It has taken two full seasons, but The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has finally revealed who the Stranger is (Daniel Weyman). After he fights the Dark Wizard (Ciarán Hinds), the Stoors must leave their village in Rhûn. They move west with Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards).
As they say goodbye, they call him “Grand-Elf,” which helps the Stranger realize, with Tom Bombadil (Rory Kinnear), that his true name is Gandalf. This secret was well-known, but people kept guessing until the end.
Gandalf Learning His Name Is Part of His Journey in ‘The Rings of Power’
Gandalf learning his name is an important part of his journey in The Rings of Power. Fans online argued that revealing the Stranger as Gandalf would be too obvious. However, the show did something similar in Season 1. Many people guessed that Halbrand was Sauron (Charlie Vickers).
What matters most is not how many viewers guessed it right, but the character’s journey before revealing his identity. There were many hints about the Stranger being Gandalf. The series encourages us to enjoy the story instead of trying to solve a mystery.
In Season 1, Gandalf’s story was about him finding himself and discovering his power. In Season 2, it focuses on understanding his role in Middle-earth. Learning his name is part of this process, as Tom Bombadil explains. Gandalf has a clear mission: to help defeat Sauron.
However, his character is more than just that. He is a unique wizard who knows his power and purpose, but he enjoys being in Middle-earth and values life.
He could only earn his name after understanding and being tested first. This is why Tom makes him choose between helping Nori and Poppy or searching for a staff among dead trees.
This story aligns well with who Gandalf is as one of the Istari. As the Grey Wizard, his job is to travel Middle-earth, meet people, and inspire them to resist darkness. He cannot understand this without being tested first, like he was by Tom.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
He is the Gandalf we have always known, who believes small acts of kindness and love are what truly keep darkness away. This is why he chooses to help his friends over seeking more power, which serves him well in the end and earns him his name.
In the Books, Gandalf Arrives in Middle-earth Much Later
In the books, Gandalf comes to Middle-earth much later. One reason many thought the Stranger could not be Gandalf is that The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age. According to J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium, Gandalf only arrives in Middle-earth later in the Third Age.
He is one of the Maiar sent by the Valar to help the Free Peoples of Middle-earth in their struggle against Sauron, who is beginning to stir again after losing his body in the War of the Last Alliance. He arrives with Saruman and Radagast and is welcomed by Círdan the Shipwright (Ben Daniels).
Círdan gives Gandalf Narya, his Ring of Power, thinking it will help the wizard more than it helped him. By then, Gandalf is already the Grey Wizard. Radagast is the Brown Wizard, who protects nature from Sauron’s evil, and Saruman is the White Wizard, who leads the fight against the enemy.
The two Blue Wizards, Allatar and Palando, come to Middle-earth earlier. Their mission is to travel to the eastern lands of Rhûn to weaken Sauron’s power because those people once sided with Morgoth and now support Sauron.
As different as it is from the original Tolkien lore, the Stranger not being Gandalf could not work for a very simple reason: there have been too many hints about it. In Season 1, for example, he tells Nori to “always follow your nose.”
In Season 2, the Harfoots say he needs a “gand” to harness his power, the Stoors call him “Grand-Elf,” and Tom Bombadil tells him the line about “some who die deserve to live” and mentions serving the Secret Fire. If all this had been for nothing, it would simply have been bad writing.
Despite its many deviations from the original Tolkien writings, that’s something that the series isn’t known for, since, within its own context, The Rings of Power tells a very consistent story.
Gandalf’s Role in Future Seasons Could Break New Ground in the Lore
With Gandalf being in Middle-earth around a whole age before he is supposed to, according to the books, the big question for The Rings of Power Season 3 is: what will he do?
Having finally understood who he is and what his mission is, there is still a lot of growing for him to do. He is still much younger than when he appears in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, so will he get directly involved in the fight against Sauron in the Second Age?
As always, Tolkien’s writings may provide a hint. In the Third Age, Gandalf starts as the Grey Wizard, taking over the role of White Wizard in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers after Saruman’s (Christopher Lee) fall.
Still from The Rings of Power (Credit: Prime Video)
In Unfinished Tales, though, Tolkien tells that when the Valar send the Istari to Middle-earth, they offer him the role of White Wizard, but he refuses, feeling he is not strong enough for the task and doesn’t desire power or authority. Saruman then jumps at the opportunity.
It could be that Gandalf’s arc in Season 3 is about him refusing this position entirely, tricked by the Dark Wizard, or about his growing into his role and becoming more experienced as the Grey One straight away. Whatever it is, we can’t wait to see our beloved wizard again.
Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available to stream on Prime Video.
It is hard to believe that the upcoming fourth season of Superman & Lois will also be its last on the CW. Fans have really come to love Tyler Hoechlin’s portrayal of Clark Kent and Superman. His chemistry with Elizabeth Tulloch’s Lois Lane is also undeniable.
The Kent family has faced many challenges over the years, and no challenge was greater than what we saw in Season 3. The third season of this superhero drama gave us intense metahuman assassins, created meaningful character arcs, and teased a thrilling final season that will surely leave us wanting more.
As this live-action version of the Man of Steel comes to a close, let us look back on Superman & Lois’s third season to remember where we left off.
Superman & Lois Took a Dark Turn at the End of Season 3
Season 3 was filled with many powerful twists. As Superman and Lois fought to reveal the criminal activities of Metropolis’ most notorious gang leader, Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman), Superman found himself battling a sound-based assassin.
This assassin, known to DC Comics fans as Onomatopoeia, was responsible for the deaths of many people connected to Mannheim’s Intergang operation. This included the Prime Earth’s version of John Henry Irons, also called Steel (Wolé Parks), and Smallville’s former Mayor George Dean (Eric Keenleyside), who was killed right in front of Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui).
Despite facing super-powered foes, Superman did not stay distracted for long. Eventually, Clark and Lois uncovered shocking truths about Mannheim. They found out he was hiding his wife, Peia Mannheim (Daya Vaidya), and her unique sound-based abilities.
Peia and Lois had become friends during their cancer treatments, which brought them closer together. However, the truth came out when it was discovered that Natalie Irons (Tayler Buck) had been dating Mannheim’s son, Matteo (Spence Moore II).
The fallout from Mannheim’s battle with Steel led to Mannheim’s exposure to the Department of Defense (D.O.D.), resulting in Peia’s short time in prison.
While she briefly escaped with the help of her husband and son, she later died in Superman’s arms due to complications from her own cancer diagnosis, which was made worse by her abilities. As Superman returned Peia to her family, Mannheim decided to cooperate with the D.O.D. to keep Matteo out of prison.
Things became more complicated when Mannheim confessed to a murder he committed almost two decades ago. This confession reopened an investigation that Lois had conducted years earlier.
Because of this, Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) was set free, blaming Lois for his earlier arrest, which had been based largely on evidence she presented in a Daily Planet article. Feeling that the Kent family needed to be punished, Lex made it his mission to ruin their lives just as his own had been ruined.
He began his destructive plan by targeting Superman. As the season ended, Lex unleashed a new threat against the Man of Steel, one that could actually kill him, unlike previous attempts. If viewers thought Mannheim was a threat, they had yet to see how merciless Lex Luthor could be. This version of Lex is very different from earlier portrayals of the character.
Lois Lane Continues Her Battle with Breast Cancer
Looking back at Season 3, a significant part of the story revolved around Lois Lane’s struggle with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer.
While previous seasons dealt with Jordan’s (Alex Garfin) developing powers and Jonathan’s (originally played by Jordan Elsass and now by Michael Bishop) struggles with X-Kryptonite drugs, Season 3 took a different approach by making Lois sick with something that Kryptonian technology could not cure.
While Clark cannot get cancer due to his alien biology, Lois is still vulnerable to human ailments. This season put Lois through many challenges, but it was also a powerful scheme of life and death that allowed the Kent family to grow closer and challenged both Lois and Clark’s views about their own mortality.
Lois’ breast cancer appeared unexpectedly, but thankfully it was caught fairly early. With the support of her husband and sons, Lois went through chemotherapy at Bruno Mannheim’s facility in Metropolis. While undergoing treatment, she also worked undercover as a reporter, hoping to gather information on Mannheim.
During this time, she met Peia, and the two bonded over their shared experiences with cancer. Although Peia did not survive her diagnosis and turned out to be a criminal, Lois continued to fight against her illness.
Still from Superman & Lois (Credit: CW)
After finishing chemotherapy, Lois underwent a double mastectomy and planned to follow up with a round of radiation. Although the cancer could return, Lois seemed to be in the clear for now. How Season 4 will address Lois’ health remains to be seen, but it is clear it will not ignore this important part of her life.
Lex Luthor Is Out For Vengeance Against Lois Lane and Superman
However, Lois had more problems to deal with as Season 4 approached. After Lex Luthor was released from prison at the end of Season 3, he showed up at the Kent family’s doorstep and demanded that Lois stop her journalism career.
Despite her honest mistake—since the recording that implicated Lex sounded just like him but was actually Peia using her abilities—Lex blamed Lois for missing out on the last 17 years of his daughter’s life.
Although Lex is known as a criminal mastermind, he was not responsible for the murder of Boss Moxie (Artine Tony Brown), which had led to his imprisonment for nearly two decades. It is easy to see why he is furious with Lois, but even Lex Luthor knows that he cannot harm Lois Lane without first dealing with Superman.
Right after his confrontation with Lois, Lex went back to Metropolis. There, he searched Bruno Mannheim’s underground laboratory for the Bizarro Superman, who had returned as a zombie-like creature.
Realizing that he could kill Bizarro and the creature would resurrect, he tortured, harmed, and executed Bizarro Superman for an entire month. He then released this creature to attack the Man of Steel.
While Lex only appeared in the last two episodes of Season 3, actor Michael Cudlitz was promoted to a series regular for Season 4, joining the four Kents. There is much we do not know about this version of Lex Luthor, including his past before incarceration. The final season will likely provide many answers about him.
Is “The Death of Superman” Imminent?
When Lex sends his monster to fight Superman, longtime DC Comics fans will recognize the creature. We have seen this alien beast in previous live-action portrayals, first in Smallville, then in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and eventually on SyFy’s Krypton prequel.
Still from Superman & Lois (Credit: CW)
However, Superman & Lois adds depth to Doomsday, making him a creation of Lex Luthor and a corrupted version of Superman himself. As Superman faces this monster, he tells Jordan to stay away and battles Doomsday from Smallville to Metropolis before launching into space. It becomes an epic battle that rivals anything we have seen on the big screen.
Just as the battle reaches its peak, Season 3 ends, leaving us wondering how Superman will come out on top this time—or if he will at all. From what the cast and crew have shared about the fourth and final season, it seems that the series will adapt the famous “Death of Superman” storyline, which will change the series dramatically.
Now that the entire cast, except for Lex Luthor, knows about Superman’s secret identity as Clark Kent—including Kyle Cortez/Cushing (Erik Valdez), who found out during Season 3—the loss of Superman would have a major impact on everyone involved. The last we saw Superman, he was fighting Doomsday on the moon, and the situation looked dire.
Smallville Will Seriously Change in Superman & Lois’s Final Season
Meanwhile, Smallville has a lot going on for such a small town in Kansas. Jonathan spent much of Season 3 working under Kyle at the firehouse, aiming to become a firefighter. Jon learned a lot about humility during his time there and wants to be a hero like his father.
On the other hand, Jordan has publicly revealed his superhero identity to the world and seems proud of his heroics. Meanwhile, John Henry Irons has the chance to start his Ironworks business full-time with Natalie in Metropolis.
However, this comes at a challenging time, as he has just started a romantic relationship with Smallville’s new Mayor, Lana Lang. We also see Chrissy (Sofia Hasmik) and Kyle, who are now a couple and expecting a child together.
We cannot forget that the season finale, titled “What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger,” also revealed that Luthor’s agents abducted General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh). Lex will likely use Lois’ father as leverage to force her retirement. Knowing Lex, this will not be the end of his plans.
Additionally, Jordan, who has had feelings for Sarah (Inde Navarrette) throughout the season, finally decided that they should stop being friends for the time being.
With Sarah now focused on paying off debts from a DUI incident and Jordan busy being a superhero, they do not have much time to spend together. It seems that Jordan finds it too hard to remain friends with Sarah without any romantic involvement.
With Season 4 set to premiere on October 7, it seems that the stakes will be higher than ever before. Viewers will see how the Kents deal with the fallout from their family’s struggles, as well as the impact of Lois’s cancer and Superman’s epic battle against Doomsday.
Still from Superman & Lois (Credit: CW)
Fans can also look forward to watching how characters like John Henry Irons and Natalie deal with their grief as they lose someone so important to them. If Superman does die, the world may never be the same again. There is no telling how long Superman will be absent.
Superman & Lois Is a Unique Take on the Superman Mythos
As the series reaches its final chapter, Superman & Lois has shows themes of family, duty, and heroism. While other Superman adaptations have focused on the more fantastical aspects of the character, shows themes of family, duty, and heroism.
While other Superman adaptations have focused on the more Superman & Lois has emphasized the human side of Clark Kent. The show has beautifully portrayed the struggles of balancing his responsibilities as a father and husband with his duties as Superman.
The relationships among the characters, especially between Lois and Clark, have been heartwarming and relatable, providing a refreshing take on a well-known mythos.
Furthermore, the series has been notable for its portrayal of strong female characters. Lois Lane is not just Superman’s love interest but a capable journalist fighting her own battles, both personal and professional.
Still from Superman & Lois (Credit: CW)
The representation of women in the show, including Lana Lang and Natalie Irons, highlights their strength and resilience, making them vital characters in their own right.
The Future of Superman in Other Media
While Superman & Lois may be ending, the future of Superman in other media looks promising. With numerous animated series and films in production, as well as upcoming DC films featuring Superman, the character will continue to have a significant presence in pop culture. Fans can look forward to showing new stories and interpretations of the iconic superhero.
As we prepare for the fourth and final season of Superman & Lois, it is essential to appreciate the journey this series has taken us on. From Lois Lane’s battle with cancer to Superman’s epic showdown with Lex Luthor, the show has shows profound themes that resonate with audiences.
With its final season approaching, fans will be left with a mix of emotions as they say goodbye to this unique and heartfelt portrayal of the Man of Steel and his family.
Superman & Lois is set to conclude its fourth season on the CW, following the impactful events of Season 3. The season highlighted Lois Lane’s battle with stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer, while Superman faced off against criminal mastermind Lex Luthor and powerful metahuman threats.
Still from Superman & Lois (Credit: CW)
As the Kents shows personal struggles and challenges, they confront significant changes in their lives and relationships.
The final season promises to show themes of family, heroism, and sacrifice, culminating in an epic showdown that may redefine the Superman mythos. Fans eagerly await the conclusion of this heartfelt and unique portrayal of the iconic superhero.
