“There’s no such thing, really, as canon in Tolkien”: A Lord of the Rings expert explains why *that* major reveal in The Rings of Power doesn’t break Middle-earth canon

The Rings of Power season 2, episode 8 was packed with major events – including one, huge reveal about the Stranger. Now, the following will contain spoilers for the season 2 finale, so turn back now if you’re not up to date! 

Towards the end of the episode, the Stranger, who had so far been nameless, decides to take on the name Gandalf, after his Stoor friends take to calling him “grand elf.” Yep, the Stranger has indeed been Gandalf the Grey all along. 

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material, though, Gandalf didn’t come to Middle-earth until the Third Age to assist in the struggle against Sauron. The Rings of Power is set during the Second Age, long before Gandalf is ‘supposed’ to arrive. But, as one expert has explained, it’s really not that big of a deal.

“First thing to specify is that there’s no such thing, really, as canon in Tolkien,” Dr. Corey Olsen, The Tolkien Professor/President at Signum University, explained in an discussion shared by The Rings of Power Twitter account. “Tolkien’s ideas were ever evolving.”

“In the text of The Lord of the Rings, we’re told that Gandalf with the other Wizards arrived at around year 1000 of the Third Age,” Olsen added. “And in his later years, he was playing with the idea of maybe Gandalf coming sooner, maybe some of the Wizards coming in the Second Age and taking part in the wars of the Rings of Power.”

Elsewhere in the finale, it also seemed that the Dark Wizard would turn out to be Saruman – though the showrunners have already debunked this particular theory. 

While you wait for The Rings of Power season 3, check out our The Rings of Power season 2 review for our verdict on the latest episodes.