The Rings of Power Season 3 Reimagines Gandalf

For two seasons of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Gandalf, played by Daniel Weyman, did not know who he was. Known as the Stranger, he wandered Middle-earth for years, struggling to understand his powers and the forces that brought him there. After being called “Grand Elf” at the end of season 2, he is ready to take on the challenge ahead.

“He’s been trying to understand what it really means to be a true wizard and what his calling is, and I think he’s understanding that now,” Weyman says in a Prime Video featurette released ahead of season 3. “What he wants to do is live his life so that the good in Middle-earth can flourish.”

Gandalf’s greatest strength has always been his ability to recognize goodness in others, inspire courage and give ordinary people confidence to accomplish extraordinary things. After a five-year time jump following season 2, Weyman’s character is beginning to resemble the Gandalf the Grey audiences know from The Lord of the Rings.

Weyman told Polygon that Gandalf’s time with Tom Bombadil between seasons has changed how he understands power.

Gandalf’s greatest power isn’t magic

“I think there’s a softer power to Gandalf now,” Weyman told Polygon. “He’s not so eager to control everything and is more willing to understand that his journey is about being present with people, seeing their goodness, and reflecting it back to them.”

Gandalf’s relationships with halflings show that quality, from Elanor “Nori” Brandyfoot to Frodo Baggins nearly 5,000 years later. He recognizes their potential and inspires them to act heroically. His faith in their courage and compassion proves more important to the fate of the world than any spell he might cast.

After training with Tom Bombadil, Gandalf is learning the wisdom and restraint that will eventually define him, rather than becoming a more accomplished magician.

His appearance has changed, too. In the Amazon featurette, Weyman notes that Gandalf’s hair and beard have grown, his costume has changed and he now carries his staff constantly. The Stranger often walked with a slight hunch, but Gandalf now stands upright with greater confidence.

“Just the way that he moves and the way he sits in his being is different,” Weyman says. “He’s now got the staff continuously with him. I feel it has taken on a sort of friendship role.”

The distinction is subtle, even in the original trilogy. While Sauron seeks control over all of Middle-earth, a wizard’s mission is to guide others without controlling the outcome. “He understands that all he can do is his best and that the outcome is not necessarily his to determine,” Weyman says.

The Rings of Power co-creator Patrick McKay also sees season 3 as a turning point for Gandalf.

“He’s a wizard now, and that changes the equation,” McKay said in the featurette. “He’s playing the same character, but in such a different stage of his life.” Coming to terms with a life that lasts many thousands of years is a major part of Gandalf’s journey this season.

Gandalf’s purpose faces a test

Gandalf’s approach is rooted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology. He is one of the Istari, powerful spirits sent to Middle-earth to help its people resist Sauron. Although the wizards can use magic, their mission is to guide, advise and encourage others to stand against evil rather than confront enemies like Sauron directly.

The wizards, essentially angels bound to mortal flesh, are also susceptible to flaws such as hubris and distraction. Saruman becomes obsessed with gaining power, convinced that he must rival Sauron’s strength to defeat him. Radagast largely neglects men, elves and dwarves in favor of squirrels, birds and raccoons. Until now, the two remaining wizards have been a mystery lost to time, leaving Gandalf as the one wizard mostly carrying out his mission.

Season 3 continues Gandalf’s complicated relationship with the dark wizard Pallando, played by Ciarán Hinds. Pallando has been associated with the eastern lands of Rhûn, and his history with Gandalf appears to reach back further than either initially understood.

“Gandalf realizes they have history, and it’s gotten lost in the mist of time about who they are, what their mission is,” Hinds says in Amazon’s featurette.

That forgotten history gives Gandalf a chance to put his philosophy into practice. As Weyman puts it, his mission will “start with winning your old friend back.” Rather than defeat Pallando for straying from the right path, Gandalf wants to help him find his way back.

Asked about Gandalf’s goals this season, Weyman told Polygon they are “to see the goodness in others” and “rekindle hearts that have gone cold.” Pallando is the first of many. McKay describes their conflict as more “esoteric” than the wizard duel between Gandalf and Saruman in Lord of the Rings.

Their relationship reinforces a Tolkien theme about power: wisdom comes with recognizing that even a powerful person cannot make someone else choose goodness.

After two seasons searching for his identity, Gandalf has a clearer understanding of his calling. Season 3 will explore whether he can inspire others to become the people they are meant to be and how they might stand against the evil growing in Middle-earth.

Source: Polygon