In One Scene, Prime Video Officially Rewrites Gandalf’s Mission in Lord of the Rings

Published Nov 11, 2026, 6:00 AM EST Gandalf isn’t just an old man, he’s a divine guardian How Rings of Power season 3 redefines the purpose of Tolkien’s wizards Image: New Line Cinema By the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, Gandalf (Daniel Weyman) had chosen his name and wizard staff and found a mentor in the enigmatic Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear). Season 3 picks up five years later, and Gandalf has spent that time vexing the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds) and his forces in Rhûn. Gandalf sees the Dark Wizard as a dangerous foe, but their relationship is more complicated. Here’s what you need to know about the two wizards, and how they fit into J.R.R. Tolkien’s complex cosmology. This article contains spoilers for the first three episodes of season 3 of The Rings of Power What are wizards in The Lord of the Rings? Image: Prime Video Tolkien’s wizards aren’t just old men who wield magical power. They are Maiar, primordial spirits who serve the Valar, the divine beings that helped Eru Ilúvatar create the world. Sauron is a fallen Maia who served the rebel Vala Morgoth. The five Istari are Maiar sent in the form of old Men to Middle-earth to stop Sauron. They became known as wizards, and their members include Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast. Those are the only three wizards mentioned by name in The Lord of the Rings, but Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales mentions there were two more who were sent to the East: Pallando and Alatar. In season 3, episode 3, it’s revealed that the Dark Wizard is Pallando. He wanted more than to serve the Valar, so he killed Alatar, an act so evil it turned Rhûn into a desert. Pallando clearly has regrets as he’s trying to regrow the Tears of the Valar lilies that used to cover Rhûn. He hopes that he can make the land green again using one of Sauron’s rings. “There’s a moment in the third episode, when Gandalf has infiltrated the Dark Wizard’s temple, and he sees Pallando sitting on the throne looking very forlorn,” series co-creator Patrick McKay told Polygon in a recent video interview. “That one shot, and that one moment from Ciarán Hinds, will lend a realism and a depth to that character that we as an audience were craving. Gandalf notices it, and I think the audience will notice it, too. Even in a story with all this magic and all this wonder, one good actor giving one good performance in one shot can speak volumes.” What is the Secret Fire? Photo: Ben Rothstein/Prime Video The Dark Wizard’s servants fear Gandalf, who they say draws his power from the Secret Fire itself. Gandalf thinks that defeating the Dark Wizard is key to saving Middle-earth, since it will keep the armies of Rhûn from joining Sauron. Tom is skeptical that Gandalf is meant to defeat him, and the exasperated wizard leaves Tom’s hut to go catch a rabbit for stew. He then has a vision of the Secret Fire speaking to him, a moment McKay said is inspired by Moses and the Burning Bush. The Secret Fire is the power that Eru Ilúvatar used to create the world, a force that burns within all sentient beings. Eru is Tolkien’s name for God, while the Secret Fire represents the Holy Spirit. When Gandalf faces the Balrog – a fallen Maia serving Morgoth – in Khazad-dûm in The Fellowship of the Ring, he shouts, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire.” Image: New Line Cinema The Fire address Gandalf as Olórin, the name he was given as a Maiar before he came to Middle-earth and adopted the name Gandalf. It also calls him Mithrandir, his name among the Elves, which means the Grey Pilgrim. The Secret Fire then explains that Gandalf isn’t meant to defeat the Dark Wizard but to redeem him, because only together can they save Middle-earth. Pallando needs the help. He hoped to get one of the nine rings for mortal men by sending emissaries to Sauron to accept his alliance with Rhûn. However, Sauron killed the most loyal of the Dark Wizard’s servants and encouraged the others to fight amongst themselves to claim a ring. Khamûl the Easterling (Zubin Varla) was the winner, and donning a ring freed him from the Dark Wizard’s flesh-warping curse. He returned to Rhûn a Nazgnagôl, challenging the Dark Wizard for his throne and ordering that he march his armies to Mordor. The Dark Wizard has effectively already been defeated, but if Gandalf can get him to see the light, they might be able to keep Sauron from getting even stronger.