Olsen, professor and president of Signum University, explained that there is no rigid canon in Tolkien's work
In the finale of the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a big revelation is revealed: the Stranger, played by Daniel Weyman, identifies himself as Gandalf. This moment has generated several discussions among fans about the possible violation of Tolkien's canon. However, according to Tolkien expert Dr. Corey Olsen, this development does not break the canon established by the author.
Tolkien expert has his opinion on the final revelation of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2
Olsen, professor and president of Signum University, explained that there is no rigid canon in Tolkien's work since the author's ideas were constantly evolving. Although in the most well-known texts, such as The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf is described as having arrived in Middle-earth around the year 1000 of the Third Age, in his later reflections Tolkien considered the possibility that some Wizards had arrived earlier, even participating in the events of the Second Age.
The adoption of the name Gandalf by the Stranger in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power does not necessarily imply a violation of canon. Tolkien himself gave Gandalf numerous names, depending on the peoples with whom he interacted: Mithrandir among the Elves, Tharkûn for the Dwarves, and Incánus in the South. Olsen has also pointed out that Tolkien, in one of his texts, muses on the idea that Gandalf may have been present in Middle-earth much earlier than originally written, although these thoughts were never definitively fixed in a single version.
Although it is a change from the original chronological sequence, Olsen argues that this change does not compromise the integrity of Tolkien's works, but can be considered a reinterpretation consistent with the universe he created.
Source: screenrant