system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why did Gandalf barely use any magic in both the Hobbit and LotR? Isn't he supposedly a very powerful wizard?
gpt
Gandalf is a Maiar, which is something similar to what we would call an Angel.

It's not the case that he is a man who has learned magic, he is a supernatural entity older than the world itself, and has never been human.

He was sent by the Creator/God of the LOTR universe, Eru Ilúvatar, to help swing the balance of good vs evil back towards good, but through advice and guidance only, without direct interference.

In fact, the few times he uses magic are times when strictly speaking he *shouldn't* have, and was simply letting sentimentality get the better of him in order to help the people he has come to view as friends.

**TL;DR:** Yes, Gandalf is very powerful, but isn't supposed to be using his magic, and is technically supposed to be present only in an advisory capacity.