Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power spoilers follow.
Middle-earth is a busy place. From the Elves and the Orcs to the Hobbits and the Harfoots, there's a lot of people to keep track of in Lord of the Rings. And now that Rings of Power is taking us thousands of years before the original movie trilogy, fans are being introduced to a whole host of new characters, as well as returning oldies like Elrond and Galadriel.
But there's one character in particular who's raising more than just a few bushy eyebrows. Ever since he first fell to Middle-earth in an early trailer, fans have been wondering who the mysterious "Meteor Man" might be.
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Played by Daniel Weyman, "the Stranger" (as he's credited) appears to us first as a naked, bearded man in the burning crater of said meteor. Diehard fans of the books haven't been able to explain the surprise occurrence of a Second Age meteor strike though, and there are no obvious parallels to characters in the source material either.
The closest they've come is to a poem written by JRR Tolkien called 'The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon' but even this fails to shed much light on the subject.
So is this a brand new character? Or could the Meteor Man actually be someone we've already met before? The first two episodes don't reveal an answer just yet, but there are plenty of hints which suggest that Mr Meteor is definitely a familiar, bearded face...
Is Sauron the Meteor Man?
We've known for some time that The Rings of Power is all about Sauron's return following his crushing defeat at the hands of his master, Morgoth. In the books, Sauron remained hidden in Middle-earth for a while after the First Age ended until he eventually resurfaced as "Annatar", a supposed friend to the Elves who went on to betray them in classic Saury fashion.
But what if Sauron did more than just impersonate an Elf? What if he planned this surprise meteor shower as a way to trick and deceive the inhabitants of Middle-earth?
In the promo posters, this "Stranger" can be seen holding an apple, which practically screams betrayal to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Bible. The way Meteor Man magically wields fire also hints that he's not the innocent naked guy he makes himself out to be. In fact, he even wakes up in the meteor crash site surrounded by what looks like the Eye of Sauron...
But wouldn't this be too obvious? The Rings of Power must be a bit smarter than that, surely?
Is Gandalf the Meteor Man?
Gandalf, like all good wizards, first arrived in Middle-earth on a boat, offering to fight off Sauron's power in the Third Age. But what if everything we knew about Mr Grey was wrong? What if he actually appeared far earlier in the form of a naked man who forgot how to shave?
As Tolkienites might already know, Gandalf hasn't always been "Gandalf". Before he got friendly with the Hobbits, this charming wizard was an primordial Maia spirit – like an angel, basically – that lived in Valinor. Gandalf, or Olórin, as he was known then, was always curious about the denizens of Middle-earth, so could he have visited a few thousand years earlier in a different guise?
Gandalf was aligned to fire, and it's obvious that this Meteor Man shares that same affinity for the hot stuff. Plus, Gandalf is kind of a big deal, so it makes sense that the writers might try and shoehorn him in, regardless of whether there's any precedent for that in the source material.
However, the Maiar weren't exactly known for being showy, so it feels out of character for one to arrive via flaming meteor. Unless, this particular Maia didn't choose to fly through the skies in a meteor, and that might be true regardless of whether this particular character is Gandalf or not. It's also worth noting that Olórin wasn't exactly keen to fight Sauron in the Third Age, so there's a potential inconsistency there too.
Is another wizard the Meteor Man?
If the reasons listed above have convinced you Gandalf can't be the Meteor Man, that doesn't mean he can't be another wizard instead. Familiar faces like Curumo and Aiwendil are possible candidates as their Maiar backstories are definitely vague enough to accommodate a new chapter like this.
Whether they've been sent to help fight Sauron or simply deliver a message from Valinor, this unknown wizard is clearly of great importance. However, the Meteor Man's affinity with fire does rule out some of these aforementioned characters. If this theory is true, then it seems most likely that a blue wizard is involved here, or perhaps even the original Istari who preceded Gandalf and co.
Whatever the case might be, a lesser-known wizard is probably a much safer bet than Gandalf where canon is concerned.
Is Eru Ilúvatar the Meteor Man?
But maybe we're thinking too small. The Meteor Man's grand entrance is certainly impressive enough to suggest that his true identity might belong to an even greater power than wizards like Gandalf.
What if the "Stranger" is actually God himself? Or, at least Tolkien's version of God.
Now, hear us out. Eru Ilúvatar, as he's known in Middle-earth, has popped up before a few times throughout Lord of the Rings lore. In the Second Age, the deity destroyed Númenor after Sauron turned everyone against the Valar and it's believed that he's responsible for some other key events too, including Gandalf's transformation into Gandalf the White, and perhaps even when Gollum tripped, throwing the One Ring into Mount Doom.
This idea of "God" taking human form to encourage people to rise up against Sauron isn't as far-fetched as you might think. The Stranger's celestial arrival certainly fits with that, plus the biblical connotations of that apple in his promo poster also hint at something biblical. If true, that means the Meteor Man could be here to help fight against Sauron rather than setting Middle-earth ablaze.
What does Daniel Weyman have to say?
Everyone involved in Rings of Power is obviously being quite cagey around the Meteor Man's identity, but if clues are to be found anywhere, it's in quotes from the man himself, Daniel Weyman.
During a recent chat with Screenrant at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, "The Stranger" actor said the following:
"They were pretty clear at the beginning that what they were bringing me was a character who had, at his core, a really deep and primal purpose. He had a need to accomplish something; he had a desire to accomplish this thing. Once I began to tap into that, and feel that deep in the core, then other things flowed out of that."
But what could that "really deep and primal purpose" be?
"I think, for me, that was really important," Weyman continued.
"Whether that was costume, or hair and makeup, or dialect and movement - all those things flowed from that very primal, guttural sense of, 'I know what I need to do here. I know what I'm here for.' And that's a joy to have as an actor, because there are some characters who never really know what their purpose is. They never really know what their desires are."
So clearly, Daniel knows more than he's letting on. But we'll find out more, eventually, even if it does end up taking longer than we might like:
"As much as we don't know about him, I think what we're going to do — if we can stay with him — is to see that the way that he impacts communities around him is going to be dramatic. We are going to learn and learn and learn, and finding out what exactly is going on might not be so quick."
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power airs weekly on Amazon Prime Video from September 2, 2022.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
