In the Lord of the Rings, there are five powerful wizards who use their powers to maintain order in Middle-earth. In our ranking, we pit them against each other to determine who is the strongest – both in the books and in the films.
How was the ranking created? In the Lord of the Rings, there are several beings who wield magic, but only five of them are considered true wizards. That is why our ranking excludes characters like Galadriel or Sauron.
The five wizards, known as the “Istari”, were sent to Middle-earth to combat the evil forces of Sauron. They were required to appear in their human forms as they were actually shape-shifters and belonged to the Maiar, beings older than the world itself.
We will explain below who among them is the strongest. Please note that this is the author’s opinion. If yours differs, feel free to share it in the comments.
5th & 4th Place: Alatar and Pallando the Blue
The last two places are shared by two familiar figures. Alatar and Pallando the Blue are evenly matched and completed a significant part of their mission in Middle-earth together. In fact, not much is known about the two wizards. They are barely mentioned in Tolkien’s work, and consequently, the stories about their abilities are quite mysterious.
According to Tolkien, Alatar and Pallando accompanied Saruman to the east of Middle-earth. In the lands occupied by Sauron, they were supposed to support peoples rebelling against evil. Tolkien himself believed that the mission failed (via lotr.fandom.com). Only Saruman returned in the end.
Nevertheless, the power and influence of Alatar and Pallando should not be underestimated. Their efforts prevented a massive force from going to war against the free peoples. The dwarf Gimli also played an important role in this regard.
