- NOTE: This page is for the version of Gandalf from the Peter Jackson continuity. You may be looking for more info on his mainstream counterpart or his Ralph Bakshi counterpart.
I would use this ring from the desire to do good. But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine.Gandalf refusing to take the One Ring from Frodo Baggins.
Gandalf's most famous quote as well as one of the most iconic quotes in movie history.
YOU SHALL NOT PASS!
Gandalf the Grey, later known as Gandalf the White, is one of the two main protagonists of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth film series.
He is a very old, wise, and powerful wizard, and one of the five Maiar who entered the world of Arda at the dawn of creation before becoming the Istari. Once a member of the high order of wizards, he travels all around Middle-earth visiting friends and embarking on journeys. Being thousands of years old, he is known far and wide by all men, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and evil such as Sauron and Orcs.
He is the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor, which is said where he is to be from. During the Third Age, he guides Frodo in destroying the One Ring and participates in several battles during the War of the Ring. He offers to guide Frodo to Mordor to destroy the Ring and several comrades of all races join them, forming the Fellowship of the Ring.
He was portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen, who also portrayed Cogsworth in the 2017 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, Older Magneto in the X-Men movies, Zebedee in The Magic Roundabout, and Iorek Byrnison in the film adaptation of The Golden Compass.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Superhuman Physical Prowess: Despite his elderly visage, Gandalf, as a Maia incarnated, still holds surpassing levels of superhuman physical abilities.
- Enhanced Strength: Gandalf is far stronger than the average man, being able to grapple with and physically harm and overpower a creature as large and strong as Durin's Bane. His strength allows him to effectively wield his staff like a sword, being able to easily cut cleanly through Orcs and split a boulder with just a single swipe of it.
- Enhanced Speed and Agility: Gandalf is extremely fast and agile in combat. His speed and reflexes allowed him to effortlessly take on and defeat numerous enemies simultaneously, easily parrying and returning attacks, even slaying them before they could react, and he could pass through enemy flanks with ease. As Gandalf the White, he could easily react to projectiles, even those fired by expert marksmen.
- Enhanced Stamina: Gandalf is able to exert himself at peak capacity for prolonged periods of time without tiring.
- Enhanced Durability and Endurance: Despite his elderly body, Gandalf's resilience and durability is at inhuman levels. He could withstand numerous injuries and extended punishment and remain a fierce fighter.
- Vast Magical Powers: Gandalf has repeatedly been stated to be an extremely powerful and accomplished sorcerer, with knowledge of numerous spells.
- Illumination: A spell that produces light from Gandalf's staff, allowing him to see in dark places.
- Blinding Light: An enhanced version of Illumination that allows Gandalf to strike his foes with a blast of light resembling a magnified sunbeam. Despite dealing little to no damage, it renders his enemies blinded for a period of time.
- Commanding Voice: Gandalf can control most people with his voice, as he did with Saruman the White when he found himself being turned as if he was being dragged against his own will.
- Magical Kinesis: This spell allows Gandalf to telekinetically push back his foes with his staff, even being powerful enough to disarm his enemies in the process.
- Lightning Strike: Gandalf can summon lightning bolts from the sky, such as when he killed several goblins whilst escaping their horde. He can also channel the lightning through objects.
- Sword of Power: Gandalf can channel lightning through Glamdring to enhance its striking power, suck as when he used it to slay Durin's Bane.
- Counter-Spell: Gandalf can counter any magical spell to negate its effects. However, Gandalf's counter-spell is shown to have limits, and he can't dispel any magic more powerful than his own.
- Light of the Valar: Gandalf can cast a lightning bolt projectile at his enemies. The spell can be upgraded to light enemies ablaze (presumably with Narya) when struck, or even further to become a beam of light that passes through enemies while also setting them on fire.
- Healing (an extent): Gandalf chanted a healing spell that had woken Thorin Oakenshield after he had fallen unconscious from his fight with Azog and later healed Thráin's mind after he drove into madness. As the white wizard, Gandalf healed Pippin after he was stunned by the Palantír (An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug, The Return of the King)
- Telepathy: Gandalf can read people's minds in an attempt to access their memories. He can even control people's minds and make them complete tasks against their own will like he once did with Gimli.
- Fire: Enhanced by Narya, Gandalf can produce a magical flame of varying colors. He most notably used this where he lit pine cones ablaze which could be thrown as explosive projectiles. As Gandalf can produce green, red, or blue flames, his fires can range anywhere from 327° Celsius to 1,600° Celsius.
- Call Gwaihir: When Gandalf has to in a desperate moment of need, he whispers to a grey moth to contact Gwaihir, the lord of the eagles. When he does this, Gwaihir summons a band of large eagles to aid Gandalf in his fight.
- Call Shadowfax: Due to their special connection, Gandalf can call upon Shadowfax, the lord of all horses, and ride him as his steed.
- Shield of the Istari: To defend himself from physical or magical harm, Gandalf can produce a transparent dome around him powerful enough to temporarily hold off Sauron and Durin's Bane's attacks.
- Destructive Blast: Gandalf's most powerful spell as he is capable of raising his staff into the air and slamming it down onto the ground to cause a massive shock wave. Gandalf has control of the overall effects of the spell, being able to produce any effect from destroying a stone bridge to knocking back entire legions of orcs, destroying them in the process.
- Illumination: A spell that produces light from Gandalf's staff, allowing him to see in dark places.
Abilities
- Vast Intellect and Wisdom: Gandalf is regarded as among the wisest of the Maia. This trait effectively makes him the leader of the Fellowship, his encyclopedic knowledge of Middle-Earth and wisdom being his key trait and what ultimately lead to the defeat of Sauron.
- High Charisma: Gandalf is extremely charismatic, and has been able to use his charm to gather armies in order to thwart a seemingly unstoppable threat. During his long journeys, Gandalf was able to form lasting bonds with many influential and powerful individuals.
- Skilled Armed Fighter: Despite his profound magical powers, Gandalf makes liberal and free open usage of armed combat, preferring to use magic only when necessary, and is exceedingly skilled with both a sword and a staff, wielding both Glamdring and his Wizard Staff simultaneously in combat. He has repeatedly defeated dozens of enemies with ease, and it was even with his swordsmanship alone that Gandalf fought and slew the mighty Durlin's Bane.
Equipment
- Glamdring: Gandalf wields an elven bastard sword called Glamdring, also known as Foe-Hammer. Glamdring is light enough for Gandalf to wield it with one hand easily.
- Wizard Staffs: Gandalf always carries his wizard staff in hand. It acts as a conduit for many of Gandalf's spells and he is capable of wielding it simultaneously with the Glamdring during battle. His staff as Gandalf the Grey is made of brown wood with a jewel fixed on the top that can light upon his command and as Gandalf the White, his staff got an upgrade as it is now in white in color.
- Narya, the Ring of Fire: Gandalf wears the Ring of Fire, also known as Narya.
- Willpower Enhancement:: Narya has the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair.
- Magical Cloak: In order to hide Gandalf from others, Narya uses its power to hide him from remote observation from all but the wearer of the One Ring or powers similar to it.
- Slowed Aging: Narya grants resistance to the weariness of time itself.
- Fiery Properties: Narya grants fire resistance to Gandalf, allowing him to shrug of fiery attacks. It can also enhance his attacks with fire-based magical properties and allows Gandalf to dispel any magical flame thrown his way.
- Fireworks: As they were created and designed by Gandalf himself, he is known to have a variety of fireworks such as Squibs, crackers, backarappers, sparklers, torches, Dwarf candles, Elf fountains, Goblin barkers, a flash of birds, green trees that transformed into possibly Mallorn trees, and a red and gold dragon. The wizard occasionally uses them in combat to stun his opponents for an extended period of time.
Quotes
A Wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins… nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.Gandalf the Grey.
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all endsGandalf to Frodo, about that not always dealing out death to his enemies.
All we have to decide is what to do in the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case, you also were meant to have it and that is an encouraging thought.Gandalf to Frodo.
You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor! The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn! Go back to the Shadow!Gandalf holding back the Balrog from killing the Fellowship.
The Grey Pilgrim, that's what they used to call me.Gandalf the White looking back at one of his past monikers.
Legolas: Forgive me. I mistook you for Saruman.
Gandalf: I am Saruman. Or rather Saruman as he should have been.
Aragorn: You fell.
Gandalf: Through fire... and water. (recalls on how he struck down Durin's Bane once and for all).From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth... Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountain side... Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time... The stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life age of the earth... But it was not the end. I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done
Aragorn: Gandalf...
Gandalf: Gandalf?
Aragorn: Yes.
Gandalf: That was what they used to call me.
Aragorn: (nods)
Gandalf: Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
Gimli: Gandalf.
Gandalf: (finally comes up with how he best addressed as after his rebirth) I am Gandalf the White. And I come back to you know at the turn of the tide.Gandalf reunites with Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas as Gandalf the White.
Gandalf: The veiling shadow that glowers in the East takes shape. Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dur his eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt ever gnaws at him. The rumor has reached him. The heir of Numenor still lives. Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become. And so he will strike hard and fast at the world of Men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming. Rohan must defend itself, and therein lies our first challenge, for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The King's mind is enslaved; it's an old device of Saruman's. His hold over King Theoden is now very strong. Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose. But, for all their cunning, we have one advantage. The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams. And so the weapon of the Enemy is moving towards Mordor in the hands of a Hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom. We must trust now in Frodo. Everything depends now upon speed and upon the secrecy of his quest. Do not regret your decision to leave him. Frodo must finish this task alone.
Aragorn: He's not alone. Sam went with him.
Gandalf: Did he? Did he indeed? Good. Yes, very good.Gandalf the White regarding how Fellowship of the Ring must continue its mission to save Middle-Earth as splinter groups from now on, and relief that Frodo still has Sam as his companion.
End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it. White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.Gandalf to Pippin, about death.
Trivia
- The Witch-king of Angmar does not break Gandalf's staff in the novel The Lord of the Rings, nor does he do it in the theatrical version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He only does so in the latter's Extended Edition.
- Unlike in books, Gandalf casts magic rather sparingly, more than often engages his enemies through physical combat and outwitting them at the same time. The reason of this was due to Peter Jackson's preference of subtler, less overtly fashioned display of magic in general, finding the idea of him and his fellow Maia hurling fireballs and conjuring lightning akin to stereotypical wizards being too much.
- Before Iam Mckellen was cast, Patrick Stewart and the late Sean Connery were considered to play Gandalf.
External Links
- Gandalf on the Pure Good Wiki
- Gandalf on Wikipedia
- Gandalf on the Lord of the Rings Wiki
- Gandalf on the Tolkien Gateway
