Rings of Power bosses confirm The Stranger's identity will be revealed in season 2
Is Daniel Weyman's character really Gandalf the Grey?
As The Rings of Power returns for its second season, Middle-earth has descended into chaos after it was revealed that Halbrand, the 'missing prince of the Southlands', was actually the antagonist Sauron.
Nevertheless, there is still one major character whose identity is yet to be revealed - The Stranger.
In the first season, the mysterious character fell from the sky with no memories of his identity or purpose. He befriended the Harfoots and discovered that he was an Istar - meaning "wise one" or "wizard".
Social media was ablaze with fan theories about the true identity of The Stranger as all the clues point towards Gandalf the Grey.
Speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Rings of Power showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, were tight-lipped about whether these rumours were true but teased that all will be revealed this season.
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"What this season is about for this character is a journey of self-discovery. He's learnt that he's a wizard but he doesn’t really know how to control his powers yet and he doesn't know how he's supposed to use them or who he's supposed to fight," said Payne.
"You're going on the same journey that he is. The 'who?' is part of it, but that's not the entire sundae, that's the cherry on top. But it will be answered this season."
Read more:
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Playing The Stranger is Daniel Weyman, who admitted that he is humbled by the intrigue and theories surrounding his character.
"What I've loved about the people that watched the show and know Tolkien is that they've used things that are dear to them to come up with really good explanations about why The Stranger might be [a certain] character," said Daniel.
"It’s always humbling when you hear people that hold the story that dear and have that knowledge about it. I'm just a custodian of a storyline to a massive story."
Nevertheless, he asserted that The Stranger's true identity isn't crucial to understanding the character because "the audience knows him pretty well already, whatever his name ends up being".
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Whoever The Stranger is, he's in for an eventful season as he joins the Harfoot Nori on a journey through the harsh desert region of Rhûn.
The season starts positively for the pair as they set off on a journey of self-discovery, hoping to learn more about their purpose.
"Very quickly, things start to go wrong," Weyman added. "Whether that's the landscape working against them - food, water and heat. Or whether it's the impending darkness that is gradually closing around all of Middle-earth. Suddenly, they get to a place where they are forced to solve problems that are outside of The Stranger's scope.
"The Stranger's job is to navigate all the different choices he has got and work out the path that he needs to follow."
The Rings of Power season 2 will launch on Prime Video on 29th August – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.
If you’re looking for something else to watch in the meantime, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Fantasy hub. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
