Summary

• The Dark Wizard in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 may not be all evil, as his motives are cryptic and tied to The Stranger's story, as teased by co-showrunner Patrick McKay.
• Season 2 will explore the temptation of powerful beings to turn evil, echoing Gandalf and Saruman's struggles.
• The seeming new threat in Middle-earth could be one of two Istari, with ties to the three mysterious female wizards from season 1.

Rings of Power season 2's cast will see the debut of Middle-earth fan-favorite characters, including Rory Kinnear's Tom Bombadil.

Ahead of The Rings of Power's three-episode season 2 premiere, McKay sat down with ComicBook.com to address the lore implications of a new threat set to terrorize Middle-earth. When discussing the arrival of Ciaran Hinds' Dark Wizard and his debut in Middle-earth's history, the showrunner explained that the new character is rooted in the temptations of Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and Saruman (Christopher Lee) in the face of great power. Check out McKay's explanation below:

I don't know that it's that new of a concept. We have seen throughout Tolkien that powerful beings are tempted to evil. Gandalf will not carry the Ring for he fears the evil it could do through him. Saruman turns to evil, believing that that's the best way to save the world, in whatever twisted logic he's come up with. So we know that good characters can turn to evil, and we know that even wizards can turn to the dark side, so to speak, and watching how that's gonna play out with Ciarán Hinds is gonna be hopefully a real thrill for people.

Is The Dark Wizard An Existing Tolkien Character?

There Are Two Potential Istari That This New Sorcerer Can Be

With the Dark Wizard arriving in Middle-earth, it is likely a looming thread from Rings of Power season 1 will be answered involving Daniel Weyman's Istari Stranger, and the three mysterious women who pursued him in season 1. The Dweller (Dweller), the Nomad (Edith Poor), and the Ascetic (Kali Kopae) wandered Middle-earth in search of a being they believed to be Sauron, suspecting the Stranger could be their subject of worship. While Vickers' Halbrand was revealed to be Sauron in Rings of Power's season 1 conclusion, this sinister Istari may have been deceiving these worshipers.

Three wizards are already firmly characterized by Tolkien, Gandalf, Saruman, and Radaghast (Sylvester McCoy), and the remaining Istari Alatar and Pallando arrived in Middle-earth in the Second Age, becoming known as the Blue Wizards in their quest to avert Sauron's rise. While little is known save for the cults they inspired and the role they played in ending Sauron's reign, the Dark Wizard could fit one of these role. Though his title is ominous, Rings of Power's Dark Wizard may be motivated by pragmatism, seeing his manipulations and ruthlessness as a necessary evil and the three women as his first cultists.

With how the first season kept the mystery of whom Sauron is a tightly kept secret until its final episodes, it is likely viewers will be kept in the dark for a similar time about the Dark Wizard in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2. While he carries a dark title, McKay's description does suggest that the Dark Wizard isn't motivated by evil, and may have more cryptic motives that are harder to determine. Though with his story tied to The Stranger's, a battle of sorcery is sure to unfold in the Second Age.

Source: ComicBook.com