Gandalf is the wizard who guides the Fellowship in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Gandalf is one of the Istari, spiritual beings sent to Middle-earth to oppose Sauron. He appears first as Gandalf the Grey and later returns as Gandalf the White after confronting the Balrog in Moria.
He helps Bilbo begin the quest in The Hobbit and later works with Frodo, Aragorn, and their allies in The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf’s role is not simply that of a battlefield wizard: he counsels rulers, recognizes courage in ordinary people, and helps unite resistance to Sauron.
Saruman is another Istar who becomes corrupted, while Radagast is associated with animals and the wild. Sauron is not a wizard at all; he is a Maia who becomes the chief enemy of the story.