The Rings of Power season 2 hinted that the other wizards of the Istari Order could appear in the show’s future. As of The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, two wizards are positioned as having big roles in upcoming installments of the Prime Video show. On the side of good, there is the wizard formerly known as The Stranger and now Gandalf, whose identity was confirmed. His counterpart is known only as the Dark Wizard, with a confrontation between the two being teased for The Rings of Power season 3’s story.

This confrontation will likely serve as one of the main plotlines for Gandalf in season 3, who is still located in the far-eastern lands of Rhûn. Away from the other potential storylines of The Rings of Power season 3, Gandalf will likely learn more about his identity now that he has his staff, with his lost memories and history as a friend to the Valar likely being explored. What makes this storyline even more enticing, however, is the hint found in The Rings of Power season 2’s ending that implied more wizards could appear in the show’s future.

The Dark Wizard Hints That The Remaining Istari Will Appear In The Rings Of Power Season 3

The Dark Wizard Talks About The Other 3 Wizards

The Rings of Power‘s Dark Wizard is the vehicle of this hint that suggests more of the Istari will appear in the show’s future. In The Rings of Power season 2’s finale, the Dark Wizard talks to Gandalf as an old friend. The Dark Wizard makes it clear that he knows who Gandalf is and that the two have a history, despite the latter not being aware of the former or his own past. It is via this conversation that the Dark Wizard hints at the other Istari from The Lord of the Rings.

The Dark Wizard mentions to Gandalf that there are five total Istari. He goes onto say that it was Gandalf who implored his fellow Istari to venture to Middle-earth as none of the wizards can defeat Sauron alone. This implies that the other wizards are either in Middle-earth or could follow in Gandalf’s and the Dark Wizard’s footsteps and go there in future seasons of the show. If so, the other three Istari could appear, marking a full appearance for Tolkien’s order of wizards in live-action.

Which Wizards The Rings Of Power Can Still Introduce

Four Wizards Are Still Unconfirmed In The Rings Of Power

With the possibility of more wizards appearing in The Rings of Power, attention will naturally turn to which others could be introduced. As of The Rings of Power season 2’s ending, only Gandalf and the Dark Wizard have been confirmed as members of the Istari. Of course, Gandalf’s identity has been confirmed thanks to his experiences with The Rings of Power‘s Stoors, yet the Dark Wizard’s remains a mystery, as does that of the three other Istari.

Lord of the Rings Wizards
Maiar/Valar Name
Color

Gandalf
Olórin
The Gray

Saruman
Curumo
The White

Radagast
Aiwendil
The Brown

Unknown
Alatar
The Blue

Unknown
Pallando
The Blue

The other four Istari known from Tolkien’s source material are Saruman the White, Radagast the Brown, and two unnamed Blue Wizards who have only been referred to as Alatar and Pallando. One of these four wizards will be confirmed as the Dark Wizard in future seasons of The Rings of Power, likely one of the Blue Wizards who were said to have ventured east – where Rhûn is located – never to return. As such, the other potential inclusions in The Rings of Power are early versions of Saruman, Radagast, and the other Blue Wizard from Tolkien’s works.

How The Five Wizards In The Rings Of Power’s Middle-earth Rewrites Canon

Rings Of Power Makes Some Slight Alterations To Tolkien’s Lore

Image via Prime Video

Although the possibility of more Istari appearing in The Rings of Power‘s future seasons is incredibly exciting, there is no denying that this reality would change the lore of Tolkien’s Legendarium. Already, Gandalf’s appearance has drawn criticism. Tolkien wrote that he and the other five Istari did not come to Middle-earth until the Third Age – thousands of years after The Rings of Power‘s Second Age timeline – when they were sent by the Valar to aid the free peoples of the world in resisting Sauron’s darkness.

Admittedly, there is one passage from Tolkien’s The Peoples of Middle-earth that hints Gandalf may have been around in the Second Age, which is likely where The Rings of Power took inspiration from. However, there are no such hints for the other four wizards, meaning their appearance in The Rings of Power would alter Tolkien’s stories fairly significantly. That said, The Rings of Power is only an adaptation, after all, and even Peter Jackson’s projects of the same ilk made changes to the original novels in favor of storytelling excitement and intriguing character work, the latter regarding the Istari.