The Lord of the Rings is full of H๏τly contested fan questions, and one of them is whether or not Gandalf could beat Sauron, but the answers are recorded across the legendarium. By far the most famous of Lord of the Rings’ five Istari, Gandalf was the glue holding the Fellowship of the Ring together, directing the small team’s efforts to stop Sauron. Although only Frodo was capable of bringing the One Ring as far as he did, and he couldn’t have done it without Sam, the entire Fellowship would never have succeeded without Gandalf.

And yet, this does not necessarily point to him being more powerful than Sauron. There is a complex interplay between the Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings’ Sauron in J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1955 masterpiece novel. With the Istari and Sauron being of the same species and of the same rank no less, it is easy to see why they are compared with hugely varying resulting ᴀssessments. Fortunately, J.R.R. Tolkien himself provided fans with answers in a letter dated September 1963, discussing how Gandalf and Sauron would fare in a fight.

Sauron Is More Powerful Than Gandalf In The Lord Of The Rings – Why He’d Win

Sauron Grew Stronger Over The Years In The Lord Of The Rings

British high fantasy originator J.R.R. Tolkien flagged that “only Gandalf might be expected to master [Sauron]” if he took the ring. Tolkien confirmed that no mortals and only a few of equal stature to Sauron could have withheld the Lord of the Rings’ One Ring from him in his presence. This near enough confirms that Sauron would have had the upper hand, with Gandalf’s chances of winning, even while holding the One Ring, far from certain. Without the ring, it seems that Gandalf’s defeat would have been inevitable. Tolkien confirmed that had Gandalf won, the ring would have turned him evil.

Considering the fact that Sauron poured his essence into the Ring, and that it was literally Sauron himself, Gandalf would lose any hypothetical one-on-one fight with Sauron, no matter how it ended up. Regardless, Sauron was evidently more powerful than Gandalf, having learned unique sorcery and smithing to come to nearly dominate the whole of Middle-earth twice. The first of these occasions was in Lord of the Rings’ Second Age, as demonstrated by Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The second of these was in the Third Age, as the novel and movies portrayed.

Gandalf vs. Sauron Would Be Close, Even With Gandalf At His Full Power

Of All Those In Middle-earth, Gandalf Probably Had The Best Chance Of Beating Sauron

Tolkien confirmed in his letter that no Hobbits, Men, Dwarves, or Elves contemplated taking Sauron on without an army, but that Gandalf could consider taking him on with just the ring. Lord of the Rings’ God, Eru Ilúvatar, Eru’s demigods (the Valar), and some of the most powerful Maiar (Eönwë and Ossë, for instance) were capable of beating Sauron. However, none of them were really interfering in the wars of Elves, Men, and Dwarves by the Third Age. That made Gandalf the only one in Middle-earth remotely likely to beat Sauron face-to-face.

This is especially the case considering that the rest of Gandalf’s order, the Istari, had all somehow failed in their mission to oppose Sauron. Being able to fight Sauron in person, even with the advantage of the One Ring, makes Gandalf a mighty opponent. Indeed, Tolkien said this fight would consтιтute a “delicate balance.” On the one hand, the One Ring would be loyal to Sauron, and on the other hand, Gandalf would have the strength to master it, to a certain extent. Tolkien also flagged that Sauron was weakened by years of corruption.

Gandalf Couldn’t Use His Full Power Against Sauron In The Lord Of The Rings

Gandalf Had To Veil His Full Power In Lord Of The Rings

Like all Istari, Gandalf had to veil his full power while in Lord of the Rings’ world of Middle-earth to avoid ending up winning the same kind of awe and fear that Sauron inspired. While for all mortals or semi-mortals in Middle-earth, “confrontation of Sauron alone, unaided, self-to-self was not contemplated,” Gandalf could hope to face Sauron with nothing but the One Ring. But Gandalf was fundamentally a different sort of Maia to Sauron. The Istari were sent to Middle-earth bound in the forms of old men, weary and able to hunger and thirst, just like mortals.

This was a key part of the hiding of their power. Gandalf had this innate disadvantage when pitted against Sauron. How much of Gandalf’s full power exactly he would be able to use in a fight against Sauron isn’t certain, given his unique condition. Even fighting a Balrog to death, Gandalf didn’t shapeshift out of his form to win, even though this was an innate ability of the Maiar. Unfinished Tales states that when Gandalf was sent back from death by Eru as Gandalf the White, even then he was “yet veiled still save in great need.“

If Tolkien inferred that Gandalf could use his full power at great need, surely Gandalf would be able to use his power against Sauron in a one-on-one fight. This would have been giving Gandalf the resources he needed to accomplish the mission ultimately set for him by Lord of the Rings’ 15 Valar – oppose Sauron. And yet, as Gandalf’s fight with the Balrog shows, the physiology and metaphysics of Middle-earth were complex and hard to predict. Either way, it seems that Sauron would be the final victor if he fought Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings.