The day finally arrived for the much-anticipated The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power as it drops its double-header premiere which raises a question on who The Stranger is. Viewers ask if the Meteor Man is young Gandalf but showrunner Patrick McKay plays coy about it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power just unveiled its powerful roster of characters from the lore of the books of J.R.R. Tolkien and one of the most mysterious characters, to date, on the series is the Meteor Man a.k.a. The Stranger whom the Harfoot Nori Brandyfoot encountered.
The moment The Stranger appeared, a lot of fans theorize who the mysterious Meteor Man is and some even thought that he may be young Gandalf. The thought of the people speculating that Daniel Weyman's character is Gandalf has already been anticipated by showrunner Patrick McKay.
Speaking with Express.co.uk, Patrick McKay shared how he was prepared for the prediction of the fans on The Stranger and plays coy whether Weyman's character is Gandalf the Grey with his beard and cloak, “In some ways, I would say it’s not a secret. What you see is what you get.”
McKay added that the show focuses more on the journey than revealing secrets, "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."
McKay describes The Stranger based on Tolkien's lore, "This is a being who has fallen from what appears to be the stars. Stars are important to Tolkien, magic is important in Tolkien. It can be used for good or evil. You’re seeing this being, sort of, find his footing and find himself."
McKay teases the fans more about the mystery of The Stranger, “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.”
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Who is The Stranger/ Meteor Man on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power?
Well, it is not impossible that The Stranger/ Meteor Man is Gandalf but if that would be the case, the setting would not fit the lore of Tolkien. See, the Wizards or the "Maiar" are from Valinor, a Blessed Realm, granting them powers of the cosmos.
In the lore, Middle-earth witnesses the arrival of the Five Wizards, Gandalf being the last one to come, as they are to oppose Sauron. However, this is set during the Third Age. Still, it's not impossible that The Stranger may be a Wizard. The Stranger exhibited powers affecting the nature, after all.
The Stranger also struggles with his human form, something the Wizards encounter when they arrive on Middle-earth. He may, possibly, be one of the Five Wizards, maybe Gandalf but it's more likely that it's either Saruman, Radagast, Alatar, or Pallando.
The Stranger/ Meteor Man could be Radagast given that he is the one connected to nature the most and he has a magical blast, or could be either Alatar or Pallando, the Blue Wizards, since little has been known about them and the series could potentially use this to expand the narrative.
The Stranger/ Meteor Man could be Saruman, the one corrupted by Sauron. See, when he arrived, the ground resembles the eye of Sauron, could be a potential hint that he may be the Wizard that Sauron corrupted.
Find out who The Stranger/ Meteor Man is on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video.
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