Summary
In the early 2000s, Peter Jackson did what was unthinkable and turnedThe Lord of the Ringsbook series into a trilogy of films. The famed director took some of the best plot points from the book and put them in his series to create one of the most beloved film trilogies of all time.
However, not every plot point fromThe Lord of the Ringsbooks made it into the films. Some big plot points for Tolkien fans were actually left out due to timing. These storylines and characters could still find their way to the screen at a later time.
10Fatty Bolger
The Fellowship of the Ring
This omission is probably the easiest for Tolkien fans to digest as Fatty Bolger doesn’t play a major role in the story. He accompanies the Hobbits to Crickhollow before returning to the Shire to keep Frodo’s house looking like someone is still living there.
While that is an important part of the illusion, it’s also completely unnecessary to be shown in the films. Fatty Bolger’s inclusion might add some flavor to the story, but it’s easy to understand why this character was cut.
9Old Man Willow
Old Man Willow is a sentient tree the hobbits stumble across while initially leaving the Shire. Frodo and company are taking a shortcut to avoid the Black Riders, but they end up going through the Old Forest where they get strangely drowsy.
Old Man Willow uses the Old Forest to conspire against the Hobbits and convince them to rest under his branches. This tree causes plenty of mischief for the Hobbits until someone comes along to save the day.
8Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil may be the character and plot point that Tolkien fans were most upset about not being in the films. The ancient and mysterious Tom Bombadil isthe one who saved the Hobbitsfrom Old Man Willow and took them to his home to meet his wife Goldberry.
In the book, Old Tom is vital to the Hobbits' first journey from the Shire to Bree. He delivers them from evil several times and provides them with food and shelter. Tolkien’s fans were hoping to see him in the films.
7Barrow-downs
The second time Tom Bombadil had to step in and save the Hobbits was during theevents at Barrow-downs. An undead wight took the Hobbits captive until Tom shows up to rescue them. There was plenty of potential to bring this scene to the big screen, but the omission of Tom Bombadil led to the omission of Barrow-downs.
Tom Bombadil banishes the evil spirit and provides blades to the Hobbits that are used to kill the Ringwraiths. While the blades were introduced during the film, they were given to the Hobbits by Aragorn instead of Tom Bombadil.
6Glorfindel Rescues Frodo
While Frodo’s rescue was present in the film, the circumstances surrounding it were changed. In the film, Arwen rescues Frodo after he’s been stung by a Ringwraith’s poisoned blade. It provides a nice moment for a strong feminine character, but it’s not what Tolkien originally wrote.
In the book,Glorfindel steps up to save Frodo. The Elven lord had fought any many battles and his name would be known by the followers of Sauron as someone not to be trifled with. While Arwen taking on this rescue didn’t harm the film’s narrative, it didn’t really make sense to not have Glorfindel save Frodo since he still appeared in the film.
5Arwen’s Brothers
The Return of the King
WhileElrond’s daughter, Arwen, and her love story with Aragorn are major factors in the entire film series, her brothers, Elrohir and Elladan, are never mentioned in the films. In the books, the pair of Elves worked with Aragorn’s father and the Rangers of the North before the war.
Their biggest roles in the books come inThe Return of the Kingwhen they accompany Aragorn on his journey back to the throne of Gondor. These Elves were with Aragorn every step of the way even though Legolas is the only one shown in the films.
4The Ents Decide To Go To War
The Two Towers
Whilethe Ents taking the battle to Sarumanis depicted in the films, it’s the complete opposite of how Tolkien presents it in his books. In the film, after the Ents decide against going to war, Merry and Pippin convince Treebeard to try to pass near Isengard to show him what Saruman is doing.
In the books, when the Ents hold their Entmoot, the race of giant trees is immediately willing to stand up to Saruman. They quickly resort to brutal warfare against the evil wizard rather than needing to be manipulated by tiny Hobbits.
3Saruman Takes Over The Shire
In the film trilogy,Saruman is quickly defeatedat the beginning ofThe Return of the Kingand is pretty much left out of the rest of the film. The Hobbits are able to live happily ever after, mostly, when they return to the Shire. But in the books, Saruman is still alive and scheming following the War of the Ring.
Saruman, now going by the name Sharkey, attacks the Shire, thrusting the Hobbits into the Battle of Bywater. The four main Hobbits lead their fellow Hobbits into battle to defeat the evil wizard. While this isn’t directly shown in the film, the vision Frodo sees in the Mirror of Galadriel hints at its possibility.
2Wormtongue Kills Saruman
A version of this plot point appears in the extended cut ofThe Return of the King, however, nothing appeared in the theatrical version and even the extended cut version was slightly changed from the books. In the extended film,Wormtongue kills Sarumanand then is killed by arrows himself, but it doesn’t include their previously mentioned actions in the Shire.
In the books, following their defeat at the Battle of Bywater, Wormtongue slits Saruman’s throat on Frodo’s doorstep. Just like in the extended cut, Wormtongue was taken down by arrows as he attempted to flee.
1Major Battles Missing
All Three Films
In the books, the War of the Ring is far grander than it is in the films. While the films show battles at Helm’s Deep and Gondor, there were several other battles not depicted in the films. There were battles at Dale, Mirkwood, and Lórien that weren’t shown.
The films do kind of shoehorn the Battle of Lórien intoThe Two Towersby putting Elven warriors at Helm’s Deep. Those Elves were never at Helm’s Deep in the books, instead fighting their part of the battle in Lórien.
