The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 revealed new characters ripped straight from J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, but the true identity of one particular wizard remains unclear. To the delight of many, the finale recently revealed the real name of the Stranger (Daniel Weyman), who turned out to be exactly what many thought he was. However, the Dark Wizard, played by Ciarán Hinds, is still a mysterious force in The Rings of Power whose exact name remains unclear. The creators behind the show have addressed his true identity, and whether he could be the iconic villain from The Lord of the Rings movies — Saruman.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, The Rings of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne spoke quite plainly regarding the popular fan theory that the Dark Wizard is actually Saruman, who was portrayed by the late Christopher Lee in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. The speculation makes a good amount of sense, as Hinds’ character resembles a younger Saruman and is one of five possible wizards present in Middle-earth (except for Gandalf, of course). However, the creators behind The Rings of Power have poured water on that theory, heavily implying that the Dark Wizard can’t possibly be Saruman.

Patrick McKay : “No, no, I’ll say something on the record. Given the history of Middle-earth, it would be highly, highly, highly improbable that this could be Saruman.”

J.D. Payne: “If not impossible.”

Patrick McKay: “The Dark Wizard has an important role to play in the doings of Middle-earth, and in the development of our wizard, who’s now coming into his own. Tom Bombadil has told him, ‘You’re destined to face him. And then destined to face Sauron.’ So the Dark Wizard’s fate is not decided and his name is not out there yet, but it would almost defy the laws of gravity and physics for it to be Saruman.”

J.D. Payne: “There’s Radagast the Brown and then there’s two blue wizards—and that’s all we’ll say.”

Let’s be honest — it’s pretty funny that the Dark Wizard clearly evokes the image of Saruman (he also calls Gandalf an “old friend”), but the showrunners are adamant that it isn’t him. Still, it is exciting to know that The Rings of Power won’t just be one big origin story for iconic Lord of the Rings characters. The series digs deep into J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore, expanding upon it to tell the much-unknown history of the Second Age.

So, Who Exactly Could The Dark Wizard Be?

Since there can only be five possible names for the Dark Wizard, narrowing down the possibilities is not very difficult, especially since Saruman and Gandalf are off the table. As J.D. Payne alludes to, the three main options are Radagast the Brown and the two blue wizards, who are all sent by the Valar to aid in Middle-earth’s battle against Sauron. Radagast briefly appeared in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, played by Sylvester McCoy, but he is quite different from Hinds’ mysterious character. It’s unclear if every one of those magicians will appear in The Rings of Power, but if the Dark Wizard is one of the blue wizards, Alatar or Pallando, the show will break new ground for Tolkien-based live-action media.

While it would be interesting to see the Dark Wizard turn into the much different Radagast the Brown, it certainly seems that Hinds playing a blue wizard is the most likely outcome. The Rings of Power is intent on filling in the blanks of Tolkien’s admittedly limited and contradictory framework when it comes to the Second Age, and next to nothing is known about the Alatar or Pallando. This allows them to bring about a wholly original wizard they can call their own. Even though he seems like Saruman, perhaps audiences will get to experience something truly new about The Lord of the Rings universe.