Gandalf Just Got His Most Epic ‘Rings of Power’ Moment Yet, and It Involves a Giant Elephant

Prime Video has spent the past several years slowly building Gandalf’s mysterious arc across ‘The Rings of Power,’ introducing him first as an amnesiac wanderer known only as the Stranger before finally confirming his true identity at the end of Season 2. That reveal turned years of fan speculation into confirmed canon, and it set the stage for what promises to be his most consequential chapter yet.

That anticipation has only grown as Season 3 marketing has slowly ramped up, with fans eager to see exactly how Gandalf’s journey unfolds now that his true nature is out in the open. Every new image released so far has hinted at a wizard stepping fully into his power for the first time.

The latest reveal delivers on that promise in a genuinely unexpected way. Empire Magazine has released exclusive concept art showing Gandalf facing off against a fearsome Mûmak in Season 3 of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,’ courtesy of artist Carlos Huante.

This particular confrontation is not a random addition dreamed up for the show. The illustration depicts Gandalf the Grey battling a Mûmak of Harad, an enormous Oliphaunt resembling a gigantic elephant, marking a deep cut nod to J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writing that longtime fans of the books will immediately recognize. Seeing a creature this obscure get the spotlight in official marketing signals just how far the production is willing to dig into Tolkien’s broader mythology this season.

That level of detail fits with how deeply the show has committed to giving Season 3 real scale. Empire spent three days on set at Shepperton Studios for this coverage, walking through recreations of Khazad-dûm and Rivendell, the streets of Númenor, and the depths of Mordor to report on what the magazine describes as the most epic episodes yet.

The Mûmak reveal arrives alongside major confirmation about where Sauron’s storyline is finally headed. Co-showrunner Patrick McKay confirmed to Empire that this is the season where Sauron forges the One Ring in the volcano, adding that the season is darker and more dangerous, and that no one is safe.

That darker tone extends across the entire ensemble, not just Sauron’s arc alone. Empire’s coverage also includes conversations with Daniel Weyman as Gandalf, Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, and Robert Aramayo as Elrond, discussing the forces of good and evil warring for the soul of Middle-earth as the season builds toward its climax.

Gandalf’s path to this confrontation has been a slow burn by design. Season 2 ended with Sauron having forged everything except the One Ring, while Gandalf remained in Rhûn training with Tom Bombadil to defeat the Dark Wizard, with the two characters never having met face to face despite their deeply entwined history.

For Daniel Weyman, this season marks a major milestone in his own performance as well. His emergence as a fully confirmed Gandalf in Season 3 represents the first live-action appearance of the character since Ian McKellen’s portrayal in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies back in December 2014, giving Weyman the weight of stepping into one of fantasy’s most iconic roles for a new generation of viewers.

Pairing a beloved character actor’s take on Gandalf with a genuinely obscure piece of Tolkien lore like the Mûmak shows a production unafraid to lean into deep cuts rather than simply recycling imagery from Peter Jackson’s films. It suggests Season 3 intends to expand the show’s world in ways that reward longtime readers just as much as casual viewers.

With ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Season 3 set to premiere on Prime Video this November, this Gandalf and Mûmak reveal has already become one of the season’s most talked about early images. What do you think this confrontation means for Gandalf’s larger role this season? Share your thoughts in the comments.