Is the Dark Wizard in ‘Rings of Power’ Saruman?

If there’s one thing Amazon loves even more than ruining your favorite stories, it’s overdoing the good old concept of a mystery box to the point that it loses all its narrative potency. Unfortunately, it seems they have yet to take the hint even after the poorly received Sauron mystery in The Rings of Power and the Dragon Reborn in The Wheel of Time.

The Rings of Power season 2 finale confirmed that the enigmatic Stranger who arrived through a shower of meteorites in season 1 and wandered in the deserts of Rhûn during the recent run is none other than Gandalf, the Grey Pilgrim. The wizard slowly came to his own with the help of Tom Bombadil and even managed to find his iconic stave after refusing to join forces with the Dark Wizard terrorizing the easternmost parts of Middle-earth. But now that one mystery has been solved, fans are wondering if the other Istar is Gandalf’s counterpart from The Lord of the Rings, Saruman the White.

Everything about the Dark Wizard, from his bearing to his staff and mannerisms and the way he addresses Gandalf by referring to him as “old friend” seems to imply he’s Saruman, but then, it could also be a deliberate red herring to keep fans guessing until season 3.

Fortunately, we have more to go on than that.

Is the Dark Wizard in The Rings of Power Saruman?

The Dark Wizard in The Rings of Power could not possibly be Saruman, because that would have catastrophic repercussions for the established canon. The head of the Istari becomes enamored with Sauron’s power many thousands of years after the events of the Second Age, and even then, his treachery is quickly revealed to the rest of the Free Peoples, his reputation immediately tarnished in the eyes of Elves and Men and even Gandalf himself.

So how could Gandalf confront Saruman so early in the history of Middle-earth and forget all about it by the time The Lord of the Rings takes place? In fact, on this particular note, even the showrunners seem to agree that they can’t just play fast and loose with the lore. When recently asked if the Dark Wizard is Saruman, this is what Patrick McKay had to say.

“No, no, I’ll say something on the record. Given the history of Middle-earth, it would be highly, highly, highly improbable that this could be Saruman.”

That only leaves three other Istar sorcerers; Radagast the Brown, and the two Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando. I think it’s safe to say that we can rule out Radagast as well. We’d sooner think Faramir or Merry and Pippin capable of turning evil than point a finger at Radagast the Brown. So, our Dark Wizard is one of the two Blue Wizards; mysterious and enigmatic, with an unknown doom. All we know is that the two Blue Wizards journeyed east to fight against Sauron’s evil, but what became of them no one knows, not even those who remain of the lore keepers of old in the west.

And if the Dark Wizard is one of the two, then the fate of the other is still undetermined. Perhaps he could even make an appearance in the course of The Rings of Power season 3 and beyond. But the showrunners want you to know he has a very important part to play yet.

“The Dark Wizard has an important role to play in the doings of Middle-earth,” McCkay continued. “And in the development of our wizard, who’s now coming into his own. Tom Bombadil has told him, ‘You’re destined to face him. And then destined to face Sauron.’ So the Dark Wizard’s fate is not decided and his name is not out there yet, but it would almost defy the laws of gravity and physics for it to be Saruman.”

We can’t wait to see how that confrontation will pan out. The first two seasons of The Rings of Power are currently available to stream on Prime Video.