Dark Wizard

The Dark Wizard in The Rings of Power
Maia
Dark Wizard
Biographical Information
Location	Caras Gaer, Rhûn
Birth	Timeless Halls
Physical Description
Hair colour	Black and white
Eye colour	Hazel
Clothing	Robe
Weaponry	Staff
Gallery	Images of the Dark Wizard

The Dark Wizard was a mysterious sorcerer who dwelt in Rhûn during the late Second Age. The Dark Wizard was invented for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power by Amazon Studios, where he is portrayed by Ciarán Hinds. In an interview, the showrunners confirmed that the Dark Wizard is not Saruman.

History

After having arrived from Aman as an apparent Istar, the mysterious Dark Wizard traveled to Rhûn, where he encountered Tom Bombadil. He apprenticed under Tom and, after obtaining a staff, claimed Caras Gaer in western Rhûn as the location of his stronghold. He then accepted a group of mysterious robed acolytes into his service.

The meteoric arrival of the Stranger drew the attention of the Dark Wizard, who believed he may be the newly returned Sauron. He sent a dispatch of three of his acolytes west to search for him and return him to Caras Gaer. The acolytes managed to find the Stranger, but learned that he was not Sauron but was instead "the Istar." After a brief encounter, they were soon banished by the Stranger's powerful magic.

At Caras Gaer, the Dark Wizard employed his sorcery to cause the Dweller to return and subsequently admonished her for having failed to capture the Stranger. He changed his approach to capturing the Istar and instead sent the Gaudrim Brânk and his riders in pursuit of him. Brânk subsequently failed in capturing the Stranger. The Dark Wizard instructed him to instead pursue Poppy and Nori and went to find the Stranger himself.

The Dark Wizard soon found the Stranger in a nearby Stoor village. He saved the captive Nori and Poppy by casting a spell that pushed Brânk into a wall, appearing to kill him. The Dark Wizard greeted the Stranger as "old friend" and claimed that Manwë had foretold his arrival. Seeing the Dark Wizard's aptitude for violence, the Stranger questioned whether he was in league with Sauron. The Dark Wizard assured him that this was not the case, but that he desired to supplant Sauron with the Stranger's help. The Stranger refused the Dark Wizard's attempt at forging an alliance.

The Dark Wizard grew angry and cast a spell which lifted and subsequently dropped many large rocks from the cliffs surrounding the canyon abode of the Stoors. Many of these rocks fell and caused a great deal of damage to the Stoor village, but the Stranger was able to suspend the remaining falling rocks with a counter-spell, saving the lives of the villagers and his Harfoot friends. Having failed in his objective to enlist the Stranger's help, the Dark Wizard returned to his stronghold in Caras Gaer.