In Peter Jackson’s 2002 adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gandalf the Grey returns as Gandalf the White. Gandalf, then known as the Grey, had previously been seen by his companions in The Fellowship of the Ring falling to his doom in the Mines of Moria. His return was a surprise to his cohorts as well as first-time readers and audiences. That said, Jackson did not spend more than a few minutes of screen time addressing this feat.

This quick summary was effective for how much time the movies had to address such a huge event for Gandalf’s character reasonably, but it still leaves a lot of questions. Because Tolkien’s wizards are more than simply wielders of magic, as in so many other fantasy epics, their history may have been brushed over thus far in cinematic adaptations. The glossing over of Gandalf’s transformation into Gandalf the White in the adaptation annoyed fans who wanted the rich details of Tolkien’s work. The answer lies in his resurrection.

The Istari Are Mystical Counselors Sent to Middle-earth

Five Istari Were Sent; Only Three Played Historical Roles

Unlike in the Harry Potter series, where wizards could simply be defined as magically gifted members of the human race, the wizards of Middle-earth are spiritual beings manifesting in a human-like form. Amazon’s Rings of Power heavily hints that the wizards of Middle-earth, also known as the Istari, first arrived in the Second Age. However, this could be disputed by cross-referencing with Tolkien’s works. For instance, The Lord of the Rings is set in the Third Age of Middle-earth’s timeline. There were five Istari in the Order of Wizards: Saruman the White, Gandalf the Grey, Radagast the Brown, as well as the Blue Wizards Alatar and Pallando.

Name
Arrival in Middle-Earth
Death
Resurrection
Departure from Middle-Earth

Gandalf the Grey (later White)
Approximately 1000 (Third Age)
January 25, 3019
February 14, 3019
September 21, 3021

The Istari are actually spirits known as Maiar who were involved in the shaping of the world in which Middle-earth exists (Arda). They were sent to Middle-earth as guardians and advisors of the Free Peoples to protect against the Dark Lord Sauron and his rising power. They were given express restrictions to not attempt to control their charges or match the Dark Lord in power. To do so would be to risk being ejected from Middle-earth. This would explain why Gandalf engaged directly with Sauron and why Saruman involving himself as Sauron’s ally was so sinister.

Wizards were technically some of the most powerful beings on Middle-earth, explaining why Gandalf could fight and defeat a Balrog singlehandedly. Their powers potentially even exceeded that of the Elves. The Istari were able to wield their powers through the use of their staff, but a physical implement was not always necessary to perform magic. More complicated still, they were forbidden from using their magic openly except in situations in which it was necessary. Their wisdom and reasoning skills were meant to be their foremost weapon. In many ways, Gandalf did embody a wise man first and a magical being second.

Saruman’s Treachery Necessitated Gandalf’s Transformation

He Wilfully Abandoned His White Epithet for Saruman of Many Colors

Saruman is initially the wisest and most powerful of the wizardly order, which is why Gandalf defers to him during the early parts of The Fellowship of the Ring. Tolkien describes the details of his personality and duties in Tales of Middle-earth, which was completed by his son Christopher. When it was decided to send the five Istari to Middle-earth to advise the people there of the threat of Sauron, Saruman was chosen to lead them. However, he was later afflicted with many of the same dark personality traits as Sauron, such as vanity and a willingness to deceive. He was also jealous of Gandalf, who did not initially wish to go to Middle-earth but was considered too valuable not to send. These slowly corrupted Saruman, turning him from an advisor to a would-be tyrant.

Name
Arrival in Middle-Earth
Reign in Isengard
Death

Saruman the White
Approximately 1000 (Third Age)
260 years
November 3, 3019

Saruman sensed the rise of Sauron, and at first believed that he could rule in the Dark Lord’s stead as the power behind the throne. Sauron slowly convinced him using the palantir seeing stones and manipulated Saruman into doing his will. In the novel version of The Fellowship of the Ring, he proclaims himself “Saruman of Many Colors,” reflecting his duplicitous nature and now-open betrayal. His power is effectively destroyed when the Ents take Isengard at the end of The Two Towers, and Grima Wormtongue murders him after their aborted attempt to claim the Shire at the end of The Return of the King.

Once he renounces his duties, however, Saruman is no longer the leader of the Istari on Middle-earth. And with the other three wizards — Radagast and the two Blue Wizards — more or less forgotten, Gandalf remains the only member of the order to see it through to the end. He’s granted additional abilities upon his resurrection and assumes the mantle of “White” as a reflection of his new status, especially now that Saruman has rejected the title.

Gandalf Went by Many Names During His Time in Middle-earth

He Has Names in the Haradrim, Sindarin, Quenyan, and Dwarvish Languages

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Tolkien described Gandalf as wearing “a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat.” Gandalf’s original Maia name was Olórin and only in his bodily form was he known as “Gandalf.” In the books, he first appears to help Thorin Oakenshield and his company of Dwarves reclaim their homestead in the Lonely Mountain in The Hobbit (1937).

Gandalf wanders the lands of Middle-earth as a counselor to all peoples. Because he encounters many different cultures in many lands, he collects a vast array of monikers. Among the Elves and in Gondor, he was known as “Mithrandir,” which means the “Grey Pilgrim.” Dwarves called him “Tharkûn” (Staff man). “Stormcrow” was a name given to him by King Théoden of Rohan about his association of Gandalf with times of trouble. He received his most enduring name, “Gandalf,” from the Northern Kingdom of men — Arnor.

As previously mentioned, he became Gandalf the White following a ten-day battle with the Balrog in the Mines of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring. Gandalf retells his ordeal in the text of The Two Towers: “. . . darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time, and I wandered far on roads that I will not tell . . . Naked I was sent back — for a brief time until my task is done. And naked I lay upon the mountain-top . . . There I lay staring upward while the stars wheeled over, and each day was as long as a life-age of the earth.” Gandalf essentially experienced a Christ-like resurrection — which would make sense since Tolkien himself was a devout Catholic.

Tolkien further detailed how Gandalf was recovered from the mountainside by Gwaihir, the Lord of the Eagles, on a task from the Elf queen Galadriel. He spent time healing in Lothlórien among the Elves before returning, surprising his companions Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn in Fangorn Forest. As Gandalf the White, some rules as an Istar changed for him. He could reveal more powers that he was previously only meant to use in the direst of circumstances. With Saruman having turned treacherous and the remaining Istari leaving Middle-earth or disappearing into obscurity, Gandalf was essentially granted additional allowances. This allowed him to face the Witch-king of Angmar without faltering, but it was still a tiny fraction of his Maia powers.

Gandalf Has Been Portrayed in Several Lord of the Rings Adaptations

More Than a Dozen Actors and Voice Actors Have Played the Iconic Wizard

Ian McKellen is, notably, the most well-known actor to have portrayed Gandalf. Since he first appeared as the Wizard in The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001 and reprised the role for The Hobbit films starting in 2012, he’s performed Gandalf across six films. Sean Connery famously turned down the role when Jackson was first casting The Lord of the Rings, allowing McKellen to offer his iconic performance. McKellen has even stated in interviews in the behind-the-scenes DVD extras that he based Gandalf’s voice on recordings he heard of Tolkien’s voice. In describing the differences between playing Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White, he said in interviews that he preferred playing Gandalf the Grey as he and Jackson “didn’t particularly like [Gandalf the White] as a person.”

Before Jackson’s trilogy, Gandalf appeared in animated form in Rankin/Bass studio’s The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King: A Story of Hobbits (1980). Director Ralph Bakshi also tried adapting The Lord of the Rings into two films. Actor John Huston lent his voice to the Rankin/Bass version, and William Squire performed Gandalf for Bakshi’s version. However, since Bakshi’s film was technically made with a technique called rotoscoping, in which animated sequences are produced by tracing over live actors, two actors technically played Gandalf. John A. Neris was his live-action stand-in.

Even as early as 1955, Gandalf was performed by actor Norman Shelley in a BBC radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Other notable adaptations include The Hobbit (1968), also by BBC radio, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (1979) by Mind’s Eye radio, a German serial adaptation of The Hobbit (1980). There are at least a handful of other radio adaptations spanning the 1970s to early 2000s, both UK-based and across the world. Gandalf has also made numerous appearances in video games on platforms like Microsoft Xbox, Sony PS2, and Nintendo Gamecube. Ian McKellen once again returned to voice Gandalf in the video games based on the Jackson trilogy. That said, the focus is now on The Rings of Power​​​​​​.

Gandalf’s Anachronistic Appearance & Role in The Rings of Power

He’s Played by Daniel Weyman in the Amazon Series

The Rings of Power seems to have Gandalf arriving as a mysterious Stranger interacting a great deal with the Harfoots, the Hobbit precursors from the Second Age. This is completely different from the original Gandalf, who came by boat during the Third Age and not a flaming meteor from the sky. Initially known as the Stranger, he’s unable to communicate with the Harfoots using verbal language. The Stranger and Nori Brandyfoot, his Harfoot champion, ultimately set on a journey to Rhun by the end of Season 1.

Season 2 is about the Stranger finding his staff, an important element of being a Wizard. He visits the homestead of Tom Bombadil, an overpowered character cut from the Jackson trilogy. The Stranger also faces the Dark Wizard, who captures the Stoors and his friends Nori and Poppy. When he rejects the Dark Wizard’s offer to become the next Sauron, the villain (probably Saruman) destroys the Stoors’ home canyon. After randomly taking a branch from a canyon tree, the Stranger tells Bombadil he will be known as Gandalf.

Gandalf is among the more complex and enduring characters in The Lord of the Rings. As mysterious as he is powerful, he continues to be a central character in so many tales of Middle-earth. Though he’s had some famous portrayals in film and other media, there will likely be more to come. Indeed, Tolkien created a unique and complex brand of wizard when he set out to pen his epic fantasy, and this attention to detail and nuance is what’s contributed to the continual fascination with Lord of the Rings and characters like Gandalf.