Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2.Who is the Stranger in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? Here's everything we know (and a few things we think) about Middle-earth's Meteor Man. Amazon's marketing for The Rings of Power focused heavily upon a flaming meteor streaking through the sky as characters on the ground looked up in shock (Gil-Galad, Elrond & Celebrimbor, Arondir & Bronwyn). Trailers happily revealed this object was actually a hairy, human man whose landing opens a flaming crater in the earth. Officially credited as "the Stranger" (but more commonly known as Meteor Man), this celestial visitor is played by Daniel Weyman and found by Markella Kavenagh's Nori the Harfoot.
Amazon has kept Meteor Man's true identity and purpose obscured since The Rings of Power's marketing campaign began, and even after watching episodes 1 & 2, that cloud of unknown has barely lifted. Nori (alongside her reluctant friend Samwise Gamgee Poppy Proudfellow) helps the Stranger recover after his fall, but the two young Harfoots are woefully out of their depth and have even less idea of what's going on than viewers do.
Not everything is enigma, fortunately. By the end of Amazon's double-header premiere, Meteor Man's powers, demeanor, and mission have all been touched upon. As The Rings of Power's Meteor Man mystery stands on the precipice of exploration in episode 3, here's every key detail revealed so far about the stranger from the skies, alongside some tentative predictions and theories for where this storyline is headed.
Omens Foretold The Rings Of Power's Meteor Man
The first truth The Rings of Power reveals about Meteor Man is how his coming wasn't without warning. During the very first Harfoot sequence of The Rings of Power episode 1, two hunters discuss how it's strange there's "nothing to hunt," with the more cautious of the pair exclaiming "something's wrong here." Lenny Henry's Sadoc Burrows then notes how hunters appearing out of season is a bad omen, before later watching the evening skies with a furrowed brow, accusing the stars of being out when they shouldn't be, as if they're "watching for something."
The Rings of Power seems to be suggesting the strange behavior of wolves and stars are portents for Meteor Man's arrival, almost like Middle-earth itself can perceive something Harfoots and hunters cannot. Burrows also carries around a huge, dusty tome that mentions stars, hunters and wolves in pictograph form - possibly some old Harfoot prophecy that foretells of Meteor Man's arrival. At the very least, The Rings of Power viewers can assume this bearded mumbler hasn't fallen from the sky at random, but rather as part of a grand design written by fate.
Meteor Man's Magic Powers & Memory Loss Explained
Landing in a ball of flame after streaking through the sky isn't fantasy nonsense, it's science. The fantasy nonsense part comes when Nori realizes this fire doesn't burn her. In the shock of awakening, Daniel Weyman's The Rings of Power character spins the surrounding flame and rock through the air, proving beyond doubt that he's a magical being. On the next occasion, the Stranger bends trees to loom ominously over Nori, and for his final trick, he whispers instructions to fireflies. His magic so far revolves wholly around the manipulation of nature which, combined with the aforementioned omens, could mean Meteor Man is intrinsically linked to Tolkien's Middle-earth.
The Rings of Power hints at a dark side too. When Meteor Man angrily snaps his drawing stick, Nori's father breaks his foot. The episode's back-and-forth editing makes the implication that Largo's accident was caused by magic, and the plot thickens later in The Rings of Power episode 2 when Nori notices her new friend's firefly demonstration kills the creatures immediately after their purpose is served. Not only could these sinister scenes indicate Meteor Man lacks control over his powers, it could betray a secret lack of empathy for living creatures.
Annoyingly, Meteor Man himself is more interested in drawing in dirt and eating snails than providing answers. The fallen spaceman is incapable of comprehensible speech, and has no recollection of his name or own kind. Though the memory loss was possibly triggered by his violent arrival, it's also feasible that crossing into Middle-earth required Meteor Man to forget his true nature, similar to how Gandalf and the wizards only hazily remember Valinor.
Meteor Man's Purpose: Finding The Stars
The final moments of The Rings of Power episode 2 offer an idea of Meteor Man's purpose, as he uses Nori and Poppy's firefly lanterns to draw constellations in the night sky. Nori correctly guesses that Meteor Man is looking for these particular stars (which were probably also the same shapes sketched into the dirt earlier). Predictably, The Rings of Power isn't making Nori's new mission easy, since she doesn't actually recognize the stars her oversized friend is seeking.
Maybe Meteor Man's constellation can only be viewed from a specific place in Middle-earth. Alternatively, the constellations may hail from centuries past - stars that have since burned out and that a young Harfoot like Nori Brandyfoot wouldn't know. A quick chat with Sadoc Burrows and a flick through his big ol' book of mysteries could tell Nori exactly which old constellations the Stranger is mapping out. Of course, if Meteor Man remembers stars that haven't existed for hundreds of years, our enigmatic traveler must be incredibly ancient, despite his distinct lack of pointy ears or handsomeness.
Nori's most important question shouldn't be which stars Meteor Man is looking for, but why he's looking for them. Most likely, the night sky's arrangement will point to specific location in Middle-earth, and wherever they lead is where the Stranger's true quest lies.
Prediction: Could Meteor Man Be The Rings Of Power's Sauron?
We know Sauron will appear in The Rings of Power - it's just a matter of when, and several suspect clues are already framing Meteor Man as the hidden enemy. For starters, his arrival coincides exactly with Galadriel's choice to abandon Valinor because she resolves to defeat Sauron first. For the elf to make this decision the very moment Sauron screams back into Middle-earth would be deeply poetic. The shape his crater makes then vaguely resembles a flaming eye, and his magic powers are consistent with Sauron's status as a Maia (particularly one associated with flame). Killing the fireflies and turning Largo Brandyfoot into Largo Brokenfoot hints toward an inner darkness, and arriving in Middle-earth through the sky without any memory accounts for why Galadriel found no trace of her nemesis despite many years of searching.
Another important signal is the Lindon leaf that falls before Gil-Galad just as Meteor Man arrives. The leaf's underside is black with dark poison, as if responding to this new presence in Middle-earth. The constellations the Stranger paints for Nori could then lead to the site where Sauron intends to regroup his armies and create Mordor later in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Prediction: Meteor Man Could Be Tilion
Every sign in The Rings of Power episodes 1 & 2 points toward Daniel Weyman playing an Ainur - a Vala or Maia originally from Valinor. He possesses magic beyond the native inhabitants of Middle-earth, and could potentially be incredibly ancient. He holds a powerful bond with nature, but doesn't recall his previous home or identity, echoing the Istari (wizards) when they arrived in Middle-earth. Meteor Man's magic, meanwhile, riffs on how Gandalf's spells were portrayed in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies. His bending of the trees is reminiscent of Gandalf the White's Fangorn Forest arrival, while whispering to the fireflies brings back memories of Gandalf muttering instructions to a moth.
The Rings of Power also explains why an Ainur would choose Nori Brandyfoot to land next to. Nori believes she was destined to find Meteor Man - like he fell nearest her of all creatures for a reason. In a subtle, throwaway line, Poppy reveals how Nori once nursed a baby eagle with a broken wing back to health. Eagles are the messengers of the Valar themselves, so by healing one, the Ainur would know Nori was a kind, courageous, trustworthy person who'd help if somebody, for instance, crashed in the middle of a forest with memory loss.
If Meteor Man really is an Ainur, Tilion would be the best fit. Also known as the "Man in the Moon," Tilion was a Maia who resembled a Vala and took the sole remaining flower from Telperion into the sky, becoming guardian of the moon. Tolkien wrote poems and songs about the Man in the Moon coming down to Middle-earth, and Tilion is characterized as a maverick (not unlike Gandalf), which would explain why he breaks ranks and falls to Middle-earth alone. Like all Maia who take physical form, Tilion would be forbidden from his true self, which explains the patchy memory and bearded, gray appearance. With Sauron - an evil the Valar fought valiantly to defeat - soon to return one way or another, Tilion might've come to protect Middle-earth from another cataclysmic threat.
Prediction: The Shire Has A Connection To Meteor Man
If Nori Brandyfoot risks life, limb, and an ear-bashing from Sadoc Burrows to help Meteor Man, it's only right Meteor Man return the favor. The Rings of Power has already established Nori's dissatisfaction with the Harfoots' nomadic lifestyle, seeking a more fulfilling existence that doesn't involve hiding and running away. During the course of their adventures, perhaps Meteor Man shows Nori something that convinces her the Harfoots should head west and settle in Eriador, forming the community that'll eventually become known as the Hobbits' Shire - a sprawling haven where hobbit children can play freely without constant fear of being spotted.
J.R.R. Tolkien writes that Hobbits didn't properly colonize the Shire until midway through the Third Age, but the author also doesn't explain why they swapped roaming around Rhovanion for a permanent home in Eriador. Meteor Man's friendship with Nori in The Rings of Power could eventually spark a long, long migration westward for all three Hobbit breeds, with the aim of turning the fields of Eriador into their idyllic paradise. If Meteor Man were responsible for pointing Harfoots toward the Shire, that would certainly explain the likes of Bilbo Baggins singing about him in songs.
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.