Saruman is the wizard who leads the White Council in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
The White Council is an alliance of important figures formed to oppose the growing threat of Sauron. Saruman, also called Saruman the White, is its chief because he is regarded as the wisest and most knowledgeable of the Istari, the order of wizards sent to Middle-earth.
His position changes dramatically when he becomes fascinated by the One Ring and seeks power for himself. Saruman eventually betrays the council, cooperates with Sauron for a time, and builds an army at Isengard. His ambition makes him a major antagonist in The Lord of the Rings.
Gandalf is also a member of the White Council, but he is not its leader. In Tolkien’s wider chronology, the council’s most important recorded action includes the assault on Dol Guldur, where Sauron had been operating under the name the Necromancer.