George R.R. Martin declared that Gandalf would easily win a duel against Dumbledore—is the author’s assessment right or biased?

The debate about who would win in a battle between the Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore and The Lord of the Rings’ Gandalf the Grey, has been a topic of discussion for ages. So much so that even George R.R. Martin had once offered his take on the topic while appearing at the premiere of J.R.R. Tolkien’s biographical film.

George R.R. Martin | image: Sanna Pudas, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When director Dome Karukoski’s biographical film Tolkien, starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins premiered in 2019 in Los Angeles, George R.R. Martin attended the event to express his love for the author and even praise the movie. Therein, after learning about Collins’ love for the Harry Potter films, Martin joined the debate about Dumbledore and Gandalf’s power and offered his verdict.

George R.R. Martin believes Gandalf could easily defeat Dumbledore in a duel

Appearing at the premiere of the biographical film Tolkien, starring Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins, American author George R.R. Martin expressed his love for J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. Admitting how the late author had redefined fantasy with his Lord of the Rings novels, Martin reflected on the influence of Tolkien’s epic trilogy format on his Game of Thrones novels.

Speaking with Variety on the red carpet, George R.R. Martin not only praised J.R.R. Tolkien but also reflected his opinion on the author’s biographical film. Praising the movie for avoiding cliches like showing Tolkien’s struggling writer era and instead focusing on his love affair and friendship, Martin hailed the performance delivered by Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins.

He made me love the form he created — epic fantasy. He redefined fantasy of everything that had been before. I started doing a trilogy called ‘Game of Thrones.’ Now my trilogy is seven books — if I finish the last two.

Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins in a still from Tolkien | image: Walt Disney Pictures

Further, during the interviews as the actors and the director discussed their personal connections to J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings series on the red carpet, George R.R. Martin learned about Lily Collins’ appreciation for the late author. However, Martin also learned about Collins’ undying love for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. This shockingly led Martin to weigh in on the everlasting Dumbledore vs. Gandalf debate.

Gandalf could kick Dumbledore’s a*s. 

Ian McKellen as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings films | image: New Line Cinema

Without holding back his opinion on the fight between the J.K. Rowling-created character and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf, George R.R. Martin openly claimed that The Lord of the Rings wizard would easily defeat Dumbledore. Now, while Martin might have had a hint of truth to his opinion, his assessment sparked debate about bias, given how he is known for holding a grudge against Rowling.

Analysing Gandalf and Dumbledore’s powers to determine if George R.R. Martin was right

Back in 2001, after George R.R. Martin lost the Hugo Award for A Storm of Swords to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he became bitter about the British author and her works. Since then he has not only been holding his grudge against Rowling but has also made headlines for his notoriou

Therefore, given his deep detestment for the Harry Potter writer, fans felt that George R.R. Martin’s assessment of Dumbledore and Gandalf’s powers might have been filled with prejudice. This led us to analyze the two iconic wizards’ powers, their unique strengths and weaknesses. And surprisingly the results seemed to be in favor of Martin’s assessment.

Albus Dumbledore in a still from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter adaptations | image: Warner Bros.

Considering that Gandalf is a Maiar, with the capabilities of summoning and manipulating fire while being skilled in telekinesis, he is expected to have an edge in a battle against Dumbledore. Although the Hogwarts headmaster is also adept at defensive magic and is able to read minds and emotions, while being an accomplished Occlumens, Gandalf is expected to have the upper hand in a duel, since his powers are not limited to his physical form as a wizard, unlike Dumbledore.

To be specific, Gandalf’s fire magic, telekinesis, healing powers, and diplomacy would make him a formidable opponent for Dumbledore, and like George R.R. Martin had said earlier The Lord of the Rings wizard would indeed kick Dumbledore’s a*s.

Harry Potter films are currently available to watch on Max. 

The Lord of the Rings movies are currently available to watch on Prime Video.