Poll
80%
20%
Saruman of Many Colours held Gandalf the Grey captive. That suggests that he was stronger. When the ents attacked Isenguard though, he is said to have "fallen off in wizardry of late." Gandalf the White is "Saruman as he should have been," ie, with the strength of Saruman the White. Gandalf the White easily strips Saruman of Many Colours of his power and breaks his staff.
saruman didnt have the support of Sauron as far as i know. Maybe for a time, but Sauron eventually knew what sarumans plans were. the movies makes it looks like saruman is Saurons servant but Saruman sought the ring for himself. second thing, who would want the support of morgoth since he is banished and will be utimately defeated in the dagor dagorath along with sauron. Gandalf has the support of all the valar and will be part of the winning "team" when all is said and done.
Morgoth will be 👿 SEVERELY weakened when he returns from the void. The fiend lost its supreme cosmic power before creation, as a result of defecting and squandering his power on self-indulgence and wickedness. Melkor was originally by far the most powerful of the Creator's creatures, but evil has a degenerating effect.
After the destruction of the Ring Sauron was nothing. If Sauron had regained the Ring, Gandalf the White said that that would have insured that he would never be defeated as long as the world should last. The Valar, having been barred from Middle Earth by Melkor in the very early days of the world, would not have been able to intervein.
Saruman the White in his youth, was certainly the wizard with the most panache by all accounts. The only wizard close to being his equal was Gandalf, whom Saruman considered defective for involving himself with small matters (or so he thought...)
Saruman was Leader os the Istari for a reason. He is the most powerful and maybe the most intelligent also.
Gandalf, though, was the Wisest. Saruman may have had brains but he lacked a certain common sense. In the books his oversight with Radagast was a criminally dumb error.
All this talk of support from Morgoth or the Valar is a bit irrelevant though- the whole point of the Istari is that they are THERE; the Valar and Morgoth are not. Various talk of what will eventually happen is a bit moot as well- best to focus on what happens in the LOTR plotline rather than bring in Tolkien's musings on the eventual 'end of the world' (which are very vague and biblical) and remember that evil CAN triumph in LOTR- a complete triumph as well (as Shaber helpfully refers to)- so what Saruman was aiming for was very tangible.
Tolkien's role for Saruman in his description of what LOTR would have been like if it was a WWII allegory was interesting, though.
im a little confused with this thread. the question is who is more powerful: Saruman or Gandalf the White? BUT, if this is supposed to be based BEFORE Saruman turned evil (of wich we dont actually know WHEN he turned) then Gandalf would NOT be Gandalf the White, but Gandalf the Grey. and Saruman would just be Saruman the White, not Saruman of many colors (what he was when he turned evil). sooo.......are you asking who was more powerful: GTG or STW? your poll is a little off, you should be more specific.
well your friend is right in a way, if we are refering to GANDALF the old wizard then Saruman is more powerful before gandalf becomes the White, but before they even where Wizards gandalf's true being Olorin or how ever you spell his Maia name was more powerful then Saruman. yes and no for you quastion. 🙂 HAVE A NICE DAY
Saruman was the stronger wizard, however, since Gandalf was a Maiar, Saruman (essentially) would not have stood a chance in all-out combat. Also, Saruman was weakened by defiling his title of "the White" (he was described of being as one who breaks something to find out how it works, I believe). So, in studying the One Ring, he had been weakened and Gandalf could have fought and beaten him; in the LoTR series, the reader repeatedly sees Gandalf not use his power to his full potential.