The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has brought a Dark Wizard and new leagues of villains to Rhûn—so who are they, and what does this mean for the ongoing story of the Second Age? This new wizard is something of a mystery since there’s so far no clear indication of how he lines up with Tolkien canon. Rhûn, in general, is a somewhat under-explored region of Middle-earth, so the Stranger’s journey there with Nori is brand new territory for a Lord of the Rings screen adaptation.

Rings of Power season 2, episode 2, “Where the Stars are Strange,” sees the Stranger, Nori, and Poppy finally arrive in Rhûn, and things quickly begin to fall apart there. The same group of cultists responsible for sending the acolytes in season 1 appeared, led by an ominous wizard with seemingly dark intentions. The magical character, played by Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), is going to great lengths to capture the Stranger before he masters this Istari powers. Aside from this, we can only make educated guesses about the Rhûn villain and his followers.

Is That A Wizard Ruling Over Rhûn In The Rings Of Power Season 2?

Rings Of Power Season 2 Introduces The “Dark Wizard”

Prime Video has officially dubbed Hinds’ character “Dark Wizard,” confirming that this new villain really is an evil version of Lord of the Rings‘ conjurors of tricks. His status as a wizard is further supported by his staff and long beard, which are typical features of these Middle-earth beings. Of course, this is a little confusing since there were only five wizards (or Istari) in Tolkien canon. The Stranger has been all but confirmed to be Gandalf, the most well-known wizard of Lord of the Rings, but who is this Dark Wizard?

The best clue we have regarding the Dark Wizard’s true identity is the region over which he seems to rule. Three wizards notably traveled through Rhûn in Middle-earth’s history—the two Blue Wizards and Saruman. Since Pallando and Alatar (the Blue Wizards) came to Middle-earth in the Second Age, it seems most likely that Hinds’ Dark Wizard is one of these two. However, since Saruman arrived during the Third Age at the same time as Gandalf, and Rings of Power seems to have already thrown this timeline out the window, there’s always a chance the Dark Wizard is an early version of the White Wizard.

How Magic In Rhûn Changes Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings Mythology

Rings Of Power Continues To Shift The Timeline

Tolkien never said anything about Rhûn being particularly magical, which makes the state that the Stranger, Nori, and Poppy find the place pretty surprising. According to Tolkien canon, this is where Sauron’s spirit fled following the Last Alliance of Elves and Men at the end of the Second Age, but this hasn’t happened yet during the events of Rings of Power. So, magic couldn’t have been inspired by the Dark Lord himself. However, there is some vague indication in Tolkien’s works that magic might have begun to spread in Rhûn during the Second Age.

Either Prime Video moved the Blue Wizards’ cults up significantly in the timeline, or the nature of Rhûn has been changed entirely for Rings of Power.

Tolkien gave contradictory accounts of what happened to the Blue Wizards, but one version included the pair establishing cults in Rhûn that encouraged their own worship and taught the beings there to use magic. This isn’t supposed to happen until somewhere around the end of the Second Age and the beginning of the Third, but Rings of Power makes it seem that the Dark Wizard’s magical influence has been going on for many years. So, either Prime Video moved the Blue Wizards’ cults up significantly in the timeline, or the nature of Rhûn has been changed entirely for Rings of Power.

Tolkien alternatively revealed that the Blue Wizards were successful in turning some tribes of Men away from Sauron, an action that had a significant impact on the Dark Lord’s downfall.

The Men From Rhûn Are Easterlings

The Easterlings’ Stories Extends Across All Middle-Earth’s Ages

Image via Prime Video

The Men in Rhûn are a little easier to define than Rings of Power‘s Dark Wizard since their history is outlined in Tolkien’s works. Typically called the Easterlings, the Men of this region had been there for centuries upon centuries, assumedly descended from the first Men who woke up in Hildórien. Since the East is where Morgoth dwelled for much of the early years of Middle-earth’s existence, those who remained here (rather than migrating west) typically served and worshiped the Dark Lord. This continued past Morgoth’s downfall when the Easterlings turned their loyalty to Sauron.

The Easterlings continued to serve the forces of evil through every Age of Middle-earth, and they are seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy fighting for Mordor (these were the Men with masks and Oliphaunts). So, it’s no surprise that they are seen offering their services to the Dark Wizard in Rings of Power season 2. It’s heavily implied that this magical leader is on Sauron’s side, so the Easterlings would be his natural allies.

How The Rings Of Power’s Acolytes Are Connected To Rhûn’s New Villain

The Season 1 Acolytes Were Reporting To The Dark Wizard All Along

The Rings of Power introduced the acolytes early in season 1, with the three Mystics, the Dweller, the Nomad, and the Ascetic, journeying across Middle-earth in search of Sauron. At first, they think the Stranger is the Dark Lord, and they present themselves ready to serve him and get him back to power. However, when they realized that he was instead an Istar, everything changed. The Stranger turned them into moths but considered their words clues regarding where he needed to go next. Of course, this has led him into the Dark Wizards realm in Rings of Power season 2.

In season 2, episode 2, the Dark Wizard used the blood of one of his followers to reconstitute the moths into the Dweller, who promptly reports on the real Sauron’s activities before being questioned about the wandering Istar. It’s clear that this acolyte had been acting on the Dark Wizard’s orders from the very beginning, and the Dweller bowing to this new Rings of Power villain further supports the idea that he isn’t just the leader of a cult supporting Sauron but the object of their worship himself. Of course, there is still a lot to learn regarding the goings-on of Rhûn—surely further episodes will come with more answers.