Key Takeaways
- Radagast’s powers lie in wildlife and he prefers to live in nature, unlike Gandalf and Saruman.
- Radagast helps both Saruman and Gandalf off-screen, aiding in the Great War efforts.
- Although not as powerful, Radagast’s unique abilities could have played a crucial role in Middle Earth.
Gandalf and Saruman are the only wizards showcased in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only two in all of Middle Earth. As The Hobbit trilogy showcased, there are others with powers that can be used for good and evil, with Radagast the Brown appearing in those movies.
His connection is to wildlife, which is where his powers lie, and that’s something that is showcased in The Hobbit. However, when it comes to the War of the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings, Radagast is nowhere to be seen in any of the films.
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He Becomes Too Obsessed With the Woods
Unlike Gandalf and Saruman, Radagast doesn’t concern himself with the politics and power within Middle Earth. He doesn’t wish to charge into a situation and use his powers to influence it. Instead, he prefers to live in nature and keep to himself, as showcased in The Hobbit trilogy. He has a much more relaxed personality, and that makes him a unique character in comparison to the two main wizards of this franchise. This is why he ignores Elrond’s call to arms from his allies around Middle Earth and does not get involved in the war. Instead, he becomes obsessed with the forest and the natural world, spending all his days communicating with the animals to make their lives easier.
His obsession is shown in The Hobbit trilogy, which gives audiences an idea of what he becomes. Elrond eventually sends scouts to try and find Radagast, as he’s aware of his power and how helpful that would be. This isn’t covered in the movies, but ultimately, the area of Rhosgobel is found empty, and Radagast’s future remains unknown after that stage. Whether his decision not to play a part in the war impacted his ability to go to Valinor remains unclear.
Radagast Does Help Both Saruman & Gandalf Off-Screen
Radagast is never seen in The Lord of the Rings, but that doesn’t mean he’s not involved. He has a part to play both positively and negatively, helping out Saruman and Gandalf to aid their respective efforts in the Great War. However, he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself in for when helping Saruman, as he looks to take advantage of Radagast’s kind nature.
Saruman makes Radagast use his animals to create a wide network of spies, which he then uses to lure Gandalf to Isengard, almost leading to his demise. Radagast isn’t aware of this situation, but it proves that his connection to the animals is capable of having a bigger impact than some people might think. That’s also clear due to his role with the Great Eagles, as Radagast is the wizard who has the power to connect with them.
He sends Gwaihir to Gandalf’s rescue on top of Orthanc’s tower, ultimately saving his life. That’s something else he does unintentionally, as Radagast initially sends the Great Eagle out to bring him war news but ends up saving Gandalf in the process, which aids their entire efforts in the war, given the role Gandalf has to play.
His Powers Are Clear In The Hobbit Trilogy
Even though Radagast isn’t as powerful as Gandalf or Saruman, there’s no doubt that he could have played an important role had he turned up. Radagast isn’t necessarily known for wielding swords and going into battle against Orcs. Still, his connection to the animals could have provided some safety to many of the other lead characters. It could have also been used to gain information for Elrond to help benefit him.
Within The Hobbit trilogy, he plays a key role in helping Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield, leading him to become a popular character with fans. However, many scenes involving the wizard in those movies were created by Jackson himself, likely in a bid to help fill out the three movies due to the novel being much smaller than any of The Lord of the Rings novels. However, the decision to include him more allowed the lore of this franchise to expand and showcased a different side to the magic that can exist within Middle Earth.
He can communicate with animals and shape-shift, and he is extremely skilled at using herbs to provide medicine. Adding any of those skills to The Lord of the Rings would have been beneficial and would also have created some unique scenes within the movies because he’d have been able to do something others couldn’t. His aloof personality is also fun and opens things up to moments of humor, but his life during that time was ultimately not explored and remains a mystery to many fans of the franchise.
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