or not.
“There’s a whole story there, that hopefully is emotionally engaging and surprising and delightful regardless of what his name may or may not turn out to be.”
The first two episodes of the show are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.