I was really fascinated to see Sir Ian McKellen take a side in the debate about who would win in a fight between two legendary fantasy characters. He’s clearly backing his ‘home team,’ which is a fun way to look at it!
Sir Ian McKellen is famous for playing Gandalf in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films, and he later returned to the role for The Hobbit. Though he’s currently starring in The Christophers, McKellen is still best known for his work in The Lord of the Rings, and he was recently asked about Gandalf and how the character is often seen alongside another well-known figure.
According to The Guardian, when asked who would win in a fight between Gandalf and Albus Dumbledore, Ian McKellen immediately replied, “Why would they even be fighting? But Gandalf, naturally, would win—he’s the original wizard.” Both Gandalf and Dumbledore from Harry Potter are based on the classic image of a wise, robed wizard with a long white beard and a pointed hat.
By the early 2000s, Ian McKellen had become so well-known for playing powerful, wizard-like characters that he was considered to take over the role of Dumbledore after Richard Harris, who played the part in the first two Harry Potter films (directed by Christopher Columbus and released in 2001 and 2002), passed away.
Ian McKellen declined the role of Dumbledore because Richard Harris, who played the part previously, had been critical of his acting. McKellen felt uncomfortable taking on a role from someone who didn’t approve of his work. Michael Gambon then took over as Dumbledore, starting with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and continuing through the rest of the film series. Now, John Lithgow will be portraying Dumbledore in the new Harry Potter television series.
I’m so excited! Sir Ian McKellen is coming back to two of my favorite worlds! We’ll see him in Avengers: Doomsday in late 2026, and then The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is coming in 2027. Andy Serkis is directing that one, and he’s even reprising his role as Gollum, which is awesome. Plus, they’ve cast Jamie Dornan as the new Aragorn – taking over from Viggo Mortensen. It’s going to be amazing to see Middle-earth back on the big screen!
Fans of fantasy often debate who would win in a fight, but Gandalf would likely defeat Dumbledore. While Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard, Gandalf is essentially an angel in Tolkien’s world—an immortal, god-like being sent to Middle-earth by higher powers called the Valar.
The Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows how Gandalf first arrived in Middle-earth. Daniel Weyman plays Gandalf, who is initially known as “The Stranger” in this prequel. Meanwhile, before Ian McKellen reprises his role as Gandalf in The Hunt for Gollum, he’ll be appearing as Jacob Marley in Ti West’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol. However, McKellen will always be best known as Gandalf, which is why fans are still curious about even small details related to the character.
The Lord of the Rings movies are available to stream on HBO Max.
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2026-05-09 18:01