In the estate we were watching TV and playing card games.
Me: A lot of good movies on today.
Nico: Yep.
Sarah Gunnerson: We're off on our Girls Night Out.
Lori Jimenez, Sarah Gunnerson, Gwen Tennyson, Tara, May, Jen and Yumi were off on an awesome Girls Night Out.
Me: Okay. Have fun girls.
James: Where are you girls going for your Girls' Night Out?
James' Cacnea: Cacnea!
May: We're going to the mall to have fun.
Taranee: You guys be careful out there.
Lori Jimenez: We will.
They were off to the mall.
Hun Gurr: You think the girls are okay?
Nico: C'mon, Hun Gurr. I'm sure they're fine.
At the mall, the girls were having a really awesome time. They went to awesome clothing stores, jewelry shops and many more stores. In the clothing stores they tried on all kinds of awesome clothes and looked like glamorous supermodels trying all kinds of new clothes and more. It was awesome. Later they went to a good restaurant and they were having a great lunch.
Sarah Gunnerson: So what were you guys doing before you all joined Team Loud Phoenix Storm?
May: I'll start that one. I was a Pokemon Contest contestant.
May went over her background history.
When May debuted in the anime, she did not like Pokémon at all and was only interested in becoming a Pokémon Trainer so she could travel. Everyone expected her to follow in her father Norman's footsteps. However, after seeing a Pokémon Contest in All Things Bright and Beautifly!, she decided to become a Pokémon Coordinator instead. Since May initially knew almost nothing about Pokémon or attacks, Ash assumed the role of her mentor. She gradually gained experience through her journey and practice with Ash.
As a Coordinator, May was able to learn more about Pokémon and form stronger bonds with them. In Come What May!, after winning the Fallarbor Contest, May told her Beautifly that she loved it. This is an example of her growth — from someone who initially disliked Pokémon to someone who cared deeply for them.
With her Pokémon, May was able to come up with different attack combinations to use during her Contest Battles. For instance, she would use her Combusken's Fire Spin and her Squirtle's Bubble to create a combination of fire and water, dubbed "Fire and Water Whirlwind" by Lilian, after witnessing Tucker use it against Ash with a combination of Water Pulse and Fire Blast. This even made a rival of hers angry, thinking she thought he was not worthy of the move as May did not use it against him.
She also developed a love for making her own Pokéblocks with recipes that she thought up, including ones called "May's Purple Surprise" and "May's Pink Surprise" (Japanese: Haruka's Delicious and Haruka's Delicious 2). Unfortunately, the only ones who liked her "Purple Surprise" were her Munchlax and Jessie. Her "Pink Surprise" came from the recipe Professor Oak uses to make Ash's Snorlax's food. Thus, after May first fed it to her Munchlax, it was automatically made full. This Pokéblock was regularly used to feed Munchlax in order to prevent it from eating the food of others.
During her journey, she found a rival in Drew, a skilled and sometimes arrogant Coordinator. Drew became one of her main inspirations to try harder to sharpen her skills as a Coordinator. At first, Drew had claimed that May had "no style" as a Coordinator, but by the end of May's second Contest campaign, when she defeated him in the Kanto Grand Festival, he recognized her growth and skill. Another rival of hers, Harley, is a flamboyant man who goes to extremes to beat May and has no qualms about cheating or using unfair tactics. An example of Harley's depravity was seen in A Cacturne for the Worse, when he recorded Max telling him a story from May's childhood. May had been wearing a blue swimming cap in the ocean, and her mother had mistaken her for a Tentacool from afar and attempted to catch May with one of her Poké Balls. Harley played the recording of this story during the Izabe Island Pokémon Contest to embarrass May into losing. May was able to beat Harley in the end, but she claimed that she had never been more humiliated. Another example is when Harley joined forces with Team Rocket in an attempt to sabotage May's performance with Combusken, which ended up contributing to a more dazzling appeal.
At the Kanto Grand Festival, May also competed against Solidad, an experienced Coordinator to whom she lost in the semifinals. At the end of the Advanced Generation series, she left to compete with Drew, Harley, and Solidad in the Johto region, aiming to find her own battling style. The decision to stop traveling with Ash was an important one for May's character. Because Ash played the role of a mentor to her through most of the series, she was largely influenced by his offensive battle style. By the end of their journey through Kanto, May had realized that an offensive style was not necessarily the best for her and for Contests. Her constant use of dazzling attacks ultimately proved to be her downfall at the Kanto Grand Festival, when Solidad was able to recognize and counter these moves by leading May to attack and then successfully dodging. Her goal to find her own style was therefore also a goal to improve her Contest Battle skills and ultimately become a Top Coordinator.
May has Contest Passes to compete in Hoenn, Kanto and Johto. She also has a personal theme song, I Won't Lose! ~Haruka's Theme~, performed by KAORI.. It was first used as background music in Curbing the Crimson Tide and was used multiple times after that during May's Contest performances and battles. The song became the ending theme of the show between Pokémon Ranger - Deoxys' Crisis! (Part 2) and Home is Where the Start Is!.
May reappeared from Our Cup Runneth Over! to Strategy With a Smile! to participate in the Wallace Cup. During this period, she wore her game counterpart's outfit from Pokémon Emerald. She shared that many of her Pokémon had evolved and that she had already won three Johto Ribbons. Dawn recognized May upon meeting her and said that some people in the Sinnoh region called her the "Princess of Hoenn", causing May to blush. During the Wallace Cup, May showed the new style that she had come up after leaving Ash, battling against Dawn's rival Zoey and winning using her Beautifly. She made it all the way to the finals but narrowly lost to Dawn in the end.
Sarah Gunnerson: Wow! That's amazing that you know a lot of Pokemon.
Gwen Tennyson: And you didn't like pokemon before and now you love them.
Sarah Gunnerson: It sure is cool.
May: Thanks guys.
Tara: My story is a dark one. My real name is Tara Markoverra. But everyone called me Terra. Spanish for Earth. I am the princess of the extinct nation of Markovia.
Tara Markoverra, mainly known as Terra, is a recurring anti-villain in the 2003 TV Series, Teen Titans. She served as the secondary antagonist and anti-heroine of the second season.
Though this iteration of Terra is loosely based on DC Comic character of the same name, she is so far, most sympathetic and heroic as she was reasoned to find the way to control her unstable Earth-based powers that led Slade recruit her to his side and abused her as an expendable pawn and weapon. Other reasons of this character far more heroic than the rest is her better redeeming qualities.
She was voiced by Ashley Johnson, who also played the character's Teen Titans Go! incarnation in the 2013 series.
According to her brother Geo-Force, Terra was princess whom, along with him, are members of the house of Markov, and their father was the king of Markovia. Scientists experimented on Terra and Geo-Force, giving them their powers, then attempted to exploit them. General Immortus was seen monitoring the experiment, which suggests that he was involved with the human experiment. Geo-Force fought them off, while Terra, unable to control her powers, ran away from home in fear of hurting her loved ones and travels a lot since then. Slade also pointed out that Terra did try to help others over the course of her journey, but on each occasion, something even worse happened as a result of using her geo-kinetic abilities and her own inexperience with her said powers. These troubles, that caused by her by accident ultimately frustated her, in which the said frustation later released on Robin where she stated that she did not want to be rescued and that she was "not some sad little girl".
Upon meeting Terra, the Titans quickly welcomed her into their ranks. At first, it seemed like the hip, funny, young hero might make a great addition to the team, but Terra had a secret: she was unable to control her incredible powers and abilities over the earth and had accidentally caused natural disasters on several occasions. She felt betrayed when it appeared that Beast Boy shared her secret with the team (even though Robin actually realized it on his own). Feeling betrayed and alone, Terra turned to Slade, who trained her to fully control her abilities.
Terra returned to the Titans and joined the team - but was secretly working with Slade to destroy the Titans from within. Despite her mission, Terra began to doubt her loyalties; Just as romance with Beast Boy blossomed, Terra was exposed as a traitor. Hardened and isolated, friendless and emotionally hurt, Terra turned to the only one who would accept her, Slade, and shortly the two united to launch their plans in full motion. Caught off guard and still holding some affection for their former friend and teammate, the Titans were nearly defeated in the first round, with Terra brutally showing far less mercy and restraint, and in the second, due to reinforcements sent by Slade under her control, Robin was forced to make a retreat back to Titans Tower, knowing this battle could not be won.
Soon, Slade assails three different points of Jump City with Overload, Plasmus, and Cinderblock, seeking to lure the Titans out of hiding and eliminate their divided forces using Terra. Raven managed to defeat Overload with the aid of nearby water, but was quickly engaged in further fierce combat by Terra, each clearly seeking to kill the other to the best of their abilities. Despite this, analysis of Raven made during Terra's time on the team had enabled Slade to realize her dark powers and abilities were controlled by emotion, and should the emotions run loose, so too would her focus on her own immense abilities. Terra's taunting of Raven eventually causes her to lash out in sheer fury against her, her sheer anger and rage manifesting in Trigon's form, if but partially, and Terra seized this chance to finish off Raven. A boulder projectile intended for Robin was instead the bane of Starfire, which knocked her out and sent her plummeting into the ocean. A sudden yet deadly fissure through the ground (combined with the element of surprise) was sufficient to overwhelm both Cyborg and Beast Boy, who told Terra she could not kill them, but a smiling Terra merely replied, "Watch me," and four Titans were no more. Terra next tried to face off Robin, who, driven with a desire to avenge his friends, yet also honor Beast Boy's wishes to give her a last chance, brutally assaulted her.
While the battle was fierce and neither could gain the upper hand initially, eventually Robin knocks her to the ground and has his staff at her neck. However, he tells her it does not have to be this way instead of finishing her, which allows her to get up and finish him with a boulder. Terra presents Robin's badge to Slade, who begins to launch his plans to seize the city. However, the Titans had each survived Terra's assault and were bent on taking her down, no longer concerned with second chances.
Despite her victory, Terra still felt lost and alone. As the hardened Terra is reminded of her past experiences with the Titans, she appears to be subtly swayed, but claims she has "no regrets" for the horrible things she has done. The Titans furiously and brutally attack her, each showing no mercy, just as she believed they were truly all gone, and with their combined and united forces Terra is quickly defeated by the fivesome, despite her best efforts to strike back at the team. Terra then attempted to retreat, but Slade angrily demanded her staying to continue to fight, and Terra tried her best to do so, but after many near-calls with death at the hands of the now-merciless Titans, runs back to Slade, who begins to physically abuse her in fury and disgust at her defeat. By the time she decided to leave Slade, from both the buried remnants of her conscience and his cruel treatment of her, it was too late as the new suit he had given her had become part of her skin and he could now control her via the suit. Never truly losing faith in Terra, Beast Boy stepped in between her and Slade and finally made her realize the error of her ways. Events were eventually set in motion leaving the city in danger from an erupting volcano. In a final act of friendship, she ultimately sacrificed herself to save the city. Now merged with the Earth she controlled and manipulated, the Titans searched for a way to restore her. When Trigon was destroyed at the hands of Raven, everyone in the world that was turned into stone was changed back. It is possible that Trigon's death also managed to free Terra from her stony prison but it is still unclear what could have seemingly erased her mind.
Upon returning from a globe-trotting adventure, Beast Boy was shocked to discover a school girl who looked exactly like Terra. Finding Terra's petrified tomb empty, Beast Boy was convinced that Terra had indeed returned - and he pleaded with her to return to the team. None of the other Titans actually met this girl in person, yet each offers separate opinions and theories concerning her, as well as acknowledging neither Cyborg's chemical analysis or Raven's magical mystical spells were effective in reversing the process. (It was never mentioned, but it is possible that after Trigon took over the Earth and turned everybody except the Titans to stone, when Raven defeated her father and everybody reverted from stone to human flesh that Terra reverted back to normal as well.) But the girl insisted that "things change" and she was not the girl he knew, and respecting her wishes, Beast Boy was able to let go of the past and look toward his own future, with the girl to walk down her own path, her back to a past that would be forever lost to her.
They gasped.
Lori Jimenez: Wow.
Sarah Gunnerson: That explains why Slade haunted you in the past.
Gwen Tennyson: No kidding. It's awful that he did all that to you.
Tara: Yeah.
Gwen Tennyson: My story is different.
Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson is an Anodite Plumber, the paternal cousin of Ben Tennyson, and was a main member of his team during the first 3 shows.
In the original series, Gwen went on a road trip with Grandpa Max and her cousin Ben. She and Ben constantly argued (like about Ben misusing the watch or about Gwen's powers) however they were shown to deeply care for each other. Gwen also shows deep affection for her Grandpa.
Gwen also uses newspapers and her laptop to research any strange people and creatures they might come across. She is a capable gymnast and has had some training in martial arts.
In Ben 10,000, her future self says she got her black belt years ago and it's come in handy many times. She has also shown an almost innate skill in using various complicated devices or objects, such as in the "What If?" episode Gwen 10, when Gwen gained the Omnitrix instead of Ben and proved to be far more adept in its use than he initially was, even being able to write her name with fire while Ben took a month to be able to do it (although she may be able to use it better because of her powers).
She is depicted as snobbish due to her young girl attitude. Overall, her most notable skill is her innate, if latent, ability at magic. Having within her what Charmcaster calls a "magical aura", Gwen is capable of using various magical artifacts, charms, talismans, and spells. When using the magical, luck-giving Charm of Bezel, she was able to activate it instinctively, whereas Hex did or could not. Later on, when she takes and uses his staff, she was able to make it fire a yellow-colored energy blast (according to Charmcaster), only someone of Hex's skill should have had that ability.
Gwen starts tapping into magical powers when she procures a small book of spells from Charmcaster in the episode A Change of Face. On two occasions, Gwen uses the Charms of Bezel's incredible and unique powers and abilities to become a superhero by the name of "Lucky Girl". At first, her ability drew from the luck-granting, Charms of Bezel, which innately gave her perfect luck and the abilities and powers of probability manipulation. While wearing the charm, any action she took would result in a Rube Goldberg-style chain reaction benefiting her original intent, but usually injuring Ben in the process. She later brought back her superhero identity after obtaining the legendary Keystone of Bezel, which greatly strengthened and increased her natural abilities to superhuman levels rather than just affecting her luck. Both times, Gwen was forced to retire when the Charms of Bezel were destroyed. Gwen has also appeared to have two swimsuits; one which appeared in Divided We Stand and the other appeared in A Small Problem.
In Perfect Day, a superhero form was given to her by Ben as a form of petty torment while they were inside Ben's dream battling his imaginary bullies. In this form, she only exhibited the power of enhanced biting. Ben called her Ultra Rat.
Gwen forms a rivalry with Charmcaster during the series.
Five years prior to Omniverse
In Ben Again, Gwen is intrigued by the sudden increase in maturity of the 11-year-old Ben whose mind has been switched with 16-year-old Ben. Eventually, she helps to defeat Eon and her memory is erased about the events of the episode except for a thing that 16-year-old Ben in 11-year-old Ben's body told her in a vague memory.
Gwen is now a black belt in karate, but tends to favor using her powers. She is capable of creating energy constructs for nearly any purpose, usually creating platforms to levitate herself (and others), beams to grab enemies, circular blasts to knock enemies back, projecting beams from her eyes that seem to simulate heat vision, and opening up interdimensional portals.
In the episode Everybody Talks About the Weather, Kevin said she gets her powers and abilities from her alien bloodline, but she refused to believe him. Little did she know that she would find out he was right in What Are Little Girls Made Of?.
Her powers and abilities are revealed to be of alien descent; her paternal grandmother, Verdona, is an energy being known as an Anodite; from the distant planet Anodyne, and surprisingly she seems to be the only human descendant who inherited Verdona's powers. Verdona tells Gwen that what she and others originally thought of as "magic" was actually the control of mana, a substance of magic-making Anodites; a magic-wielding race. Verdona offers to take Gwen to her home planet and train her in the immense mystical and magical ways of the Anodites, but Gwen prefers to remain on Earth with Ben and Kevin. She dislikes being called an "energy being", referring to her Anodite heritage.
In Unearthed, an alien creature was able to see her as an Anodite, in which she looked exactly like her paternal grandmother's true form, but slightly shorter. In the two-part second season finale War of the Worlds: Part 1 and Part 2 when Kevin was threatened by a Highbreed Commander, she released her dormant innermost Anodite self for the first time, and easily defeated the commander with an exceedingly strong powerful burst of pure magenta-pink glowing energy. She was almost overwhelmed by her own power and wanted to defeat the Highbreed all on her own before Kevin snapped her out of it by saying "I can't lose you". They go out for a date after the second season finale.
During the course of the series she has developed a romantic relationship with Kevin. She stood out for Kevin when Ben questioned Kevin's loyalty. They have also been shown to have arguments, usually starting with Gwen always trying to force Kevin to "ask her out" and him always answering "Don't push me" (which she once did). They even almost kiss in the episode Darkstar Rising.
In the episode Save the Last Dance, Gwen has a dance in her prep school and expects Kevin to ask her out. The episode ended with Gwen and Kevin dancing together in the moonlight. In the same episode, it was revealed that she liked yellow roses.
In the episode Fool's Gold, Kevin appeared to be avoiding her because he was ashamed of his recent mutation due to accidentally absorbing a massive feedback pulse as a result of trying to hack the Omnitrix. She was unaffected by the blast because she put an energy shield around herself. Kevin gave her a locket of the two of them when he was in his human form, asking her to remember him as he was. Gwen said she didn't care what he looks like, and he replied "Maybe not. But I do."
In the two-part third season premiere, Vengeance of Vilgax, Ben and Gwen seemed to have revived their infamous rivalry from the original series, in part due to Ben's cockiness and inflated ego. In the same episode, Gwen poured a smoothie over Ben's head, and he nearly returned the favor. Despite their rivalry, they both still have a strong bond, visible in the episode In Charm's Way, when Ben defended Gwen and informed Kevin that she had been spending all of her spare time trying to find a cure for Kevin's condition.
Gwen suffers from both arachnophobia and claustrophobia.
In The Final Battle: Part 2, Kevin returns to normal after the Omnitrix self-destructs. Gwen then kisses Kevin on the lips thereby reviving their relationship.
Gwen is now sixteen years old. Her wardrobe has altered once again, wearing a combination of her outfits from Alien Force. She wears her old outfit from the first two seasons of Alien Force, but instead of a plain dark blue shirt it is now dark red and she also keeps her high ponytail from the third season.
In Hit 'Em Where They Live, Zombozo and other villains teamed up to take revenge on the Tennysons and company, and kidnapped Ben's mom Sandra. Enraged, Gwen released her dormant, inner Anodite for the second time since War of the Worlds: Part 2. Whilst Zombozo trembled with fear, Gwen began to grow to a huge height, promising that if one of his teammates (and other notable villains) even bumps into their families on the street, she would come for them. Petrified, Zombozo screamed off-screen and Gwen saved Sandra. When Kevin asked what happened to Zombozo she simply replied "We came to an understanding" whilst smiling.
In Video Games, she tries out for her driver's license, earning it in the end.
In the episode Hero Time, it is shown that Gwen gets very jealous when Jennifer Nocturne starts flirting with Kevin after he saved her life. Kevin also protected Jennifer a lot, over the course of the episode.
During her attempt to recover the first part of the Map of Infinity, she discovers it was hit by a poison dart and ends up fainting, causing Aggregor to catch the first fragment, but Kevin and Ben save her from near death.
In Reflected Glory, Gwen is comprehensive with J.T. and Cash. In the final part of the episode, Gwen is seen with her shirt torn and her hair disheveled, after she and Kevin face the RED's again. Gwen had the idea to use a mirror against RED's, and her powers apparently did not greatly affect the RED's.
In Deep, the group goes to the planet Piscciss to help Magister Pyke stop Aggregor. Gwen is caught by a squid-like creature, but Kevin revealed that he installed neuro-shock pulsers which can shoot lightning, allowing Gwen to get free. When they reach the nucleus of the planet Piscciss, an earthquake occurs. Gwen put an energy shield around them, but failed to protect Magister Pyke, so she stays with him while Kevin and Ben go after the second part of the Map of Infinity. However, Aggregor arrived first and fled with the second part of the Map of Infinity after defeating Ben and Kevin. When the planet begins to crumble, Ben as Goop saves the planet, re-constructing the lost water particles using Goop's artificial gravity immobilizer. When Ben apparently dies, Gwen is devastated, but when she sees that he survived, she feels immediate relief. At the end of the episode, Gwen consoles Kevin for having to leave the Blowfish in Piscciss.
In Where the Magic Happens, Gwen relies on Charmcaster to help her, Ben and Kevin survive traveling through Ledgerdomain to find the next piece of the Map of Infinity, the Alpha Rune. Along the way, she learns of Charmcaster's sad background and comes to sympathize with her nemesis.
In The Forge of Creation, Gwen travels with Ben and Kevin to stop Aggregor from absorbing a newborn Celestialsapien's powers. Young Ben comes along as Ben accidentally falls in the time barrier. Gwen, Kevin, and even Ben became annoyed with young Ben. However everyone eventually understands why Young Ben is so arrogant and cocky, when dealing with the pressure and the danger that could kill somebody, Gwen's first-cousin tends to joke around so he can be prepared to face anything. Unfortunately, everyone was easily defeated by Aggregor, who seems to have won, but Kevin absorbed the immense energy of the Ultimatrix as a last resort, defeating him but becomes insane in the process.
In ...Nor Iron Bars a Cage, Gwen and Ben travel to Incarcecon to warn the warden about Kevin. The warden would have been killed if it were not for Gwen, (who saved him from crash landing using a much stronger version of the "Tur-bo" spell.) Ben implies Kevin needs to be "put down", which shocks Gwen.
In The Enemy of My Enemy, Ben and Gwen are shown to be having difficulties. The two argue about Kevin while trying to locate a ship. On the way, they stumble upon Argit, who needed a place to hide from Kevin. They travel to the Plumber's Academy in the Rust Bucket 3, only to be attacked by Kevin. They barely succeeded in defeating him, and Gwen said she turned the air lock on to send Kevin falling because she understood he would kill them if he had the chance. After Argit preformed his orders, Kevin attacks the Plumber's Academy. Ben uses Ultimate Echo Echo to deal with the nuclear bomb, while Kevin relentlessly attacked Argit. Gwen tells him to stop and to give himself up, but he knocks her down. Gwen remains there crying as Kevin spares her from his fatal blow, stating that she was only spared because of what she used to mean to him. Ben returns and the two have a conversation, Gwen says that they could still help Kevin, Ben replies that they cannot.
In Absolute Power, Gwen is more determined than ever to save Kevin. Ben disagrees with Gwen, opting to kill him now rather than a last resort. Gwen goes to Max, hoping he will disagree about killing Kevin, but her grandfather confirms that killing Kevin is the right decision. He also told Gwen that if she disagrees, she should leave Ben to do it and not get in the way. Gwen leaves, disappointed and angry, ready to take desperate measures as she goes to Michael Morningstar for help. Meanwhile, Ben goes off looking for Kevin, who's relentlessly going after anyone he thinks has betrayed him. Just as Kevin beats up Vulkanus, and begins to go after Ben, Gwen stops him, accompanied by Michael. Ben is infuriated by Gwen's alliance, but she makes a deal with Ben, and if her plan does not work, she would not bother him anymore in his decision. Gwen also admits that she promised Michael enough mana in return for his help that will keep him at full strength and power for one year, furthering Ben's anger toward her.
Michael explains he saved a part of the Dominus Librium, which can be used to turn Kevin back to normal. However, the machines and energy required to power it is only available at Los Soledad. In order to lead Kevin there, they need bait. Gwen suggests herself. Gwen goes to an abandoned arcade and confronts Kevin. He admits that he has been avoiding her so he will not absorb her energy, which he is desperately hungry for. They fight intensely, and Gwen tries talking some sense into Kevin. Unfortunately, this doesn't work and Kevin grabs a hold of Gwen and absorbs both her magical and Anodite powers, making her scream in pain. Gwen retaliates with a mega blast and escapes.
Michael and Ben travel with Gwen in the Rust Bucket 3 to Los Soledad, where Michael trapped Cooper to create a machine that could operate the Dominus Librium. Kevin goes to Gwen's house in search of more mana but finds Max. Another fight occurs, and just as Kevin is about to kill Max, Harvey, Kevin's step father, stops him. Ben appears after Kevin and Harvey's altercation and fights Kevin, yet again. They destroy the Rust Bucket at which point Gwen comes out. Kevin manages to disable Ben long enough so he can chase after Gwen. After a long chase, Ben returns and fights with Kevin once again.
Kevin defeats Ben, but little does he know that was all part of the plan. Gwen calls Cooper to tell him that Kevin will be there soon. Cooper tries to stall Kevin by using the weapons available at the military base, but Kevin dodges the missiles and approaches. Kevin and Ben fight, with Ben no longer holding back. In anger he almost kills Kevin but Gwen stops him, as they could still bring him back. They finally set Kevin to the machine, and Kevin is healed from his third mutation.
In It's Not Easy Being Gwen, it's revealed that Gwen takes her education very seriously. She is shown to come home late at all hours of the night and wakes up at 5:30am. She is involved in many activities, such as jogging, French, and after school karate classes.
After the events of Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, a sixteen-year old Gwen is seen with Ben and Kevin chasing Zombozo through Bellwood. Shortly after fighting and capturing Zombozo, Gwen says her goodbyes to Ben because she is heading to college since she took honor classes. She then tells Ben to stay out of trouble and gets into the car with Kevin (who also reveals that he will be staying with Gwen, but near campus), then the two drive off, leaving Ben to deal with Zombozo.
Sometime later, she makes the decision to take up the mantle of Lucky Girl again. Kevin is with her when it happens.
In Many Happy Returns, Gwen returns with Kevin to visit for the week. She returns with an all-new look, similar to when she was a kid. They mark their return by saving Ben as Rath from a burning building when he was trying to save a toy. The next day, they go for Smoothies, only to be attacked by Princess Looma Red Wind and Kevin revealing that he was forced to marry her in order to get the engine block he needed for his ship, and later his car. After battling Looma again, Gwen shows her new Anodite form to try to finish it, but Looma's father intruded by re-forcing Kevin to marry her. Ben defeats Looma, but he later finds out it just made him Looma's fiancée. Kevin awkwardly leaves, not telling Ben he just came to Bellwood to "pawn" Looma on him. Gwen assures Ben that she will make frowning faces on the ride back and the two ride off.
In Gwen's new Anodite form, her clothes stay intact but with a different design reminiscent of her Lucky Girl outfit with the addition of a skirt with a belt. She now possesses blue gloves and in place of her glasses is a blue mask. Her shirt is a darker blue with a light stripe (the colors of her regular shirt become inverted), the cat face turns black with pink eyes and the shirt cuts off to reveal her stomach and navel. As for her physical appearance; her skin becomes a bright plum color and her eyes and hair glow a bright pinkish color, with her hair retaining her human half's length.
Gwen returns in Showdown: Part 2 where it is revealed that Grandpa Max used her to track Ben's location through his mana. She also goes along with Azmuth and Rook to the remains of Galvan B to find clues to solve the problem involving reviving the Galvanic Mechamorphs and defeating Malware. Gwen is seen again after Malware is defeated and is surprised that Kevin knows that Khyber's former dog is a girl. Gwen then flies back home along with Ben, Rook, Kevin, and Max.
Gwen is seen again in The Frogs of War: Part 2 where she, along with Rook, Kevin, and Argit are gathering supplies and weapons to fight against the invading Incurseans. However, they nearly get blasted by some Incurseans and escape outside avoiding the Way Bads. They eventually reach Ignacius Baumann's shop and Gwen and the others enter to the back. Gwen breaks up an argument between Rook and Kevin and suggests breaking Grandpa Max out of the Plumber base. As she and the other prepare to do so, they are stopped by Attea and a bunch of Incurseans. However, an alien by the name of Bullfrag fights away the Incurseans and leads them to a ship. Bullfrag gets knocked out by Kevin and gets tied up demanding answer. Gwen then looks into Bullfrag's eyes and tells Blukic to let him go. The group eventually reaches the Plumber base and they free Driba and Grandpa Max and Bullfrag goes up to him saying "Grandpa" revealing to be actually Ben but Attea soon appears behind them. Kevin is surprised and Gwen tells him that who else comes up with a name like "Bullfrag." Gwen then blasts Attea becoming annoyed with the flirting. Gwen then hears the story on how Ben survived in space and unlocked Bullfrag. Gwen is seen again after the capture of Milleous but soon knows that Attea was playing them the entire time. Gwen and the others are forced to watch Attea leaving with the entire Incursean army as if anything hasn't happened. As Ben says that he wants a smoothy if a Way Bad hasn't destroyed all of them, Gwen remarks "Ben Tennyson is back."
Gwen returns from college in Mud Is Thicker Than Water. She visits Ben at the Plumber Headquarters while Rook and Kevin head off to an auto-show, only to find out that her cousin, Lucy Mann, has become a plumber. They realize that their plumber technology has been stolen by a spy. She and Ben then saved the power core from exploding, which was used as a distraction so that the spy can steal their plumber tanks. She suspected that Lucy was the spy as she arrived since the threat started. After which, they decided to move all the plumber tech off the planet, starting from the Anihilaarg, which Blukic and Driba had fixed. Psyphon's Gang then attacks the plumber ship and took the Anihilaarg. Gorvan, was then revealed to be the spy among the plumbers. Suddenly, the plumbers arrive to take on Psyphon and his gang. Psyphon was shocked and he blames Gorvan for telling the plumbers their location, but Lucy, disguised as Liam, revealed herself and she was the one who told them their location, making Psyphon even more angry. Gorvan tries to escape with the Anihilaarg, only to be stopped by Gwen using her judo techniques learned for nine years. Psyphon and his gang is stopped by Ben as Crashhopper. Suddenly, Vilgax arrives, scaring Psyphon, only to be Lucy as Vilgax in disguise. Psyphon was then defeated by Lucy in her Lenopan form and Crashhopper. Gwen throws the Anihilaarg at Ben, only to be revealed it was a fake one to use as bait to stop the threat. Back at the Plumbers Headquarters, Gwen apologizes to Lucy for suspecting her but Lucy did not mind at all, and the two of them started talking in the end.
Gwen, Kevin and Zed are seen in the Rust Bucket 3 in For a Few Brains More. They helped Ben, Rook and Grandpa Max but Gwen failed to save the Proto-TRUK, which ended up being damaged with Grandpa Max and Rook passing out. Khyber attacks Kevin and Zed takes his Panuncian. Gwen helps Rook and Grandpa Max up, with Azmuth removing her spectacles. Albedo as Ultimate Gravattack takes Azmuth's brain from Ben as Gwen traps Khyber using a few planks. Ben transforms into Pesky Dust to get information from Khyber about Albedo's location in his dream. Gwen's shield broke from Khyber's Panuncian and Rook shoots at it. Gwen traps it as Kevin removes the Nemetrix with the help of Ben as Water Hazard. The team head of to Billions Tower to confront Albedo. Gwen shoots mana at Albedo but her attacks got reflected and she was knocked out. The team was then trapped by Albedo's power, Azmuth transforms Ben into Bloxx and frees the team. Albedo transforms into Ultimate Humungousaur and hits Ben. Azmuth transforms Ben into a new alien, Atomix, who easily takes out Ultimate Humungousaur. He hits Gwen and the rest of the team up to high altitudes as he finishes Albedo, who transforms into Ultimate Spidermonkey, with a blast. Azmuth receives his brain back as Albedo turns into his eleven-year old Ben look, altered by Azmuth, the team just watches him.
Gwen makes an appearance in Mystery, Incorporeal, in which Ben and Rook start at Friedkin University. She, Kevin and Zed eventually help Ben to fight a Stone Creature, and to investigate who was behind the attacks of the creatures. Once the team finds that it was Darkstar's doings, Ben, Rook, Kevin, and Zed fight many obstacles, including a fully-powered Morningstar who has absorbed Gwen's powers. The team eventually stops him and saves Gwen with the help of Ben as Ghostfreak. Soon Ben saves the day and Gwen attains her first mystical Charm of Bezel, also providing the ability to telekinetically fly at high speeds. For saving the day, Ben is given an honorary degree and he and Rook leave for Bellwood.
In Charmed, I'm Sure, although Gwen did not make an on-screen appearance, Rook was texting her throughout the episode. Rook mentioned that they talk a lot, and she told him all about Charmcaster. She helped Rook on Ben's poor skin condition, as well as to carry magical supplies such as her spellbook to try and cure Ben's skin and defeat Charmcaster. Ben thinks that Gwen was trying to do something bad, but Rook does not agree to it. However, most of the spells Gwen asked Rook to try did not work as Rook was not in close proximity to the Alpha Rune until the end where Charmcaster held possession of it. In the end, Gwen told him that it was due to Swampfire's growth phase into its new form that caused Ben's poor skin condition.
Gwen makes an appearance in the two-part episode Weapon XI: Part 1 and Weapon XI: Part 2 where she receives a coded message from Kevin. She, along with Rook and Ben then set off to find the Amalgam Kids. Then, together with Argit and Zed, the team sets off to find Kevin and take on the Rooters in the Null Void. Servantis then turns the Amalgam kids and Kevin against Ben, forcing Gwen, Rook, Ben and Zed to take them on. Gwen and Rook then take on Swift and Leander who are defending the Null Void Projector after escaping from the Mutant To'kustars while Ben goes into the Rooter's Headquarters to take on Kevin, who absorbs his Omnitrix and mutates for the fifth time. Gwen was knocked out by Swift and was hurt. Fortunately, Rook immediately saves her from the exploding generator of the Null Void Projector which Swift and Leander attacked at. Gwen then wonders how they would get out while Ben, as Swampfire is still struggling with Kevin's attacks, eventually passing out. Kevin then surprises Servantis and shocks the Amalgam kids by knocking out his loyalty neuro-matrix and is locked out of their heads for good. Gwen, Rook and Zed arrives and were glad Kevin did not turn insane, thanks to the first brain spark from Servantis. The Plumbers then arrive with the Magistrata, having the Rooter's plumber status revoked and the Plumber tech confiscated, leaving them stranded in the Null Void with the Mutant To'kustars. Gwen is then seen talking to Kevin about the letter containing his coded message as Ben is eager to eat, wishing The Rooters luck when facing the Way Bads.
Gwen makes an appearance in Charm School, where she was attending class conducted by her favorite teacher Hex. They have got over their conflicts as Hex has put his past behind him and is a professor in her school. She was surprised to notice Charmcaster in her school, so she decided to talk to her. Later, she called Ben and Rook over to her school on the case. Ben attacked Hex but Gwen later explained to him that Hex is a good guy now, proven by using her magic spell that confirms that all the students did not get any influence or brainwashed by Hex, that he was completely normal. She then faces Charmcaster, who has turned Hex into a Stone totem and obtained his staff. As Lucky Girl, Gwen gave everything she got in the face off with Charmcaster, but none of her spells and attacks work on her. She then casted a spell which she can form clones of herself, as a distraction so that she could grab Hex's stone totem. Together with Ben, as Ghostfreak, Kevin, Rook and Zed, they led Charmcaster into Hex's library in the school as Gwen had a plan in mind. When Charmcaster reached the library, Gwen blasted her and Charmcaster assumes she was about to give up. But because Gwen was holding onto Hex's stone totem, it gives her access to his library and all the magical powers, making her even more powerful. This time, Charmcaster's attacks do not work on her as Gwen grabs Hex's staff. As Charmcaster was about to make another attack, she quickly opened a portal to Ledgerdomain and sent both Charmcaster and Hex into that dimension. Gwen now holds possession of her favorite teacher's library of magical artifacts and his staff, leaving her with a huge responsibility to take care off, as well as having a lair for her Lucky Girl in campus. The episode ends with Kevin and Rook going off to the auto-show with an excuse, and Ben left in school, who is trying to figure out on how to get back to Bellwood.
In Third Time's a Charm, Gwen is lured to Ledgerdomain when trying to get Kevin's car back. Charmcaster appears and transforms Gwen into a stone totem, which she puts into her bag. There, Gwen encounters Hex, Darkstar and Addwaitya, who are too busy bickering with one another to help her escape. Gwen comes up with her own plan, drawing a magic circle on the inner bottom of the bag and tricking Charmcaster into reaching in and touching it. When she does, Charmcaster is transformed into a totem and all her victims restored to normal. The episode with Gwen keeping Charmcaster, who is sealed in her own bag, in her headquarters, remarking that she believes she and Charmcaster can become friends now that Charmcaster has been rendered harmless.
Gwen briefly appeared in The Most Dangerous Game Show where she is among the contestants to compete for Ben's hand in marriage. However, she was quickly eliminated before the competition started after Ben told Zenith that they were cousins, along with other family members who are already related to him.
At the end of A New Dawn, after watching the universe created, Ben called Gwen to get Kevin as he proposes that Ben, Gwen, Rook and Kevin go on a road trip together to explore the universe that they watched being created.
Sarah Gunnerson: Whoa! That is amazing!
Lori Jimenez: It sure was. I think it's so cool that you saw a lot of planets and places before joining the team Gwen.
Gwen Tennyson: Thanks Lori.
Yumi: My history is not much different.
Yumi went over her history.
Yumi was born in Kyoto, Japan, although her family immigrated to France when she was just an infant. Having been raised among traditional Japanese values, she shows complete respect for her parents, sometimes even to excess. She attributes a lot of importance to her origins, being more than proud of her Japanese heritage which can be seen when she firmly asserts her ethnic background as Japanese. She has even planned later to return to her roots.
Lori Jimenez: Whoa! X.A.N.A. must've been really tough.
Yumi: It was.
Jen: Here's my story.
She went over her history.
Jennifer Walters was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She was the daughter of Sheriff Morris Walters and Elaine Banner-Walters. Growing up she was meek and mousy and had little confidence. Jen later attended UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) where she gained her law degree. She began working as a lawyer in Los Angeles.
Jen was the also the cousin of Bruce Banner, whose house Jen used to visit during the summers of her childhood. To help him escape from his father's abuse, Jennifer and Bruce would spend hours in a public library, reading books to each other, and sometimes hiding at closing time to spend the night.
Blood Transfusion
Agents of Nicholas Trask, a crime boss who had crossed paths with Jen's father, shot and seriously wounded her on a day when her cousin Bruce was in town. She had been defending a gangster who had been double-crossed by Trask and offered to turn state's evidence, which would be sufficient to ruin Trask if the case went to trial. Bruce fended off the attackers and then broke into a doctor's office to treat her. Realizing Jennifer was going to die, Bruce gave her a transfusion of his own blood as there were no other supplies in such an emergency.
After she stabilized, he had her admitted to a local hospital. However, this came to the attention of the police, who considered Bruce a suspect in Jennifer's attack and Bruce changed into the Hulk to flee. Meanwhile, Trask's thugs attempted a second hit on Jennifer, causing the danger to activate gamma radiation particles in the transfused blood, turning her skin green and increasing her size to well over six feet. The goons were taken aback at what happened, and commented "it's some kinda she-hulk". Jennifer's voice boomed out "You called me a She-Hulk, so that's what I'll be," and trapped the thugs for the police to find. With the emergency over, she reverted to her normal size and strength.
She-Hulk
Although Jennifer was at first savage while in her She-Hulk form, she eventually gained the same intelligence that she had as the normal Jennifer Walters. She quickly came to appreciate the confidence and assertiveness that came with being the She-Hulk. For a long time, she felt more comfortable in her She-Hulk form than her human one. Trask paid off a local trucker to keep quiet about a shipment coming in from Stark Industries containing advanced technology. He had the trucker killed as well as the men turning state's evidence, laying the blame on the She-Hulk. He tried to kill Jen again but ended up killing Jill Ridge. The contents of the crates were revealed to be robotic parts to which he built a "She-Hulk Robot," but she was able to destroy it. Trask abducted Sheriff Walters, giving him more advanced weaponry from Stark Industries to kill the She-Hulk, keeping him ignorant that she was his daughter. Trask even rigged it so it would explode killing them both.
She-Hulk spotted the flaw and save herself and her father. Trask next constructed a massive earth-boring device called the "Silver Serpent" using the Stark tech. He planned to drain Roxxon Oil dry, allowing him to buy out the company. She-Hulk investigated and discovered the machine, but during the fight the drill continued to bore deep and deep in the Earth burying Trask alive.
Avengers
After a brief solo career (during which she met Hellcat), Jen joined the Avengers. This led to her being transported to Battleworld by the Beyonder and her participation in the first Secret Wars, most notable to her for sparking along-standing rivalry with the newly empowered Titania.
Fantastic Four
She temporarily replaced the Thing in the Fantastic Four after the war on Battleworld. She-Hulk was granted detached membership status with the Avengers upon joining the FF.
During her tenure with the Fantastic Four, the She-Hulk had to prevent a radiation leak in a downed S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier. This radiation exposure apparently mutated Jennifer to the point that she could not transform back into her original form. But this was an agreeable turn of events for her since she preferred her She-Hulk form anyway. Shortly after that, she appeared before the Supreme Court, where she battled Titania.
Rejoining the Avengers
After the Fantastic Four, She-Hulk rejoined the Avengers following the Masters of Evil's attack on the mansion. During this tenure with the team, She-Hulk and the other members were influenced by Doctor Druid and his lover, Nebula, to appoint him chairman of the team. After Druid and Nebula were lost in space-time, She-Hulk and the two remaining members disbanded the team for a time. Jen eventually returned to the group after Captain America restarted the Avengers.
She-Hulk joined the staff of District Attorney Blake Tower, where she met Louise "Weezi" Mason, formerly the Golden Age superheroine called the Blonde Phantom; during this period, she discovered that Mason had manipulated Towers into hiring She-Hulk so that Mason could again star in a comic book and thus avoid dying of old age. Mason's husband, also a former comic book character, had passed away three years ago, but other, more popular characters from the era, such as Captain America and Namor the Sub-Mariner, were still around.
Sarah Gunnerson: Whoa! That is amazing!
Jen: Yep. I became the heroine She-Hulk as a result.
Lori Jimenez: I think that is so cool.
Gwen Tennyson: What about your story Sarah?
Sarah Gunnerson: My story is something I don't like to talk about but here goes. You know how me and Lori met when we were in kindergarten.
Sarah is the smart, sassy female of the group who loves to speak her mind. A fearless and shrewd Chaotic player, she is the most likely to get into a fight with the boys and/or the other players. Sarah is not afraid to take on a Creature who makes her angry, so the boys sometimes have to drag her out of danger in Perim. Like most of the main female protagonists in any animated series, she's very protective of the boys and would do anything to help them. Sarah seems to have a close relationship with Tom throughout the series, and she has revealed that she might have a crush on him. Since Sarah has a life-long interest in insects, she's naturally drawn to the ant-like Danians. She normally goes on Scanquests alone in order to get powerful scans if for no other reason than to gloat. She usually finds herself saving Tom, Kaz, or Peyton at least once when she brings them with her. She probably (like Kaz and Peyton) has a mixed deck but it mostly consists of Danians. She has so far been shown playing in a battledrome once (aside from the codemaster battle scene in Battle Lessons) in the episode A Flux Too Far, in which she battles and defeats Tom in the Hotekk Drome. She has no favorite Creature in particular, but she seems to like Wamma and Valani Levaan. (She also has a tendency to show the Danian Queen much respect). Her username is ChaotiKween.
Lori Jimenez: Sarah doesn't like talking much about her story very well. But when we got into Chaotic it was interesting.
Gwen Tennyson: What is your username for Chaotic, Lori?
Lori Jimenez: My username is FirefLori. It's life Firefly but without the L and Y and my name is at the end.
Tara: Wow!
Lori Jimenez: It sure is. Also do you guys still have the ability to transform into sharks?
Tara: I thought J.D. said that was only temporary.
Lori Jimenez: Sometimes it can still linger. Try it on your hands.
The girls did so and concentrated and then they saw their skin change color and their fingers turned into claws and Jen's hand grew the wings of a ray of out her arm.
Tara: We still have that power!
Jen: But how?
Gwen Tennyson: It must be only in case we need to use it.
Lori Jimenez: That could be the case.
They went back to shopping after a great lunch and had a great time and they later came back with a lot of bags full of stuff.
Me: Hey girls.
G1 Snarl: How was Girls' Night Out?
Tara: It was awesome!
Sarah Gunnerson: We had a wonderful time at the mall.
Laney: Glad you all had fun.
They went up to Sarah's room.
Later we see Vanzilla 2 driving down the highway. Rita, Me, Nico and the Loud Kids were heading to the North Michigan Insane Asylum to visit Leena Loud, Lynn's twin sister that hurt Lincoln because of Schizophrenic Delusions.
Lana: I've never met Leena before.
Me: Me neither Lana. But it's just awful that she would hurt Lincoln like that.
Nico: I know. I can't believe she would do such a thing and it's not her fault.
Lily: Yeah. I've never even known her.
Lola: Same here.
Lisa Loud: Negative for me.
Lucy Loud: It has been a while since I saw her. I was only 2 when she was with us.
Laney: I don't even remember her because I was only a baby at the time.
Lincoln: It was a strange time for us Laney.
Me: I feel really sorry for her though. She doesn't know the difference between what's right and what's wrong.
Nico: Me too. She probably can't control herself.
Lynn: Yeah.
Rita: Well I visit her once a year and I miss not having her in the house.
Me: Was she an athlete like Lynn?
Rita: She sure was J.D. She had amazing gifts in sports like Jr.
Lynn: I would've had an awesome sports partner.
Nico: You sure would.
Leni: It would be cool to have her with us though.
Lyra: It sure would.
Liberty: Yeah.
Me: Here we are guys.
We arrived at the North Michigan Insane Asylum.
Me: North Michigan Insane Asylum.
We went into the insane asylum and we were escorted by Dr. David Lebowski to Leena's cell.
Lori: Doctor, is Leena really that crazy?
Dr. Lebowski: Leena is not that crazy Lori. She is not nearly as bad as Lila Rossi or Margaret White. We got her under control with medicine and therapy.
Me: That's a relief.
We arrived at her cell and he opened the door and we went in. We saw Leena. She was a girl at Lynn's age and she had a scar on her cheek and her brown hair is in a ponytail and she had asylum patient clothes on.
Rita: Leena?
Leena: Yes?
Rita: Its been a while sweetie.
Leena: Mom! I am so happy to see you.
They hugged.
Lori: Its literally been a while sis.
Leena: Lori? Wow! You've gotten so tall and big.
Lori and Leena hugged her.
They hugged her and it was a joyous reunion.
Me: Leena it's a pleasure to meet you.
Leena: Wow! J.D. Knudson of Team Loud Phoenix Storm. It's such an honor to meet you.
Me: Same to you. I'm sorry you were locked up in here.
Leena: I know but it was for the best. I'm too sick to even be let out of here.
Nico: That's understandable.
Rita: Oh Leena. These are your sisters Laney, Lana, Lola, Lisa and Lily.
Laney: Its been a long time sis.
Lana: It's a pleasure to meet you.
Lola: Same here.
Lisa Loud: Greetings fellow eldest sibling.
Lily: Its a pleasure to meet you.
Leena: Wow. It really has been a while hasn't it? I've missed out on so much.
Lily: I know.
We got to talking and we had a nice chat with her. We talked about some of our adventures and had a nice talk with her.
Leena: Wow! You all have been through so much together.
Me: We sure have Leena. I'm sorry you can't come home because of your condition.
Leena: I know. But maybe I can come home to see you guys on the major holidays.
Me: That sounds like a good plan. We'll have you over on July 4th, Independence Day.
Leena: Awesome idea.
Nico: Good thinking.
Me: Cool.
We talked it over with the doctors and arranged for Leena to come over to the mansion on the major holidays: New Years, Valentines, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It was perfect for her.
Later we were watching our favorite movie series: THE LORD OF THE RINGS! We were first watching Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring.
Galadriel: I amar prestar aen. The world is changed. Han matho ne nen. I feel it in the water. Han mathon ned cae. I feel it in the earth. A han noston ned gwilith. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf-Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. Deep in the land of Mordor, in the Fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring to control all others, and into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free lands of Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring, but there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared another bearer. The Ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. And there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind, and in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived its time had come. It abandoned Gollum, but then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable: a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.
Following his 111th birthday party, Bilbo Baggins gives the Ring to his nephew, Frodo. After some time, the wizard Gandalf the Grey begins to suspect Bilbo's magic ring may be The One Ring, lost for over three-thousand years, and rides to Minas Tirith for discernment and confirmation of this suspicion - he is taken to a small room filled with many books and historical documents. After poring over old documents for months, he finds the account of the finding of the One Ring. Gandalf learns that the Ring has several lines of Black Speech written on it that are only visible if the Ring is heated with fire. He returns to Bag End only to learn that the ring Frodo has been holding onto is, in fact, Sauron's One Ring. Gandalf tells Frodo to leave the Shire immediately with the Ring. Gandalf catches Samwise Gamgee eavesdropping by a window and decides to send him along with Frodo. Gandalf rides to Isengard to meet with Saruman the White who reveals to Gandalf that the Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths, have left Minas Morgul to capture the Ring and kill whoever carries it. Gandalf attempts to flee to warn Frodo, but Saruman, having already been corrupted to Sauron's cause, imprisons Gandalf atop his tower Orthanc. Gandalf is then forced to watch as Saruman, following Sauron's orders, commands the Orcs of Isengard to construct weapons of war and produce a new breed of Orc fighters called the Uruk-Hai.
While traveling to the town of Bree, Frodo and Sam are soon joined by fellow hobbits, Merry and Pippin. After encountering a Ringwraith on the road, they manage to reach Bree only to discover that Gandalf hasn't arrived yet. Instead, Frodo meets a man called "Strider", who agrees to lead them to Rivendell. They continue traveling and spend the night on the hill of Weathertop, where they are attacked by the Nazgûl. Strider fights off the Ringwraiths, but Frodo is grievously wounded by one of the wraiths that stabbed him with a Morgul blade, which will cause him to turn into a wraith if not attended to with the proper care. While chased by the Nazgûl, Frodo is taken by the Elf Arwen to the Elven haven of Rivendell, and healed by her father, Elrond (the leader of the Elves at the battle of Mount Doom three-thousand years before). Arwen also uses her magic to cut off the pursuing Ringwraiths at the Ford of Bruinen, summoning a surge of water that sweeps the Ringwraiths away.
In Rivendell, Frodo finds Gandalf, who explains why he didn't meet them at Bree and that he had escaped Orthanc and Saruman's clutches with the help of an eagle. Later, Elrond calls a council to decide what should be done with the Ring. Elrond warns against keeping the Ring in Rivendell for long, knowing that the Elven realm could come under attack from both Mordor and Isengard. The Ring can only be destroyed by throwing it into the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. Frodo volunteers to take the Ring to Mount Doom and is accompanied by his hobbit friends and Gandalf, as well as Strider, who is revealed to be Aragorn, the rightful heir to the throne of Gondor. Also travelling with them are the Elf Legolas, the Dwarf Gimli, and Boromir, the son of the Steward of Gondor. Together they comprise and become the Fellowship of the Ring.
The Fellowship sets out and tries to pass over the Misty Mountains by the mountain pass of Caradhras. Saruman creates an enormous storm, triggering avalanches and heavy snowfall, which nearly wipes out the Fellowship. At Gimli's insistence, they decide to seek safety and travel under the mountain through The Mines of Moria. Frodo agrees, but while travelling they are attacked by the Watcher in the Water, forcing them to travel through the mines. Inside, they encounter Goblins and a cave troll in the Chamber of Mazarbul, and encounter a Balrog, an ancient demon of fire and shadow, at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Gandalf faces the Balrog on the bridge and manages to send it plunging into the abyss below, but the monster drags him down with it. The group escapes the underground realm and flees into the Elven realm of Lothlórien, where they are sheltered by its rulers, Galadriel and her husband Celeborn. That night, Frodo meets Galadriel, who tells him that it is his destiny to handle the Ring and ultimately destroy it. Before they leave, Galadriel gives Frodo the Phial of Galadriel, and the other members also receive gifts from them. Taking the straight path to Mordor, they travel on the River Anduin towards Parth Galen.
After landing at Parth Galen, Boromir tries to take the Ring from Frodo, believing it to be the only way to save his realm, but Frodo escapes him. Aragorn encounters Frodo, but unlike Boromir, Aragorn manages to resist the Ring's temptation and chooses not to take it. Knowing that the Ring's temptation will be too strong for him or anyone else that is in the fellowship, Frodo decides to leave them and go to Mordor alone. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship are attacked by Uruk-hai, who Saruman had ordered to hunt down the Fellowship and take the Ring. Aragorn and the fellowship distract the Uruk-hai so that Frodo can escape; Merry and Pippin, also realizing that Frodo is leaving, distract the orcs, allowing Frodo to escape. As Boromir rushes to the aid of the two hobbits, he is mortally wounded by the Uruk commander Lurtz. Before Lurtz can finish off Boromir, Aragorn arrives and attacks Lurtz, decapitating him after a short but brutal fight. As he lies dying, Boromir regrets having attempted to steal the Ring and is forgiven by Aragorn. Merry and Pippin are then captured, prompting Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas to begin their pursuit of the orcs with the intent of rescuing the hobbits - leaving Frodo to continue his quest. Frodo returns to the banks of the river and begins rowing across when Sam appears and swims out after him, insisting he has promised Gandalf he would look after Frodo. Frodo accepts Sam's presence and together they continue their journey through the hills of Emyn Muil.
Next we watched The Two Towers.
In the Mines of Moria, the wizard Gandalf the Grey battles the Balrog of Moria on the Bridge of Khazad-dum in an attempt to allow the Fellowship of the Ring to escape. Gandalf casts the Balrog into the chasm below, but the demon pulls him down with it; the Fellowship believes he is dead, but he continues to fight the creature as they fall down into a huge subterranean lake in the depths of the Earth.
Days later, the Hobbit Frodo Baggins continues his journey with his loyal friend, Sam, through the hills of Emyn Muil. One night, the creature Gollum, wishing to retrieve "his precious" (the One Ring), attacks them. The Hobbits capture him, but Frodo understands the burden of the Ring and takes pity on the creature. Realizing they are in need of a guide, Frodo persuades Gollum to lead them to the Black Gate of Mordor.
In Rohan, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are in pursuit of the Uruk-hai, who are journeying back to Isengard with the hobbits Merry and Pippin as their captives. Meanwhile, King Théoden, the king of Rohan, is being held under a trance by GrÃma Wormtongue, who is secretly in the service of Saruman the White. Saruman is working towards the demise of Rohan. Orcs and the Dunlendings, incited by Saruman, are freely roaming the land, burning villages, massacring the Rohirrim people and destroying crops. In an attack on one of the villages, a mother sends her two children on horseback to Edoras to warn the King of the attacks. Recently, the King's only son Théodred fell victim to them, left mortally wounded in an ambush. Théoden's nephew Éomer interrogates GrÃma, labelling him a spy. GrÃma, however, convinces the King to banish Éomer "on pain of death" for undermining his authority. Éomer sets forth to gather the remaining loyal men of the Rohirrim and leave Rohan. That night, Éomer's army ambush and kill the party of Uruk-hai, allowing Merry and Pippin to flee into the forests of Fangorn. There, they meet Treebeard, the oldest of the Ents of Middle-earth.
Frodo, Sam and Gollum traverse the Dead Marshes, evading a Nazgûl riding on a winged beast. When they finally reach the Black Gate, they find it shut and heavily guarded by Orcs. However, as they watch, an Easterling contingent arrives and the gate opens for them to enter. Sensing a chance, Frodo and Sam get ready to move. However, Gollum, who confirms their fears of capture and insists that any attempt to get in via the Black Gate will only end with the One Ring returning to Sauron, holds them back. He then reveals that there is another way into Mordor, hidden and unguarded. Sam is immediately suspicious, but Frodo gives him the benefit of the doubt, pointing out that he has remained loyal thus far.
Éomer later encounters Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in Rohan. He tells the group that there were no survivors of the battle with the Uruk-hai the previous night, indicating that Merry and Pippin were accidentally slain. Upon arriving at the battle site, Aragorn picks up the tracks of the hobbits and the trio follows them into Fangorn. There they are approached and temporarily subdued by a wizard masked with shining white light. Initially fearing it is Saruman, the group are amazed when he reveals himself to be Gandalf reborn (after defeating the Balrog in a battle that cost him his life). Gandalf reveals that he is now known as Gandalf the White. The quartet proceed to Edoras, where they exorcise Saruman's hold on Théoden and banish Wormtongue. The now awakened Théoden has to come to terms with both his son's death and the threat of Saruman. Rather than risk open war and further harm to his people (especially after seeing the two exhausted children who finally arrived from the village), Théoden decides to flee to Helm's Deep, a large stronghold in the Mountains. Gandalf realises that Helm's Deep's defences will not survive the Uruk-Hai onslaught that is surely to come. He leaves to find Éomer, promising to return within five days with the 2,000 banished riders. As they lead the people of Edoras to Helm's Deep, Aragorn and Éowyn (Éomer's sister) form a close relationship. Aragorn tells Éowyn that Arwen, whom he loves, is leaving Middle-Earth to be with her people in the Undying Lands. In the meantime, Wormtongue has fled to Orthanc and informs Saruman of a weakness in the outer wall of Helm's Deep, which Saruman and his army of 10,000 Uruk-hai plans to exploit. Saruman dispatches his army to Helm's Deep, ordering them to spare no one.
Having led the Hobbits south from the Black Gate to the land of Ithilien, Gollum is in turmoil, torn between his loyalty to Frodo and his all-consuming need for the Ring. The three travellers then play witness to an ambush of Southrons by Rangers of Ithilien, who take Frodo and Sam prisoner. Meanwhile, on the journey to Helm's Deep, the Rohirrim are attacked by Saruman's Warg riders. During the battle, Aragorn is thrown off a cliff into a fast-flowing river below: Theoden, Legolas, Gimli and the others believe him dead and journey on to Helm's Deep. Elrond comes to his daughter Arwen and implores her to leave on the ships departing Middle-Earth, escaping the troubles of these lands. When she refuses, Elrond, in a devastating speech, uses his powers of foresight and reveals the darkness of Arwen's future if she chooses to remain in Middle-Earth with Aragorn. As he is mortal, Aragorn will eventually die even if he becomes King of Gondor, leaving Arwen to fade away with her grief when he is gone. Once again, Elrond pleads with her and she yields to him. As she leaves Rivendell, the words of Galadriel, concerning the plight of Men to defy Sauron, come to Elrond in that moment. She questions whether the Elves should wash their hands of Middle-Earth and points out that the Ring has maneuvered itself into the company of Men, which it can easily corrupt. Galadriel asks if they should abandon Men to their fate, even if it condemns Middle-earth to fall under Sauron's rule for all time.
Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam have been taken to Henneth Annûn, a stronghold for the Men of Ithilien, and brought before Faramir, Boromir's younger brother. Gollum had evaded capture and, in order to save him from death at the hands of Faramir's hunters, Frodo accepts that he and Gollum are bound to each other. Faramir investigates further and learns of the One Ring that Frodo carries. Seeking to prove his worth to his father, Denethor, he decides the Ring shall go to Gondor. In Rohan, Aragorn washes up on the riverbank and is nudged awake by the horse Brego, which formerly belonged to Théodred, and which Aragorn had set free before leaving Edoras. On the verge of collapse, he wills his horse to take him to Helm's Deep, passing Saruman's army of Uruk-hai on the way. His arrival at Helm's Deep is met with relief, but is short lived as the news of the approaching Uruk-hai horde casts doubt upon the survival of the defenders. As night falls, a battalion of Elves led by Haldir arrives from Lórien, bearing word of alliance and aid from Elrond. In Fangorn forest, Merry, Pippin, Treebeard and other Ents hold a council to decide on the role of the Ents in the war with Saruman.
The battle of Helm's Deep begins with a flurry of arrows from the defending archers, cutting down dozens of Uruk-hai. Scaling ladders are thrown up against the Deeping Wall and the Uruks swarm up to engage the defenders. At first the onslaught is stayed by the valour of the Rohirrim and of Aragorn and his companions. Suddenly, two crude explosive devices that Saruman created, allowing the Uruks entry into the outer defences, blow up the gutter in the Deeping Wall. Despite Aragorn and Gimli's best efforts, the Uruks manage to penetrate the main gate and soon the stronghold is overrun. In the midst of battle, Haldir is slain and the few remaining Elves fall back. In the Hornburg, the Uruks have scaled the walls and have breached the gate, forcing the defenders to retreat into the Keep. In Fangorn, Treebeard and the other Ents have decided to not have any involvement in the war, deciding rather to "weather such things as [they] have always done". Despite this, Pippin manages to cleverly take Treebeard to the section of Fangorn that Saruman has recently decimated near Isengard. Treebeard is filled with rage at Saruman's betrayal and commands all the other Ents to seek vengeance. The Ents gather and embark upon 'the Last March of the Ents', straight into Isengard itself.
Meanwhile, as Théoden despairs in the besieged Keep, Aragorn refuses to give in and, remembering Gandalf's words before he left Edoras, takes Théoden, Legolas and the remaining Rohirrim on one last gallant ride to attack the Uruk-hai army in a desperate bid to allow the Rohirrim's women and children to escape into the mountains. The riders storm out of the Keep and cut their way through to the fortress gate. As the riders emerge into the mass of Uruks, the first rays of dawn fall down into the valley and upon the eastern hill, Gandalf appears, accompanied by Éomer and his men.
They rush down into the body of the stunned Uruks and rout them: the terrified Uruk-hai flee into Fangorn, where the Ents and their Huorn allies swiftly exact retribution. Meanwhile, the Ents are take control of Isengard. They destroy the remaining Uruk-hai population and release the dam placed upon the river Isen, which gushes forth into the plains around Orthanc, drowning the surviving Orc defenders, quenching the fires of its industry and flooding Isengard, and stranding Saruman in his tower.
Away in the East, Faramir has had Frodo, Sam and Gollum taken to Osgiliath, a ruined city on the banks of the river Anduin between Mordor and Gondor; where there is a Ringwraith, again on a winged beast. With the help of Sam and Faramir, Frodo narrowly escapes the Ringwraith's efforts to capture him and the Ring (it nearly cost Sam his life because the Ring tried to make Frodo kill him). In an inspired monologue as he watches the Ringwraith fly off (and as victory scenes from the two battles are seen) Sam reflects on the state he and Frodo are in, on how their story may yet come to have a happy ending. Frodo is doubtful of this (especially because he nearly killed Sam) but Sam insists that they must still hold on to what they are fighting for: each other, and the fulfilment of their quest. Approaching them from the throes of battle, Faramir overhears them and realises these unassuming hobbits have a high doom before them which he can no longer hope to interrupt. He sets them free and helps them on their way. After the battle of Helm's Deep, Gandalf and the others ride up on horseback and gaze towards Mordor, and now know inevitable things have been set in motion. As Gandalf puts it, "The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-earth is about to begin." He remarks that hope now rests with Frodo and Sam, who have resumed their journey to Mordor with Gollum. Feeling betrayed by Frodo when he delivered him into the hands of Faramir's men, Gollum's darker self re-emerges and he decides to reclaim the ring by secretly leading Frodo and Sam to a creature he refers to only as "her", which Gollum's lighter self reluctantly agrees to and leads the hobbits on through the woods as Mordor is seen in the distance.
And lastly we were watching The Return of The King.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King picks up the story from the end of The Two Towers. The film begins with a flashback sequence where we discover how the character Gollum (Sméagol) first came across the One Ring. Before becoming Gollum he was a hobbit-like creature known as Sméagol. He is shown fishing with his cousin Déagol who, after being pulled in to the water by a large fish, discovers the One Ring in the river Anduin. Sméagol demands that Déagol give him the Ring for his birthday, but Déagol refuses. This leads to Sméagol violently strangling him to death and stealing the One Ring. After killing his cousin, Sméagol escapes to the Misty Mountains and slowly mutates into the creature known as Gollum. As this sequence ends, we see Frodo, Sam and Gollum approaching the mountains of Mordor with Mount Doom in view. Gollum is still leading them and Sam continues to have bad feelings on where Gollum will lead them to. Frodo, however, has full trust in the creature.
Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, King Théoden, Gamling and Eomer arrive at a ruined Isengard, which has been flooded out by the nearby Isen river. There, they meet with the Hobbits Merry and Pippin, who are enjoying food and "sitting on a field of victory". On entering Isengard, they are informed by the Ent Treebeard that it has been taken over by the Ents and that Saruman is imprisoned inside Orthanc.
Then, they confront the traitorous Wizard, Saruman, standing atop of his tower. Saruman says to King Théoden that they could be allies once more, but Théoden explains that they shall both have peace when Rohan avenges all the people killed at the Westfold and Helm's Deep by executing Saruman on a gibbet. Saruman mentions to Gandalf that Frodo is heading towards immediate doom and that Aragorn will never be crowned King of Gondor. He reveals to the others the PalantÃr which he kept in secret, and knows all the ways of the enemy. Then, they are informed by Saruman that Sauron is readying his forces for a final strike. Gandalf makes an offer with Saruman to come down from his tower and be spared, but Saruman attacks him with a cloud of fire instead. Luckily, the Wizard survives and he shatters Saruman's staff, thus casting him out of the order of Wizards. Before Saruman can give them more information, GrÃma Wormtongue arrives. Théoden says that GrÃma is freed of Saruman, and that he can surrender and be a Man of Rohan as he once was. GrÃma happily bows to Théoden; however, Saruman insults the Men of Rohan and claims that GrÃma will never be free and slaps him to the floor. In his anger, Wormtongue attacks Saruman, fatally stabbing him in the back. Legolas quickly fires an arrow into GrÃma, killing him, but he is too late to save Saruman, who plummets from Orthanc's top and is impaled on a watermill.
Treebeard informs the group that the Ents will return to fill up Isengard as they once did. As the watermill spins and Saruman is submerged below the water, he drops the PalantÃr from his sleeve. Pippin sights the PalantÃr in the water and jumps down from Aragorn's horse to get it. Upon finding the PalantÃr beneath the water, Pippin is told to give it to Gandalf, and he does so, but Gandalf is unsure in the Hobbit, and knows that he may be up to something.
The group then ride for Edoras, where they will celebrate their victory at Helm's Deep. That night, there is a post-battle party in the Golden hall at Edoras, where King Théoden is given the Cup of Kings by his niece, Éowyn, and addresses the people of Rohan, including Aragorn, of the men who died defending the gates of Helm's Deep and saving their country. Then, there is a huge feast where Éomer volunteers Gimli and Legolas into a drinking competition - eventually, Legolas wins after Gimli passes out. Éowyn gives Aragorn the Cup of Kings and Théoden joins her. He says that he is happy for her and that Aragorn is an honorable man. Théoden then says that it was not him who led their people to victory, but soon gets off the subject with Éowyn. Merry and Pippin are drunk and dancing, singing songs of the Green Dragon Inn in front of a large crowd of Rohan Men, who are enjoying the show. Pippin pauses for a moment to find Gandalf watching him but is quickly pulled back into the dance by Merry, and the pair continue to enjoy themselves. Aragorn then discusses with Gandalf the progress of Frodo and Sam on the quest to destroy the One Ring of power. Gandalf says he has received no news of Frodo and Aragorn says that every day Frodo moves closer to Mordor. Gandalf responds that his heart confirms Frodo is alive.
Elsewhere, near the Mountain of Shadow, Frodo and Sam are asleep whilst Gollum secretly sneaks away and confronts himself at a pool. Gollum/Sméagol argue with themselves over whether they will kill the Hobbits and take the Ring, but Gollum says that they shall lead Frodo and Sam up a stairway, where "she" will kill them. Then, from the Hobbits' remains, Gollum/Sméagol shall take the Ring. However, Sam suddenly attacks Gollum, having heard his plans, but is dragged away from him by Frodo, who does not believe that Gollum is a villain. Frodo leads Gollum away, who looks back at Sam, giving an evil grin. At Edoras, everyone is sleeping. Aragorn goes into the main hall where Éowyn lies sleeping. As Aragorn approaches to pull the quilt upon to her, Éowyn awakens briefly to tell Aragorn of a "Great Wave" flooding a great city, destruction and darkness. Aragorn listens and then watches as she falls back asleep.
Walking outside, Aragorn goes to Legolas, who is viewing the land, knowing that the Eye of Sauron is moving to his next target. Inside the hall, Pippin, fascinated by the seeing stone, takes it from Gandalf while he sleeps, and, ignoring Merry's urging to leave it alone, moves to touch the PalantÃr. Whilst gazing into the crystal ball, Pippin is suddenly spied by the Eye of Sauron who attempts to interrogate the Hobbit via psychic link. Barely able to resist the Eye's power, Pippin is nearly broken into submission, but Gandalf and Aragorn wrestle it from his tortured fingers. Pippin is left deeply shaken, but lives. Gandalf quickly rushes to Pippin in a panic and asks whether he revealed anything about Frodo and the Ring. Pippin confirms that he revealed nothing of Frodo and the Ring, but that he saw a dead, white tree in a courtyard of stone, with the city around it in flames.
The next morning, Gandalf, Aragorn, Théoden, Legolas, Gimli and the Hobbits Merry and Pippin meet in the great hall to decide on what is to be done with the information Pippin has provided. Gandalf is now certain that Sauron will come after Pippin, thinking he has the Ring. Pippin's vision, however, has revealed that Sauron's plan is to attack Minas Tirith, the capital city of Gondor. Having been defeated at Helm's Deep, Sauron has realized that Men might pose a threat to him. Sauron is not willing to let the force of Middle-earth unite against him. Gandalf says to Théoden that if the beacons of Gondor are lit, then Rohan must be ready for war, but Théoden says that because Gondor never went to aid them during the Battle of Hornburg, Rohan owes Gondor nothing. When Aragorn says that he shall go, Gandalf instead enigmatically urges Aragorn to travel south and use the "Black Ships" to come to the aid of Minas Tirith. He then mentions that things have been set in motion that cannot be undone — he rides for Minas Tirith, and that he won't be going alone... Pippin will be travelling with him. Leaving the Golden Hall, Gandalf says that of all inquisitive Hobbits, Pippin is the worst. Merry is furious with Pippin, saying that it is always him who causes trouble and this time, the enemy believes Pippin has the Ring, and because they will be looking for him, they must get Pippin out of Rohan. When Pippin asks if Merry is coming with him, Merry says nothing. In the stables, Pippin asks Gandalf on how far Minas Tirith, and Gandalf says that it would be three days 'as the Nazgûl flies'. Merry gives Pippin the remaining Longbottom leaves. Gandalf then makes a speedy depart for Gondor with Pippin on Shadowfax, leaving a heartbroken Merry behind.
Merry then goes on to view Gandalf and Pippin going away from Edoras, and Merry says to Aragorn that he has always been there for Pippin, and now he's gone, just like Frodo and Sam. Aragorn then says to Merry that there is one thing he learnt from Hobbits – they are very stout folk.
Meanwhile, Arwen is travelling with a company of Elves (including Figwit) toward the Grey Havens. On the journey, she has a vision of Eldarion, her future son by Aragorn, which convinces her to turn back to Rivendell. There, she urges her father Elrond to reforge Narsil, the sword of Elendil, so that it may be given to Aragorn. Elrond is resistant, until he realizes that Arwen is becoming mortal. He is told by Arwen that this is her choice, and that there is no ship that can take her away now.
Later, Elrond sadly watches as Narsil is reforged by Elf smiths.
Gandalf and Pippin, meanwhile, ride into the Kingdom of Gondor where they ride up a hill bank to view the huge and mighty White City of Minas Tirith – City of Kings. They ride up on Shadowfax up every level of the city, from the First up to the Seventh, until they reach the citadel of the city thousands of feet above the ground, right at the tip of a huge rock prow. On entering the Throne Room hall, Pippin notices the White Tree (From his vision) guarded by the Fountain Guards and Gandalf explains that the Gondorians believe that one day the White Tree will flower again, once a King returns to the throne of men. Also, Gandalf warns Pippin not to say anything to the current Steward of Gondor, Denethor, about the apparent death of his son, Boromir, and the fact of Aragorn returning to the throne of men, or to say anything at all.
Gandalf and Pippin go to confront Lord Denethor, seated on the Steward's throne, at the end of the great hall, where they discover that Denethor has nearly been driven mad by grief and is unwilling to ask for help in the defence of Gondor from Théoden and the Riders of Rohan, believing that Gandalf merely intends to use his forces to defeat the armies of Mordor, then replace him with Aragorn. Pippin, nonetheless, pledges his service to Denethor in gratitude for Boromir's heroic efforts to save Merry and him. Lord Denethor says he will raze the White City to the ground before there is a King to return to the throne of Men. Gandalf is furious that Denethor won't call or send for Rohan's aid but will just grieve whilst Mordor prepares their armies to crush Minas Tirith.
He leaves with Pippin following him, furious with the Steward's actions and walks across the citadel, telling Pippin about the line of Kings failing in Gondor, and about the White Tree withering because of this. The rule of Gondor was given over to lesser men. He also says that Sauron's forces will use a large block of fumes to cover Gondor's sky and allow the Orcs to pass onto the fields and conquer the city. Meanwhile, Frodo, Sam and Gollum continue their journey through woods near Gondor. Sam notices that the sky is growing darker every day, foreshadowing the foreboding events about to occur.
Then, Frodo notices a statue of a Gondorian King, but his head has been toppled, and another head, carved by Orcs, has been put in its place, mocking it. Then, a bright light from the Sun reveals the King's original head, with a crown of flowers around its top. Sam then says to Frodo "Look, the King's got a crown again!" But then the light goes behind the trees, and the original head of the statue goes dark once more. Frodo and Sam, with Gollum leading them, continue their journey.
The Lighting of the Beacons
That night, at Minas Tirith, Pippin prepares his Gondorian armor whilst Gandalf overlooks Mordor in the distance from a balcony. Gandalf explains the intensity of the time that has come; Sauron has gathered all that he can for his final war, a juggernaut army of not just orcs, but also Haradrim soldiers, great beasts and monsters from the south – and even mercenaries (men) from the sea. One way or another the end of Gondor as they know it has come. If the orcs take the city of Osgiliath, it would eliminate the defenses between Minas Tirith and the armies of Mordor. Pippin optimistically asserts the presence of the White Wizard on their side. But, Gandalf is less hopeful.
Gandalf also explains that Sauron has sent his most deadly and greatest servant to lead the forces of Mordor into war, who is assumed to be immortal against any living man – the Witch-king of Angmar – who was also the Nazgûl who struck Frodo down on Weathertop. He is the leader of the Ringwraiths and the most powerful of the nine, and Minas Morgul is his lair.
Meanwhile, as Gandalf says this, Frodo, Sam and Gollum move toward the evil city of Minas Morgul on their journey. Gollum then leads them to some stairs spanning up a huge cliff face in the Mountains of Shadow. Suddenly, the power of Minas Morgul draws the Ring close to it and Frodo goes with it. Gollum and Sam quickly move to pull him away, but as they do, a pillar of green fire rises from Minas Morgul and shoots up into the night sky.
At Minas Tirith, Gandalf, Pippin and the Gondorians witness the signal in the distance. At Minas Morgul, Frodo collapses and the city goes silent. Suddenly, the Witch-king swoops out of Minas Morgul on his fell beast, and lets out a terrible screech. This stuns Frodo, causing him to feel the wraith's blade. Then, the Witch-king's fell beast makes the call, and the huge army of Sauron marches out of Minas Morgul toward Gondor, led by the Witch-king, who swoops out in front of them.
Frodo, Sam and Gollum begin to climb toward the high pass of Cirith Ungol. As they do this, Sam suddenly grabs Gollum, warning him not to do anything to Frodo, and if he does, Gollum will be gone. Sam then continues to climb with Frodo, and Gollum looks up at him with an evil grin. At Minas Tirith, Gandalf realizes that the Mordor army is on the move. He quickly has Pippin climb up to the signal beacon located high above Minas Tirith and light it.
The Battle of Osgiliath
At the ruined city of Osgiliath, the Rangers here, led by the young captain of Gondor, Faramir, prepare their weaponry. Faramir is told that the Orcs are lying low across the river, scouts were sent to Cair Andros to give early warning in case the Orcs were to attack from the north. Secretly, on the river, the Orcs are making their move on large rafts. Among them, one hideously deformed Orc, Gothmog, is in immediate command. Gothmog orders his Orc troops to be quiet whilst they approach Osgiliath, in a surprise attack on the rangers.
As the Orcs draw closer towards the city, one soldier notices them approaching, and Gothmog quickly orders his demise. Then, an Orc archer kills the soldier and Faramir is called to the scene, where he instantly realizes that they are about to be attacked and Orcs are not attacking from the north. Then, Faramir quickly leads a heroic defence of the city, having all his men guard each side of the river bank, but the Orcs draw closer and Gothmog orders his troops to draw their swords and prepare to invade the city.
Faramir waits for the attack, his sword drawn, as the Orc rafts hit the shore and the Orcs inside them run into Osgiliath. Faramir then nods to his men that the time is right, and he charges into the invading Orcs, his Rangers following. The Orcs start attacking the rangers, and, as more rafts hit the bank, a huge battle ensues. Soon, the Orcs lower a ramp on the bridge and swarm into the city. The Rangers experience a very early success, but are soon overwhelmed and overrun by the Orcs.
Meanwhile, Pippin climbs up to the Minas Tirith signal beacon high above the city and quietly sets it alight and sneaks away, as the Gondorian soldiers there stand up in confusion as the beacon lights in a large ball of flames. On one of the city walls, Gandalf goes to view the other beacons lighting up along the White Mountains. However, Denethor looks unhappily at the events through the throne room window. Gandalf knows that hope has come to Gondor.
The signal passes along Gondor's chain of beacons in the White Mountains, swiftly reaching Edoras. There, Aragorn quickly runs to tell Théoden that "Gondor calls for aid!" After a brief moment of thought, Théoden declares that Rohan will answer and orders the Rohirrim to muster at Dunharrow – they will ride for Gondor and to war. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli prepare themselves and Aragorn notices that Éowyn will be riding with them. She says that the men have found Aragorn as their captain; they will follow him to battle and even to death. He has given them hope.
Gimli says to Legolas that horsemen are not as good in battle than an army of dwarves - fully armed and filthy. Legolas, however, says that his kinsmen have no need to ride to war, for he fears war is already marching upon their own lands. Merry, meanwhile, pledges himself to Théoden, and the King of Rohan proudly accepts, saying that Merry shall be – Meriadoc, esquire of Rohan. Now in the King's service, Merry happily puts on Rohan armour and prepares to ride with the Rohirrim to Dunharrow.
As the Rohhirim gather, Théoden takes one last look up at the banner of Rohan, knowing that this will be the last battle he shall ride to. Gathering up, Éomer bids the men of Rohan to fulfill the oaths they had taken and ride for Lord and land. It is then that, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Théoden, Éowyn, Éomer and even Merry leave Edoras for Dunharrow.
At Osgiliath, the Orcs overrun the city and slaughter everything in their path; defeating the Rangers in the city. As his Rangers die around him, Faramir barely escapes an attack by Orc soldiers after a group of fellow Rangers fire a small volley of arrows at the pocket of Orcs pursuing him, he soon realizes that all hope of holding the city is lost; the Orcs have won.
He calls for a retreat - they ride for Minas Tirith. The men quickly flee onto their horses and race out of the city. During the attack, Faramir's lieutenant, Madril, was attacked by an Orc and left wounded. He is quickly finished off by Gothmog, who cruelly kills him with a spear. Gothmog then states to his troops that the Age of Men is over and that the time of the Orc has come.
As Faramir and his men retreat to Minas Tirith, they are attacked by Nazgûl on winged fell beasts and many die across the field. As the retreating Rangers are attacked, Gandalf and Pippin ride out of Minas Tirith towards them on Shadowfax. The men of Minas Tirith watch as the Rangers are all saved by Gandalf, who drives the Nazgûl back with a beam of white light from his staff. Inside the city, Faramir tells Gandalf of the Orcs overtaking the city and now crossing the river.
Faramir then comes into sight of Pippin, and his reaction to seeing Pippin reveals that he has recently seen two other Hobbits: Frodo and Sam. Gandalf is alarmed to hear that they are heading toward Cirith Ungol, but is worried and asks Faramir to tell him all he knows. However, Denethor hears this too, and confronts his younger son in the throne room. He is ashamed of Faramir's loss of Osgiliath and the fact that he gave the One Ring to a Hobbit and let him carry it to Mordor. Denethor says that the Ring should have been brought back to the Citadel, to be kept safe, hidden and secret in the dark vaults, not to be used until the time was right.
He then says that Boromir would have brought him the Ring but Faramir says that Boromir would not have done this; he would have taken the Ring and fallen. As Denethor rises from his throne in anger, Faramir says that Boromir would have kept the Ring for his own, and when he returned, Denethor would never again know him as a son. Denethor then leaps up in anger, saying that Boromir was loyal to him, and not a "Wizard's Pupil" like Faramir. Denethor then collapses in grief and it is revealed that he misses Boromir so much, that he no longer sees Faramir as a trustworthy son.
In his grief, he asks Faramir to leave his sight, which he sadly does. At the steps leading up to the Pass of Cirith Ungol, Frodo, Sam and Gollum continue to climb. On climbing, Gollum is the first to climb upon a ledge and urges Frodo to continue climbing, but as he does so, he notices the Ring dangling from the chain on his neck. Gollum reaches for it and Sam draws his sword, but Gollum then seemingly goes to grab Frodo's hand and pull him up. Then, as Sam climbs up after them, Gollum starts to pour false accusations into Frodo's ear about Sam, saying that soon, Sam will ask him for the Ring and take it for his own.
At Osgiliath, as the forces of Mordor prepare their army, the Witch-king orders Gothmog to send forth all legions and not halt the attack until Minas Tirith is taken, commanding the Orcs to slay everyone in the city. Gothmog asks of Gandalf's fate, and the Witch-king says that he shall break him. At Minas Tirith, the soldiers are worried and they ask Gandalf if Rohan will come to aid them. Gandalf says that courage is their best defense. In the Great hall, Pippin now wears Faramir's armour he wore as a child, and is told by Faramir himself that he never used to do his studying when he was younger; instead he used to waste time slaying Dragons.
He also says that Denethor made the armour for him, who has always seen Boromir as the stronger child. However, Pippin reminds him that Faramir has strength, but of a different kind, and one day, Denethor shall see that in him too and actually come to value Faramir. Afterwards, Pippin enters Lord Denethor's service and puts his service and loyalty to him. However, Pippin is soon after shocked when he hears that Denethor wishes for Faramir to retake Osgiliath. On hearing this, Faramir realizes that his own father wants him to die for Boromir, who died in his place. Obeying this order, Faramir says that he shall do this command in Boromir's stead, but when he returns, he wants Denethor to think better of him. Denethor, however depends that on the matter of his return. Faramir sadly leaves to go and try to retake Osgiliath, knowing that this act will claim his own life.
Meanwhile, at the pass of Cirith Ungol, the Hobbits sleep on a ledge suspended hundreds of feet above Minas Morgul. In secret, Gollum gets up to his tricks and drops the Hobbit's Elven bread down the cliff. Awakening, Sam discovers what has happened and instantly blames Gollum. Once Frodo awakens, Gollum goes to try and stir the events. He continues to play with Frodo's mind until it is too late, and when Sam suddenly asks Frodo if he can carry the Ring, only wanting to help, Frodo's mind goes against him.
He suddenly pushes Sam away in anger and Gollum grins, his plan is working. After trying to convince Frodo that it is Gollum's fault, Sam is horrified when Frodo falls for the ploy and tells Sam to leave. Sam does so, saddened and reluctant. Frodo continues to climb with Gollum behind him. Meanwhile, Faramir's cavalry marches proudly out of Minas Tirith as Gandalf tries to convince Faramir that his father is quite mad, but still loves him. Faramir sadly explains that he would do anything to defend Minas Tirith but knows that he will die at his father's will.
Faramir's detachment charges out onto the open plains, heading towards Osgiliath as the thousand of Orcs which have overtaken the city watch, preparing their black bows. In Minas Tirith, Denethor has Pippin sing as his son and all his men ride to a doomed fate, not realizing that it is actually happening.
Pippin sings:
"Home is behind, the world ahead and there are many paths to tread, through shadow to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight..."
Approaching Osgiliath, Faramir holds his sword out to the enemy, but the Orcs there draw their bows and prepare to fire. In Minas Tirith, as Denethor eats, Pippin continues to sing:
"... Mist and shadow cloud and shade, all shall fade, all shall fade."
At Osgilliath, the Orcs are commanded by Gothmog to fire a huge volley of arrows upon the advancing Horsemen. Letting their bows lose, the Orcs rein arrows upon Faramir's cavalry, massacring them. A despondent Gandalf sits in silent lament, while Pippin weeps at Denethor's indifference to the fact he has sent his son to his death while pigging out.
At Dunharrow, the Rohirrim gather outside a huge cliff face, preparing their men and weaponry for war. King Théoden asks his men on the reinforcements, but is told that several alliances have not yet come. Soon after, now on top of a large camp site on the side of a huge cliff, King Théoden and Aragorn go to view the army, and Théoden says that there are six thousand men ready, but Aragorn says that is not enough to break the lines of Mordor. Théoden says that more men will come, but Aragorn explains to him that every hour lost hastens Gondor's defeat - they have until dawn before they must ride.
Also, the men here, along with the horses, are terrified of a road that leads to the mountains behind Dunharrow. Legolas and Gimli are looking around, viewing the road, when Éomer explains that the horses grow nervous at the shadow of the mountain. He tells them that anyone who ever journeyed that road never returned and that the mountain is evil. Aragorn then goes to view the road and is especially frightened when he sees what appears to be a spectral figure staring back at him. Gimli distracts him and when Aragorn looks back, the figure is gone.
That night, Éowyn prepares Merry for battle, and he notes that his sword isn't even sharp. Éowyn says to the Hobbit that he won't kill many Orcs with a blunt blade and then goes to take him to the smithy, but, as Merry goes, Éowyn is told by Éomer that Merry is not ready for war. Éowyn asks why Merry cannot fight for those he loves but Éomer tells her that both she and merry know little about war and that war is the province of Men, and that Merry will fall to the fear of battle and that he will flee when he comes face-to-face with the enemy.
Meanwhile, in his tent, Aragorn has a nightmare about Arwen dying at Sauron's power and the Evenstar shattering. Upon awakening in sudden anger, Aragorn is called to Théoden's tent, where he meets Elrond, who says of Arwen dying - as Sauron's power grows, her lifespan degenerates. Elrond explains to Aragorn about Minas Tirith being lost, because to the river, a fleet of Corsair ships sail from the south. They are outnumbered, as Elrond explains, and he tells Aragorn that they need more men if they are to win this fight.
Aragorn says that there are none, but Elrond then explains that there are those men that dwell in the mountain. However, Aragorn only states that those in the mountain are murderers and traitors. They don't believe in anything, and answer to no one. However, Elrond then says that they will answer to the King of Gondor; Elrond then presents Aragorn with Andúril, the reforged shards of Narsil.
With this blade, Aragorn can summon up an army that even Sauron cannot withstand. Elrond states to Aragorn that it is time to put aside the Ranger, and that it is time to become who he was born to be. Aragorn finally accepts his destiny to be the King of Men. Upon preparing to leave Dunharrow, Aragorn is confronted by Éowyn, who begs Aragorn not to go and that the men need him. She confirms her love to Aragorn, but, Aragorn, instead, tells Éowyn that he does not love her but still wishes her happiness.
Accompanied by Legolas and Gimli, he takes the Path of the Dead in the mountains behind Dunharrow. The soldiers of Rohan watch as Aragorn departs and one of the soldiers, Gamling, says that he leaves because there is no hope. However, Théoden tells his men that Aragorn leaves because he must, and even though their numbers are too few against the Armies of Mordor, they shall still meet them in battle. Later that evening, Éowyn sadly views the mountains ahead, and she is accompanied by Théoden, who says that he has left the request for Éowyn to lead the people of Rohan if anything happens to him. Éowyn asks if he wants to give her another order, but Théoden says that he doesn't, but he says that he would have his niece smiling in the future times.
The Paths of the Dead
Meanwhile, the three companions, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli move slowly down the silent road that leads to the Paths of the dead. Legolas tells them of the curse Isildur laid upon them for not arriving at the battle of the Last Alliance - never to rest until they have fulfilled their pledge to allegiance to Gondor. After a brief ride through the passes, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli approach the way into the dead mountain where a burst of evil scares the companion's horses away.
Aragorn, however, says that he does not fear death and he enters the Dead Mountain, Legolas behind him and Gimli soon to follow. At Dunharrow, the Rohirrim climb up onto their horses and prepare to ride for Minas Tirith. King Théoden and Éomer prepare the army and Théoden says that it is a long road ahead and both man and beast must reach the end with the strength to fight.
Meanwhile, Merry is preparing a horse to ride to Gondor but is told by Théoden that his journey here has come to an end, and that it is a three day ride to Minas Tirith, and none of his riders can have the Hobbit as a burden. Despite Merry's urging to ride to war, Théoden dismisses him. Then, as all hope of riding with the Rohirrim seems lost, Merry is suddenly lifted up by an unknown rider and scooped away by him. But this is no man rider – but Eowyn – who says that Merry will ride with her. Merry gladly accepts this.
Éomer and Théoden muster the men and the Rohan army of six thousand horsemen all gallop out of Dunharrow and away to war with Mordor. Meanwhile, the even-more massive army of Mordor marches upon Minas Tirith, trolls and Orcs alike. Inside the Dead Mountain, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli move through the tunnels and caverns of the dead, where Legolas tells them of him seeing many images of dead men and of horses.
Avoiding the ghostly mists that lurk the paths, Aragorn and his companions find themselves walking upon the skulls and bones of many dead souls.
Finally, the companions enter the lair of the King of the Dead and find the legendary ghost army that dwells in the immense caves. Aragorn, unafraid, confronts them directly, saying that he can fulfill their oath, but the King of the Dead says none but the King of Gondor may command him. Aragorn the shows him Andúril, and as the King of the Dead attacks, Aragorn parries his strike. The King of the Dead snarls "That line was broken!"; in response, Aragorn seizes him, holds Anduril to the King's throat and replied that the blade (and the royal bloodline it represents) has been remade, and then pushes him back. Now with the ghost army's attention, Aragorn orders them as their master, to join him on the battlefield at Minas Tirith and there, once they have destroyed the enemy, he will fulfill them of their oath.
He asks them for their say, but Gimli warns him that he is wasting his time, they had no honor in life and none now in death. Aragorn says that he is Isildur's heir and that he will fulfill their oath. However, the ghosts refuse and slowly disappear. Aragorn calls out to them one last time but they go, and Gimli furiously says that they are all traitors. Then, the walls begin to shake, and moments later, the entire cave collapses, and thousands of skulls avalanche upon them.
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are driven from the caves by the cascade of skulls and barely escape. As they exit the caves, they arrive at the Anduin River and see an armada of Black Ships, piloted by the Corsair army. As they watch the ships leave a burning village, Aragorn falls to his knees, believing all hope for Gondor to be lost and that they have failed. Then, the King of the Dead suddenly appears from inside the mountain and agrees to join Aragorn in battle.
The Siege of Minas Tirith
At Gondor, the siege of Minas Tirith begins when the massive Orc army of two hundred thousand troops launches its assault using troll-driven siege towers and huge catapults. The Orcs have Faramir's lifeless form dragged back-first into Minas Tirith by his horse. The guards of the city quickly take hold of Faramir's body and take it up to the Citadel. Down on the fields, the Orcs prepare their catapults, while Gothmog observes the army by riding through their lines on a Warg. Inside Minas Tirith, upon bringing Faramir to his father, Denethor is heart-broken to find his only surviving son seemingly killed, while a soldier tells him that they were outnumbered: none survived.
Outside the city, Gothmog, who is in full-command of the Mordor army, feels the fear raging in the city, and sarcastically "eases their pain" by having his underlings "release the prisoners" which they do, firing severed heads of dead soldiers from catapults at the walls, causing panic, disgust and terror upon the city.
The Pyre of Denethor
Up in the Citadel, Denethor proclaims that his lineage had ended after having the lives of his two sons spent. Pippin quickly goes to check Faramir's wound - he is still alive, he tries to tell Denethor. Ignoring Pippin's pleas, Denethor says that the Stewardship of the city has ended. Denethor then goes to view the huge army of Mordor outside the city, as they commence the assault upon his walls. Down on the field, Gothmog evilly laughs as troops unleash numerous boulders upon Minas Tirith, shattering many of its building whilst the Gondorian soldiers just stand and watch.
Now in a panic, Denethor talks to himself of all hope being lost, feeling that Rohan has deserted him and betrayed by King Théoden. As more boulders hit his walls, Denethor instructs the soldiers to flee from the mounting onslaught in an act of cowardice. Denethor is then suddenly rendered unconscious by Gandalf, who, disgusted with Denethor, hits him several times with his staff. Gandalf then takes command, and tells the city to prepare for battle.
The Wizard then quickly gets up onto his horse and rides out into the city, calling for the retreating soldiers to return to their posts. Then, the army of Gondor quickly stands upon the city walls as Gandalf goes to view the Orc army. He calls for the Gondorians to send these foul creatures to the abyss.
At Gandalf's orders, the Gondorians respond by launching their own catapult attack with trebuchets, using debris and rubble from damaged walls and demolished city structures as ammunition, killing many orcs and destroying mobile siege towers and catapults. The rocks fall down between the Orcs, who look at them in fear, but Gothmog orders them to stay where they are. A catapult duel ensues between the Gondorian armies and the Orcs, crushing troops on both sides.
Then, one catapult, fired by the Gondorians, sends a boulder hurling towards Gothmog, but he quickly steps away from it. He spits at the boulder in disgust. Suddenly, high above the siege, the Witch-king and the Nazgûl attack the city upon their fell beasts, killing many men and inflicting heavy damage by destroying the Gondrian catapults, rendering them defenseless. Their screeches send the Gondorians into maddened panic and Pippin is one of many caught in the fear. As the Nazgûl swoop overhead, Gandalf orders the men not to give into fear, and has then stand to their posts nevertheless the danger.
The Nazgûl's fell beasts smash many buildings, and as Pippin runs through the city, he is knocked down by many terrified people trying to run away from the chaos. During these events, the trolls start bringing forth the huge siege towers, filled with many war-hungry Orcs. Gandalf orders the men on the walls to aim for the trolls and not the towers themselves, and the soldiers do, shooting their arrows down upon the trolls. Soon, one siege tower hits the wall and Orcs pile out, attacking the Gondorians, and after that, many more towers land, unleashing more Orcs.
Meanwhile more Orcs, determined to break through the gates of the city, charge a battering ram at the gates. As this happens, Pippin runs onto the walls, where Gandalf is busy fighting off the invading Orcs. Gandalf shouts for Pippin to return to the citadel, but Pippin says that he was called out to fight. However, as more Orcs attack, two intent on killing Pippin, Gandalf intervenes to save the Hobbit's life, abruptly telling him that the battlefield is no place for a Hobbit. As more siege towers hit the walls and Orcs are let loose, one of them charges towards Gandalf, but Pippin quickly stabs the creature with his sword, killing it instantly.
Gandalf turns to Pippin, saying that the Hobbit is Guard of the Citadel indeed, but then quickly hurries him back up the stairs to the top of the city where he can be safe. At the gates, the Orcs continue to slam their battering ram at the gates, but the Gondorian archers from up above fire arrows down upon the Orcs, killing many and slowing down the ram.
The gate is completely impregnable. Gothmog angrily tells his troops to return to the battering ram and smash the gate down, but he is told by one of his Orc captains that the gate is too strong and nothing can breach it. Seeing his troops die one by one, Gothmog orders the Orcs to use advance on the gates with Grond, a giant, wolf-shaped battering ram. Soon after, Grond, driven by huge beasts, advances upon the gates.
Gandalf looks out over the walls to see Grond approaching, and as it draws closer, the Orcs all chant its name as it prepares to breach the gates. It is chaos, and elsewhere, Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas confront the Black Ships and the Corsairs of Umbar. Aragorn warns the Corsairs not to enter Gondor, but the Corsair captain says that he cannot deny that passage.
Aragorn has Legolas fire a warning shot past one of the Corsair's ears, but as he does so, Gimli deliberately knocks his bow, causing the arrow to hit another Corsair in the chest, killing him. Gimli says that the Corsairs should surrender immediately, but when the pirates refuse, Aragorn has the Army of the Dead obliterate them.
Shelob's Lair
Meanwhile, Gollum leads Frodo towards Shelob's lair in the catacombs near Cirith Ungol. Gollum says that Frodo must enter the tunnel and that there is no other way, either he goes in or goes back. Frodo says that he can't go back. Then, Frodo cautiously enters the caves, which are filled with sticky webs and the remains of dead Orcs and other creatures. In the darkness, Frodo is abandoned by Gollum and left stranded in the dark, gloomy caves. Meanwhile, Sam is climbing back down the passes, saddened, and suddenly slips, falling to a ledge near the bottom of the steps.
There, he finds the Elven bread which Gollum cast down into the ravine. Now angered by the way Gollum fooled Frodo into thinking that he wants to steal the Ring, Sam realizes that he must go and rescue Frodo. In the caves, Frodo is in a panic. After running nervously through the caves, Frodo suddenly encounters the great spider - Shelob. Frodo luckily manages to keep Shelob at bay with the vial of Earendil given to him by Galadriel. He flees from her down the tunnels.
Suddenly, Frodo is caught in one of her webs and realizes that since Gollum won't save him, it is a deliberate trap. In his anger, Frodo cuts himself lose of the web as Shelob draws closer to him and he flees the cave. Frodo is then attacked by Gollum, but he angrily pushes Gollum away and prepares to strangle him, when Gollum says that the Ring is the reason why he tried to kill him. Frodo says that he must destroy it for both their sakes.
Walking away from Gollum, Frodo doesn't realize Gollum is about to attack him, and as he does, Frodo pushes Gollum down a cliff. Now alone, Frodo continues to move through the passes. At one point Frodo faints and gives up saying sorry to Sam, but Galadriel appears and encourages him to go on and continue the quest, Frodo gets up and resumes the road. Near Gondor, the Rohirrim have made camp where Éomer arrives to tell Théoden of the Mordor army attacking the walls of Minas Tirith, the first level already in flames. Among the soldiers, Merry says that he could be a knight of Rohan, capable of great deeds, but he is not - he's just a Hobbit. He tells Éowyn that he just wants to save his friends, Frodo, Sam and Pippin.
Now ready, the Rohirrim sound the war horns and prepare to ride for Minas Tirith. Éowyn and Merry place their Rohan helmets on. It is night, and at Minas Tirith, the Orcs are assaulting the walls with molten boulders, their entire army marching up towards the gates.
Inside the city, Gandalf charges the men of Gondor down to the first level of the city as Grond thunders onto the main gates. As this happens, high above the events, Denethor, in his most extreme moment of madness, retreats to the Tomb of the Stewards, intending to burn himself to death along with the still-living body of Faramir. They move out the Tower of Ecthelion and past the White Tree of Gondor, where one flower seemingly blooms. Pippin, suspecting something disastrous going to happen, secretly follows the funeral parlor to the Tomb in the hallows of the city where Denethor requests for his men to build a pyre.
Down at the gates, Grond prepares to break them open as fireballs fall upon the city's buildings. Gandalf, in front of the frightened men of Gondor, says that no matter what comes through those gates, they must stand their ground.
It is then, that Grond breaks the gates apart and trolls suddenly enter the city first, and then followed by hundreds of Orcs and the Easterlings of Rhun, who charge into the city, viciously attacking Gandalf and the soldiers. The forces of Mordor pour into the city, burning the first level, as Gandalf continues to lead the Gondor forces against them.
The Choices of Master Samwise
At that moment, Sam arrives, holding the Light of Earendil at Shelob, telling her to back away from Frodo. He retrieves Frodo's sword, Sting, and fights Shelob with great courage as the huge spider attacks him with her claws and fangs. Eventually, after a brief fight, Sam severely wounds Shelob, leaving her partially blind and bleeding. She crawls away from Sam and back into her cave.
Sam quickly rushes to Frodo's side, only to find him still and lifeless, believing his friend to be dead. Sam cries, thinking that the Quest is now over, and he holds Frodo's seemingly lifeless body in his arms. While Sam mourns over Frodo's apparent death, Sting glows blue, which means a small company of Orcs are approaching.
Hiding nearby, Sam overhears one of them, Gorbag, who says that Frodo is still alive. Sam overhears the Orcs saying that Shelob only stings her victims to knock them out, as she prefers live prey, and Sam realizes that he has made a big mistake. The Orcs take Frodo to the Tower of Cirith Ungol, imprisoning him in the highest room. Sam must rescue him. At Minas Tirith, in the hallows of the city, Pippin quietly approaches the Tomb of the Stewards where he realizes what is about to happen. He tries to intervene, but Denethor throws him out and releases him from his service, and bars the tomb's doors
He quickly runs through the burning city to tell Gandalf, but there is too much carnage as injured Gondorians pour past him. Fiery boulders are hitting the city, and the people run for their lives, screaming, as thousands of Orcs run through it. Gandalf orders the soldiers to pull back to the second level and get as many women and children to safety as possible, while out on the field, the Orc forces receive orders from Gothmog to enter the city and kill all in their path. Inside the first level, Gandalf fights long and hard to keep the Orcs, wargs and trolls back but the people of the city are being slaughtered as the Soldiers fight off many more invading enemies. Gandalf exhorts them to fight to the last man.
Amidst the fighting, Pippin finds Gandalf and tells him of Denethor's madness. Gandalf quickly pulls Pippin up onto his horse and quickly races towards the tomb to stop the obscene funeral pyre.
Along the way, Gandalf confronts the Witch-king. Gandalf warns the Witch-king to return to the abyss that awaits him and his master, but the evil wraith snarls at the wizard and uses his dark powers to shatter Gandalf's staff, blowing the wizard from Shadowfax.
Pippin lunges at the Witch-king, but is frozen in fear by the screech of his fell beast. Gandalf is half beaten and is about to be killed by the Witch-king, who says that the Wizard has failed and the world of men will fall, when war horns sound outside the city, drawing their attention. Furious, the Witch King lets out a shriek as he directs his fell beast away from the fallen Gandalf to confront this new threat.
The Battle of Pelennor Fields
On the field, Gothmog prepares his Orcs for a second assault when he notices an army arriving in the distance. It is the Rohirrim, led by King Théoden, arriving at the Pelennor Fields. The Rohirrim look onwards at the huge Orc army massing outside the city. Éowyn and Merry look at the enemy, and she tells the Hobbit that courage is needed if they are to save their friends. In the Orc lines, Gothmog realizes the risks to his army and has the pikemen go to the Front lines, with archers behind them.
As this happens, King Théoden doesn't take the Orcs as a threat and rides past his huge army of Men of Rohan, giving his final commands. He says that spears shall be shaken, shields splintered, for this is a sword day and a red day - "Ere the Sun Rises!". As both armies prepare for the conflict, Théoden rides past the front lines of his men, tapping their spears with his sword. He says gloriously that they ride now - to ruin and the world's ending! The men all yell their war cry "Death!" and Théoden leads the charge.
The six thousand Rohirrim all charge down the field towards their opponents. Then, the Orcs, at Gothmog's command, fire their black arrows upon the horsemen, but it is no use. The Orcs all panic as the Rohirrim draw closer and Gothmog realizes that it is too late. The Rohirrim crash into the Orcs and charge through their lines. The Orcs cannot fight back, as they are all crushed beneath the trampling hooves. In the Tomb of the Stewards, Denethor prepares to burn himself and Faramir alive; however, it is quickly stopped as Gandalf speeds into the room, urging him to stop this madness.
However, Denethor refuses, asserting that "against the power that has risen in the East, there is no victory", and he sets the pyre alight. As Gandalf fights off Denethor's guards, Pippin jumps onto the pyre and manages to push Faramir out of the flames where he regains consciousness. Denethor realizes at that moment that his son is still alive, but by then he is too late to stop himself from burning. He runs out from the tomb, consumed in flames, and Gandalf says that "So passes Denethor, son of Ecthelion". Denethor runs across the Citadel and falls from the prow of the city, plummeting down Minas Tirith to his death.
Down on the field, the Rohirrim inflict heavy damage on the Orcs. After vicious fighting, the Orcs turn to flee and Éomer commands the Rohhirim to drive the Orcs towards the river. As victory comes and the Orcs flee, Théoden states in glee that the city is safe, but, he is wrong, as to the east, a much greater threat has arrived. The Rohirrim are horrified when they see a large row of Oliphaunts – Mûmakil - marching towards them.
Undeterred, King Théoden rally's up his army again and charges them gloriously at the Oliphaunts. It is a huge charge, but many Rohirrim are quickly trampled by the Oliphaunts. Above them, thousands of Haradrim archers fire down on the horses. Rohirrim charge in huge groups at the Mûmakil, but many are killed in the chaos. As the Rohirrim fire arrows up into the Oliphaunt's stomach's, including Gamling, Éomer rides out in front of one of the Mûmakil and manages to kill its captain with a spear, which causes his body to fall and dangle down the Oliphaunt's ear.
This causes the Oliphaunt to go un-controlled and crash into another Oliphaunt and both fall to the ground on top of each other. Meanwhile, Éowyn and Merry ride through the battle. Éowyn and Merry manage to bring one of the massive elephant-like beasts down by cutting at its legs. The Rohhirim, meanwhile, focus on one of the large Oliphaunts, distressing the beast by shooting at its head, and King Théoden orders several of his archers to take it down quickly.
Éowyn quickly goes to aid them and sends one spear into the creature's legs, bringing it down, but both Merry and Éowyn are thrown from their horse as the dead Mûmakil collapses. The two are left stranded amidst the huge battle. As King Théoden fights off numerous Orcs, Éowyn joins the fray, cutting down several Orcs with her blade. She also engages Gothmog in combat and ends up punching his face and wounding him. Elsewhere, Merry emerges from beneath one of the fallen Mûmakil and fends himself off from several Orcs and Haradrim warriors.
High up in Minas Tirith, the Orcs have overrun all the levels of the city up to half of the fourth level, where Gandalf, Pippin and the remaining Gondorian army prepare for another attack as fearsome Mountain Trolls hammer at the gates, the Witch King goading them on as the Ringwraith flies past. Gandalf says to Pippin that this is not yet the end, that death is just one path that they must all one day take. He tells Pippin of the old grey curtain of this world sliding back and a bright sunlight and white shores filling the land. Pippin happily listens and decides that dying is not so bad, and Gandalf agrees. The troll continues to hammer at the gate and all that Gandalf and Pippin can do is wait for the assault.
Down of the field, more Rohirrim are being torn apart by the huge Mûmakil beasts. Théoden goes to rally up his men, but is suddenly thrown violently from his horse and severely injured by the Witch-king of Angmar's fell beast. Théoden's slain horse falls upon the King, pinning him down to the ground.
Éowyn suddenly comes face-to-face with the Witch-king, who is poised to finish off Théoden. He turns his attention to her and she stands her ground, slaying his fell beast by beheading the creature, but then confronts the wraith himself. The Witch-king attacks her with a huge, deadly Morgul flail, and, after a brief duel, Éowyn's shield takes a direct hit from the Witch-king's flail, shattering it immediately, throwing Éowyn to the ground, injured.
In the South of Minas Tirith, the Black Fleet arrives up the river. The Orcs gather outside the ships, expecting reinforcements. However, instead, Aragorn leaps off the ships, followed by Legolas and Gimli. Gimli says that there is plenty for the both of them and let the best Dwarf win. Then, the huge Army of the Dead charges out onto the battlefield, slaying the Orcs, Aragorn leading the charge with Legolas and Gimli behind him.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, as the Witch-king moves in to kill Éowyn, arrogantly telling her that his power prevents any man from killing him, Merry suddenly stabs the wraith in the leg with his sword from Rohan, wounding himself in the process. As the Witch-king shrinks from the blow, Éowyn approaches with her sword drawn. Removing her helmet, Éowyn defiantly counters that she is no man and stabs him through his face. The Witch-king implodes and is destroyed.
Meanwhile, Aragorn charges through the Orcs, killing many. Also, Gimli and Legolas continue their competition in battle and engage the Orcs, cutting them down one by one. During the battle, Gothmog gets up, furious for revenge and limps towards Eowyn with an axe for support. Eowyn sees him and tries to crawl away and also tries to lift the sword of the unconscious Merry but it slips from her grip. Gothmog picks up a mace and prepares to finish off Eowyn. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were running through the crowd and see Gothmog. Aragorn didn't know that he is saving some one's life and chops the right arm of Gothmog off while Gimli slices his stomach with his axe and Aragorn stabs him in the back which kills him. As the remaining Orcs are slaughtered by the ghosts, Legolas tries to show Gimli that he can gain a higher score with the killing and he skillfully manages to kill one of the crazed Mûmakil and its riders. As the beast collapses, Gimli says, angry and jealous towards the elf, that it still counts as one. Aragorn and his companions then take out the remaining Orcs as the Dead Army begins to swarm Minas Tirith, destroying all the enemies inside. The battle ends when the remnants of the Orc and Haradrim army is completely annihilated by the Ghost army, those not overwhelmed fleeing.
Wounded, Éowyn crawls over to her dying uncle and Théoden quietly tells her how proud he is of her effort. He says that there is nothing else she can do, for his body is broken, but Éowyn says that she will save him. After several moments, Théoden dies in Éowyn's arms. The battlefield falls silent. As the sun rises over the aftermath, the survivors of the battle survey the carnage. Gathering outside Minas Tirith, the Army of the Dead confronts Aragorn and his companions, urging for him to release them. After several seconds of thought, Aragorn releases the Dead Army from their bondage, despite urgings from Gimli to keep them.
Gandalf bows to Aragorn and Aragorn smiles with their success. Pippin goes to search for Merry as Éomer discovers Éowyn, screaming in horror, believing her to be dead. Aragorn and Éomer take her to Minas Tirith. In Minas Tirith, the injured are tended to in the Houses of Healing. Among them, Éowyn is treated to her Morgul wound by Aragorn, with Éomer nervously watching.
Later, Éowyn awakens in a bed, where she sights Faramir, who is too healing. Out on the battle field, among the thousands of dead bodies, Pippin searches the battlefield frantically for Merry. Luckily, Pippin finds his cousin near the corpse of a dead Oliphaunt. Merry is wounded, but says that he knew Pippin would find him and asks if Pippin is going to leave him.
However, Pippin says that he won't leave him; instead, he will look after him. The two are joyfully reunited. In Minas Tirith, the forces of Gondor and the remnants of the Rohirrim gather in the throne room to decide how to finish the war against Mordor. Meanwhile, at the tower of Cirith Ungol, Frodo is still in the hands of the Orcs, who are searching through his belongings.
Two of the Orcs, an Uruk called Shagrat and the Orc Gorbag, begin fighting over his Mithril vest. After a brief brawl, Shagrat forces Gorbag down through a trapdoor, and into a large group of Uruk-hai.
Shagrat commands them to kill Gorbag, and a huge fight ensues between the Orcs and the Uruks. In the fight, most of the Orcs in the tower and Uruks are killed in the huge orc-to-orc fight. Outside the tower, Sam arrives and finds the whole place filled with dead bodies of the slain Orcs and Uruk-hai. Sam then goes to search for Frodo, and kills the surviving Orcs in a moment of intense courage. However, unknown to Sam, Shagrat makes his escape with the Mithril vest. At the top of the tower, Frodo tries to pull himself free from his bonds, but is suddenly confronted by Gorbag, who says that he is going to kill Frodo. However, before he does, Sam arrives and stabs Gorbag through his torso.
Letting the dead Orc fall to the floor, Sam then greets Frodo, who apologizes for sending Sam away, but is distressed because he has lost the Ring. Sam than says that he hasn't, and produces it from his pocket, saying that he'd taken it from Frodo's unconscious body so the Orcs wouldn't find it. Sam begins to hand it back to Frodo and momentarily pauses, having been mesmerized by the Ring's power. Frodo brings him back from the Ring's spell and explains that the power of the Ring would destroy Sam's soul. Sam returns it to Frodo, saying that they must leave and finish the Quest.
It is time to enter Mordor. Inside Minas Tirith, Aragorn and his allies decide that the time has come. If Frodo is to succeed with his Quest, he must cross the Plains of Gorgoroth, however, Ten thousand Orcs are on those plains. Gandalf believes that he has sent Frodo to his death, but Aragorn says that there is still hope for him - they could draw Sauron's armies out of Mordor through the Black Gate of Morannon. This will empty the plains of Gorgoroth of Sauron's army and allow Sam and Frodo the chance to reach Mount Doom. Gandalf says that Sauron will suspect a trap; he will not take the bait. Aragorn, however, says that he will.
At night, Aragorn uses the PalantÃr to tempt Sauron, saying that long has the Dark Lord haunted him, and long has he eluded him, but no more. Aragorn then goes to reveal to Sauron the blade of Elendil - Anduril. However, Sauron shows Aragorn a vision of Arwen dead and Aragorn, in his grief, drops the seeing stone, smashing the Evenstar. However, luckily, the ploy works and the fields of Mordor empty.
Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Éomer and the Hobbits Merry and Pippin, make their way towards Mordor, accompanied by the remaining armies of Gondor and Rohan, and they head to confront Sauron's army. In Minas Tirith, Éowyn believes that all hope is lost, but she is comforted by Faramir, who says that it is just the damp of the first spring rain. He tells her that no darkness will endure. The two happily embrace.
Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo, disguised as Orcs, make their way into the land of shadow: Mordor. Finally, the hobbits have made it. Moving into the land, they are found by a large detachment of Orcs, and are forced by their captain to march with the Orcs as towards the Black Gate. Then, an inspection of the Mordor army is called and a large, bulgy Orc with no nose inspects the Orcs. Realizing that they might be found, Sam starts a fight with Frodo and, in the ensuing chaos, they escape onto the Plains of Gorgoroth as the Orcs continue their march to the Black Gate.
They continue their grueling trek to Mount Doom. Losing their Orc armour, the hobbits climb up the ashen slopes, the Eye of Sauron looming behind them. They go to rest behind a rock where Sam notices a light in the ashen skies. He goes to remind Frodo, but the Hobbit falls asleep beside him. Meanwhile, Aragorn's army marches to Morannon.
Once at the Black Gates, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, Éomer, Merry and Pippin all ride forward in front of their army and up to the Black Gate. There, a corrupted and Dark Numenorean known as the Mouth of Sauron rides to them and says that his master bids them welcome. Gandalf tells him that the time of Sauron has come. It angers him but he smiles again and throws Frodo's mithril vest at Gandalf and says how Frodo suffered before dying. It lets a tear out of Gandalf's eye and the Dark Numenorean smiles but Aragorn rides towards him. He says that it takes more than a broken Elvish blade to be a king. Aragorn suddenly draws Anduril and beheads him to everyone's disgust. Gimli says that it concludes negotiations. Aragorn says that he will never believe that Frodo is dead. In Mordor, Frodo and Sam walk across the hot, ashen slopes near Mount Doom. Eventually, as they draw closer to their goal, the Eye of Sauron continues to search the plains, until he is within sight of the two Hobbits. Sam quickly ducks down; avoiding Sauron's gaze, but Frodo is caught and collapses the power of the One Ring beating on his chest.
In Mordor, the Eye of Sauron turns away from the Hobbits and towards the Black Gates. Frodo and Sam continue their journey to Mount Doom. At the Morannon, the gates re-open and the final battle between Gondor's army and Mordor begins. The gates open all the way and the massive Orc army of ten thousand troops marches out, the Eye of Sauron watching in the background.
Aragorn rides forward in front of the forces of Rohan and Gondor and tell them to stand their ground. He says that he sees the fear in their eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of him. But not this day, as today, the age of men won't fall, as today - they fight! He bids the Men of the West stand in the final battle which they will not win, but it will give Frodo time to save Middle-Earth. Aragorn turns to face the hordes of Mordor.
The Battle at the Black Gate and The Path up Orodruin
While climbing up the slopes of the Mountain of Fire, Frodo collapses and Sam comforts him, reminding him of The Shire and the strawberries that will be growing there in the spring and the birds that nest in the trees. Frodo, however, says that he can't taste food or see the light - he is naked in the dark, no light or comfort between him and darkness. Sam, however, says that they shall be rid of it - once and for all Then, Sam declares that he can't carry the ring for Frodo, but he can carry him. with a final burst of strength, he lifts Frodo upon his back and moves him painfully up to Mount Doom.
On Mount Doom, the hobbits approach the door to the Crack of Doom and Gollum suddenly attacks, lusting for the Ring. He grabs Frodo by the throat and begins to strangle him. Luckily, before Frodo can be strangled, Sam throws a rock at Gollum's head, knocking him off. As the battle rages on at the gates, Gimli fights hard against the forces of Sauron and Legolas too fights off many attackers.
High above, the Winged Nazgûl descend upon the battle. At Mount Doom, while Sam struggles with Gollum, Frodo slips away and runs inside the Chamber of Fire to the Cracks of Doom. Sam throws Gollum down the mountainside and slices his torso with his sword. He then quickly follows Frodo. At the Morranon, Gandalf watches as the Nazgûl prepare to attack, but then sights the small Moth from when he was imprisoned on Orthanc, and knows it will bring hope.
Then, the Nazgûl are suddenly engaged in midair by the Eagles of the Misty Mountains. Pippin looks up and cheers as the Eagles attack the fell beasts. Inside the Cracks of Doom, Frodo is standing on the edge of the bridge overlooking a huge pool of lava below. Sam pleads with him to drop the Ring in the fire and destroy it; however, Frodo pauses for several seconds at the power of the Ring taunts at his heart. Turning to face Sam, Frodo declares that the Ring is his and he pulls it of its chain, taking it towards his finger. Eventually, as Sam looks on, Frodo places it upon his finger, disappearing.
Sam screams in horror as the Eye of Sauron turns its attention towards Mount Doom and the Ringwraiths swoop back toward Mordor. At the gates, Aragorn encounters Rogash and duels the beast, only to be wounded and sent falling to the ground, Legolas tries to reach him, but he is stopped by the battle raging on around them. In the Cracks of Doom, Gollum attacks again, knocking Sam unconscious with a rock, and sees that Frodo has disappeared. However, this won't stop him, as Gollum quickly determines Frodo's location and leaps upon him, trying to get the Ring back with all his strength.
Sam tries to reach Frodo, but is still barely conscious, and Gollum angrily bites off Frodo's finger, causing the Hobbit to both re-appear and drop to the ground in pain as Gollum takes the Ring. Gollum is joyful that the One Ring is his at last. As he leaps about joyfully at being reunited with his prized possession, Frodo, enraged at this, fights Gollum, resulting in, after a brief, vicious brawl, Frodo and Gollum pushing each over the edge. Gollum falls into the lava with the Ring and sinks, but the Ring stays suspended.
Frodo is left hanging by one hand onto the cliff. Sam quickly rushes to him and convinces Frodo not to let go and pulls him up over the edge. The One Ring sinks into the boiling lava and melts, destroying it forever. Aragorn, who is about to be killed by Rogash, is saved when the army of Mordor is distracted by the destruction of the Ring.
As chaos erupts on the forces of Mordor, Sauron's tower of Barad-Dûr, built with the power of the Ring, collapses, and the Eye of Sauron starts to die out. Then, after several moments of amazement to the men at the Black Gates, the Eye of Sauron explodes and disperses, taking the tower with it. Sauron is finally defeated, his spirit of malice fleeing. At the Black Gates, Merry, Gimli, Aragorn, Gandalf, Pippin and all the other companions all cheer in happiness. Then, the towers and gate of Morannon all collapse, and with them, the earth opens to swallow up much of Mordor's fleeing army.
Frodo's friends react with joy to his success, but their happiness turns to grief as they see Mount Doom erupting into a huge ball of fire and realize that Frodo and Sam must be doomed...The surviving Nazgûl fly toward Mount Doom, but are destroyed by fireballs from the volcano. In the exploding chamber of the Cracks of Doom, Sam carries his wounded master out of Mount Doom and onto the mountainside, where the two of them are surrounded by lava. Frodo, now freed from the power of the Ring, expresses his joy that the Ring is gone along with the Quest being done.
He imagines the light of the world and all is goodness whilst Sam says that Rosie Cotton would have been his wife. Frodo comforts Sam, here at the end of all things...
But, sometime later, the unconscious Frodo and Sam are rescued by three Eagles, Gwaihir, Landroval and Meneldor, Gandalf riding on Gwaihir. They swoop away and Frodo just awakens to see the sight of him being taken by the large eagle. Next morning, Frodo awakens in the Houses of Healing and is overjoyed to see Gandalf, whom he had thought dead. They laugh in delight.
One by one, the other six surviving members of the Fellowship enter the room to greet and thank Frodo, Sam last. That day, the streets of Minas Tirith are filled and high up outside the Throne Hall; Aragorn is crowned as King of Gondor by Gandalf in front of his cheering subjects. Gandalf declares "Now come the days of the King!". During the ceremony, Aragorn greets Lady Éowyn and Lord Faramir, King Éomer of Rohan and a delegation of Elves, greeting Legolas with them, including Elrond and Arwen, who emerges from behind a banner.
Aragorn moves the banner slowly and kisses her passionately. The crowds all applause in happiness as Aragorn – King Elessar – is finally reunited with his one true love. Then, Aragorn and his people pay homage to Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. They all bow to the hobbits and the Third Age comes to an end. The four Hobbits return to the Shire, where they realize that no one else will ever understand what they have done.
That night, in the Green Dragon Inn, the hobbits, now all together after their great quests, all settle to a drink when Sam, however, goes to marry Rosie Cotton. It works and both Sam and Rosie have their marriage ceremony and all the hobbits applause.
Over time, Frodo begins to feel that he will be unable to continue his old life. Frodo continues Bilbo's memoir, calling his section of it The Lord of the Rings, but tears off writing a few pages from the end of the Red Book. Sam arrives and Frodo says that it has been four years to the day when they were on Weathertop, and his wound has never fully healed.
That evening, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin and Gandalf accompany the now-frail Bilbo Baggins to the Grey Havens, where the last Elven ship is waiting to depart Middle-earth. There, they find Elrond, Galadriel and Celeborn also waiting to board the ship. The Hobbits are surprised to learn that Gandalf will sail with Bilbo and the others, and even more shocked that Frodo is also sailing.
Frodo gives the Red Book to Sam and bids a sad farewell to his three friends—Sam last, and kisses his forehead. Then he boards the ship to sail into the Undying Lands west of the Sea, turning back to give his friends one last smile.
He boards the ship and sails away into the sun. Later, Sam returns home to Bagshot Row, his wife, and his first two children. He says to himself, "Well, I'm back" - as at the end of the book - closing the trilogy.
We watched all three awesome movies and they were awesome! With us were a High Elf named Ralarle The Strict - She is a High Elf of Ulthuan from Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Her class is a Archmage with powers of Heaven. We also had Tharin, he is a Wood Elf Lord from the forests of Athel Loren from Warhammer. And we had Grugun Grandaxe. A Dwarf Slayer from the Dwarf Kingdom of Karaz a Karak from Warhammer as well.
When the movies were done we cheered wildly.
Me: Wow! Those were awesome movies.
Lincoln: They sure were.
Nico: You said it.
Grugun: (Scottish Accent) Aye. They were awesome laddies.
Fletcher: (Scottish Accent) It sure was lad.
Me: It was amazing that the Ring had that kind of evil power.
Ralarie: It's awful that Sauron has that kind of evil.
Me: He's ultimate evil.
I pulled up Sauron's profile.
Sauron, once a noble Maia known as Mairon, is the main antagonist of the Middle-earth legendarium of J.R.R. Tolkien (with Morgoth as the overarching antagonist). He is the titular main antagonist of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic high fantasy epic novel, The Lord of the Rings. He also serves as the secondary antagonist of mythopoeic novel, The Silmarillion, a major antagonist in The Children of Húrin, the overarching antagonist of The Hobbit and the secondary antagonist of The History of Middle-earth.
He is the main antagonist of the Middle-earth film saga, first appearing as the titular main antagonist of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He is also the overarching antagonist of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy since he was the one behind Azog's crimes and enboldening Smaug, serving as a flashback antagonist in An Unexpected Journey, the secondary antagonist of The Desolation of Smaug and the overarching antagonist in The Battle of the Five Armies.
He is also the main antagonist of the animated movie series, serving as the main antagonist in The Lord of the Rings (which is also the name of the original novel) and in Return of the King (also the name of Part III of the novel The Lord of the Rings). He does not appear in The Hobbit film in 1977 at all.
Once the greatest smith of Aulë, he joined with the 1st Dark Lord Morgoth in the First Age, becoming his principal lieutenant. During the Second Age, Sauron became the 2nd Dark Lord of Middle-earth who resided in Mordor and created the One Ring, which he lost upon his defeat. His goal was to reclaim the One Ring and rule Middle-earth in darkness, but the Ring's destruction would ultimately be his downfall. He was also the archenemy of Aragorn, the King of Gondor; Frodo, the Ring Bearer; and Gandalf, the Grey (later White) Wizard.
In the live-action adaptations by Sir Peter Jackson, he was portrayed by Sala Baker, who also played an adult Firefist in Deadpool 2 and voiced by the late Alan Howard in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In The Hobbit trilogy, he was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, who also portrayed Smaug in the same trilogy, Dormammu in Doctor Strange, Shere Khan in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, The Grinch in the 2018 film of the same name, William Ford in 12 Years a Slave, and Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek: Into Darkness.
Beginning and Corruption
Sauron was once originally a powerful Maia (equivalent to a normal angel), an angelic being made by the Universe's creator, Eru (equivlent to God), to serve the Valar (equivalent to archangels), a higher order of Ainur (equivalent to angels).
Sauron's original name was Mairon (meaning "the admirable"), and he was a Maia of the Vala known as Aüle the Smith. He had learned so much from Aüle, such as crafting and forging, that he became a great craftsman. He was created as one of the most powerful Maiar, even more than Olorin (Gandalf) and Curumo (Saruman). At the time he took part in the Music of the Ainur, he was incorrupt and good. However, he was also obsessed with perfection and order, which would cause his corruption into evil. Mairon became enamoured of Arda when it was formed, and he was corrupted by the evil Vala Melkor (later Morgoth, equivalent to Satan), who promised to share dominion over the world with him. After this, he corrupted many other Maiar, who became Balrogs. Mairon then worshiped Morgoth and followed him into Arda.
Despite this, Mairon managed to pretend to stay faithful to the Valar, when in reality, he was feeding information to Morgoth about their dealings. Mairon didn't reveal his true nature nor leave the Blessed Realms until Melkor established his fortresses. For this treachery, Mairon was permanently established a foe of both the Valar and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. He was called Gothaur (meaning "dread abomination") by the Sindar in Beleriand, and named Sauron (meaning "the abhorred" or "the abominable") by the Ñoldor. The name "Sauron" was a mockery to his original name.
Under Morgoth's Service
During the First Age of Middle-earth, Sauron served as Morgoth's chief lieutenant, working to corrupt Men and Elves (the Children of Ilúvatar) to his master's service. Sauron became the High General of Angband along with the Balrog lord Gothmog. Many other Maiar joined Morgoth, and they possessed the bodies of Wolves and became Werewolves. Sauron was possibly given the task of corrupting Elves into Orcs. Eventually the Valar came into Middle-earth and defeated Morgoth, "but Sauron they could not find", and Sauron came back to Angband when Morgoth was returned from Valinor.
Sauron played a large part in the War of the Jewels because he could cast illusions and make his enemies think things were going differently. He cast a spell which made Turin think that his dead wife was still alive and then he took him to Angband. His most famous conquest was when he captured the island of Tol Sirion and renamed it Tol in Gorhauth, the Isle of Werewolves, and bought many Werewolves there. He would feed prisoners to Werewolves and he was left to his own devices there. Morgoth saw it as a big victory because Tol Sirion was an Elvish fortress and this made Elves unable to pass through that place.
Eventually a human named Beren appeared, with the Elf Prince Fingon and ten other Elves, disguised as Orcs. However, Sauron saw them, and was suspicious as all Orcs had to report to him. He had them brought before him and defeated Fingon in a contest of magic, stripping the disguises. Sauron threw all 12 into his deepest dungeon till they would tell him their purpose. Ten were consumed by werewolves, with Sauron wanting Fingon left alive. But when a werewolf came for Beren, Fingon broke free, and he and the werewolf ended up killing each other. Sauron saw that the Elf Princess Luthien had come to rescue Beren, so he sent werewolves to capture her. However, each of them were slain by Huan, the Hound of Valinor. Finally, Sauron sent Draugluin, sire and lord of werewolves, but they were killed by Huan, though they survived long enough to tell Sauron Huan was there.
Sauron knew the prophecy that Huan would not die till he encountered the biggest wolf to ever walk the world. So Sauron took the form of the biggest werewolf yet and fought Huan. Luthien drew her magic veil over Sauron's eyes and as he stumbled Huan fought him. Sauron turned into a snake, and from monster to his own form. But Huan held him by the throat, and Luthien told him to hand the Isle to her or go back in shame to Morgoth. Sauron gave her control of the Isle, and when released, he turned into a Vampire and flew, dripping blood over the trees.
Later on, when Morgoth was defeated for good, Sauron actually repented and went to the Valar asking forgiveness, but was told he would have to face Manwe. Sauron was far too proud to humble himself, however, so he returned to Mordor.
Forging the One Ring
" One Ring to rule them all, One ring to find them; One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. „
~ The One Ring's legendary inscription.
In the Second Age, Sauron established himself in Mordor, and took up the mantle and title of Dark Lord, while manipulating the Elves into creating the Rings of Power as part of a plan to make them his servants; he went to the Elves of Eregion in the guise of Annatar and taught them how to create the Rings of Power. The twenty Rings of power were so created around the 16th century: the Elves made the Seven Rings and the Nine Rings with his influence, but also created the Three without his knowledge or influence.
Sauron himself created the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor to control all the other rings; into this Ring he put part of his own malignant life force and power to rule the other Rings and enslave the free peoples of Middle-earth.
Sauron revealed himself and went to war against the Elves, capturing the Seven and the Nine, which he gave to 7 Dwarven and 9 human leaders respectively. While the Dwarves could not be controlled, he gained power over the human ring-bearers. He was able to corrupt the nine kings of Men because they took the rings without question. One by one, they fell to darkness. Sauron turned them into the undead Nazgûl, his most fearsome servants.
Sauron and the Numenoreans
At some point, the last King of Numenor, Ar-Pharazôn, challenged Sauron for Lordship of Middle-Earth. Mordor's armies fled in fear of Numenor's great armies and Sauron came down from Barad-dur, made himself into an attractive form, (one that Numenor would admire) and was brought to Numenor. There he quickly grew from prisoner to adviser, using the Numenorians contempt for the Elves and Valar to convince them to worship Morgoth, hoping to restore his master.
As Ar-Pharazôn began to grow old, Sauron tricked him to attack the Undying Lands, saying that whoever ruled the Undying Lands would live forever. Most Numenorians were in favor of it, as they feared death, despite warnings from the Elves and Valar, Numenor sent a massive armada and army to seize the undying lands. In response, Eru sunk Ar-Pharazôn's fleet and imprisoned the king and hios troops inside a cave, and destroyed Numenor. Sauron survived and returned to Mordor. As punishment for his role in the destruction of Numenor, Sauron could no longer assume an attractive form, for that is what he had used to seduce the Numenoreans.
Battle with the Last Alliance
Towards the end of the Second Age, a Last Alliance of Elves and Men marched upon Sauron's base in Mordor to defeat him and his armies.
After a years-long siege of his fortress Barad-dur, Sauron himself went out. He killed the Alliance's leaders, King Elendil of Gondor and the High Elf King Gil-galad, but his physical body was in turn destroyed. Elendil's son Isildur cut off the Ring from Sauron's hand with the remains of his father's sword, Narsil. Isildur kept the Ring, against the counsel of the Elves Elrond and CÃrdan, who begged him to destroy it. Because the Ring survived, Sauron's malignant spirit lived on, albeit unable to take physical form. Isildur, meanwhile, was attacked and killed by Orcs a few years later; as he fell, he dropped the Ring into the river Anduin, where it remained for the next 2,500 years.
Going into Hiding
By the middle of the Third Age, Sauron began to take shape again. His spirit went into hiding for an age first in Dol Guldur (where he was eventually banished). By this time, the Ring had been found by a Hobbit named Sméagol, whom it corrupted and turned into the vile creature Gollum. Gollum took the Ring into a cave in the Misty Mountains, where for the next 500 years it waited for its master to re-emerge.
Sauron took control of the abandoned fortress Dol Guldur disguised as a Necromancer in order to regain his former strength. He was vanquished by the White Council, however, and he fled to Mordor in the East. The Ring, meanwhile, was found in Gollum's cave by the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who took it with him to his home in the Shire.
The Search for the RingEdit
Over the next 60 years, Sauron reclaimed his power over Mordor. He began building an army to conquer all of Middle-Earth. By this point, Saruman betrayed the White Council and became Sauron's servant, hoping to claim the Ring for himself and overthrow the Dark Lord. Sauron also began waging war on his former allies, Men and Elves.
He still needed the Ring to regain his former power, however, so he sent spies all over Middle-earth to find it. Eventually, he found and captured Gollum, who had spent years looking for the Ring after losing it to Bilbo, and tortured the creature until he revealed that "Baggins" had it. After Sauron discovered this, he sent the Nazgûl to the Shire to find Bilbo's nephew and heir Frodo Baggins, who now had the Ring, kill him, and take the Ring back. However, Frodo had already left for Mordor to destroy the Ring, sent by the wizard Gandalf. Sauron also commanded Saruman to build him an army for Mordor.
However, the first time Sauron actually appeared is when he was in the form of his own symbol, the Eye of Sauron, in the Mirror of Galadriel. Frodo looked into the Mirror of Galadiral, which showed things in the past, present, and future. He eventually saw Sauron in the form of the Eye, with Galadriel herself warning him not to touch the water in the Mirror.
Meanwhile, Saruman cross-bred Orcs with men to make an army of Uruk-hai, but most of them were killed in the Battle of the Hornburg that took place in the land of Rohan.
After his defeat at the Hornburg, Sauron declared open war on Middle-earth, conquering several kingdoms of Elves and Men. He decided to attack Gondor, and sent an army of Orcs, Southrons and Easterlings over to Minas Tirith to destroy it. The soldiers of Gondor fought against the army, which also had several trolls and Oliphaunts in it; they were later helped to gain victory by the Riders of Rohan, led by King Théoden, and by an army of soldiers brought by Isildur's descendant Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor.
The Ring Destroyed
Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam (with Frodo carrying the One Ring) entered Mordor through the secret passage of Cirith Ungol; Sauron appeared once again in the form of the Eye and searched for the two Hobbits. He nearly discovered them, but his attention was diverted away from them when the Army of the West (led by Aragorn, Gandalf, Eomer and Prince Imrahil) came to draw out his forces to give Frodo and Sam a chance to get to Mount Doom. Eventually they reached Mount Doom, but Frodo decided to take the ring for himself at the last second.
Just as it seemed Sauron was about to conquer Middle-earth, however, Gollum attacked and bit Frodo's finger off, taking the One Ring back. He danced with joy at his conquest, but lost his balance and fell in the lava pit of Mount Doom along with his "precious", destroying the Ring and himself.
With the Ring's destruction, Sauron was defeated once and for all, and he was stripped of his power and reduced to a "huge shape of shadow, impenetrable, lightning-crowned, …terrible but impotent"; a crippled, harmless shadow of his former self, unable to take shape again. He was then blown away by a great wind into the Void, like his master, Morgoth (where, unlike Morgoth, Sauron would eventually die as he cannot survive without the Ring). The very foundations of Barad-dûr and the Black Gate were destroyed along with him. Mordor's armies were all exorcised from Sauron's control, and were easily defeated.
Before the film trilogies
As foretold in the opening prologue, Sauron, the Dark Lord of Mordor, forged the One Ring of Power to Rule Them All in the fires of Mount Doom within the land of Mordor. He conquered many lands in Middle Earth, until the Last Alliance of Men and Elves fought against him on the slopes of Mount Doom. They defeated his army of orcs easily, but Sauron proved to be a bigger challenge. He slaughtered many of the men and Elves and killed the Gondor King, Elendil, with a huge mace.
Elendil's son Isildur grabbed his father's sword, but Sauron stepped on it, breaking it. Isildur cut off Sauron's fingers, including the one with the One Ring on it, destroying Sauron's body, but he survived as a spirit, unable to die unless the One Ring was destroyed, which could only be done if it was thrown into the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged.
Eventually, Sauron would disguise himself as a sorcerer, known as the Necromancer. The prologue does not include this information, and it is only revealed in The Hobbit trilogy.
While he was only mentioned in the novel, Sauron appears in the prequel trilogy of The Hobbit as the Necromancer. Although Sauron appears little throughout the story, his presence, like in Lord of the Rings before it, is constantly felt, and he is an active threat in the story through his servant Azog. He is portrayed and voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch who also voices and portrays Smaug.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Thousands of years later, Gandalf accompanied the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield and his band of kinsmen (as well as reluctannt "burgler" Bilbo Baggins) on a quest to reclaim the kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. Unbeknownst to Thorin and company, Gandalf had an ulterior motive; he had come to suspect that Sauron had returned, and wanted to destroy Smaug to prevent Sauron from using him as a weapon. Meanwhile, Radagast the Brown discovered Dol Guldur, and the Witch-King of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgul and Sauron's chief servant, attacked him and vanished. Radagast then saw Sauron in shadow, and fled. He told Gandalf about the encounter, and Gandalf eventually told the White Council; the other members reacted with skepticism, except for Lady Galadriel, who sent Gandalf on a quest to confirm that this Necromancer was indeed Sauron returned.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
After Gandalf, Bilbo and the Dwarf company escaped a pack of Orcs led by Azog the Defiler, Gandalf parted ways with them and travelled with Radagast to Dol Guldur to discover the truth. Gandalf sent Radagast back to send a message to Galadriel, while he went in alone. After unsuccessfully trying to convince the evil inside to reveal itself, he was ambushed by Azog and several Orcs. After defeating and escaping them, Gandalf fleed deeper into the ruined fortress, where he encountered the Necromancer and confirmed his worst fear: that this mysterious sorceror was indeed the Dark Lord returned.
Sauron revealed to Gandalf that he was gathering all his forces and regaining his strength, enough to prepare for war. He planned to first take over Erebor, and then reclaim the kingdom of Angmar, and on and on until he once again controled all of Middle-earth.
Gandalf tried to fight off the Dark Lord, and although he accomplished repelling him a few times, he eventually proved to be no match for Sauron. After defeating Gandalf, destroying his staff and imprisoning him, Sauron sent his minions to Erebor to find Thorin and his company inside the mountain, where they were currently facing a conflict with Smaug the Dragon, who was on his way to destroy the nearby town of Esgaroth.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Galadriel, Saruman and Elrond entered Dol-Guldur to save Gandalf. Elrond and Saruman battled the spirits of the Nazgul, while Gandalf escaped with the help of Radagast the Brown.
Sauron once again took the form of the Eye and appeared before the group and foretold the fall of the East and the rise of the ancient Kingdom of Angmar. He declared that "the time of the Elves is over, the Age of the Orc has begun." He attempted to corrupt Galadriel, who nonetheless resisted and used all of her power to banish Sauron's spirit out of Dol Guldur. Moments later, Saruman said that he would deal with Sauron personally, foreshadowing their alliance.
Sauron's armies eventually met with defeat at the hands of the armies of elves, men, dwarves and the Eagles during the Battle of the Five Armies, which ended with the deaths of Azog and Bolg.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sauron appears as the main villain. After the One Ring was found by Gollum, and later taken by Bilbo Baggins, Sauron himself became obsessed with finding the ring. Over the 15 years after Bilbo gave the ring to Frodo, Sauron regained much of his former strength, though unable to take physical form, he existed as an eye, called the Eye of Sauron, shown as a real manifestation on top of Barad-dûr. Saruman also went over to his side and he sent the Ringwraiths after Frodo to kill him and take the One Ring back. They failed.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Sauron reappears as the main antagonist. His servant, Saruman, sent an army of 10,000 Uruk-hai to invade Rohan, but eventually they were defeated when Gandalf, the Rohirrim and the Ents of Fangorn Forest arrived. Saruman himself was killed by GrÃma Wormtongue at Isengard and Wormtongue was killed by Legolas. Sauron's defeat at Helm's Deep showed him that the men were still able to resist him.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Sauron reappears as the main antagonist. After the defeat at Helm's Deep, he decided to attack Gondor with another powerful army of orcs, led by the hideous orc Gothmog and the Witch-king of Angmar. The men of Gondor and Rohan fought against them, but it wasn't until Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli showed up with the Army of the Dead that Sauron's army was defeated. In the battle, the Witch-King was killed by Éowyn, and Gothmog was killed by Aragorn and Gimli.
In the meantime, Frodo and Sam were making their way into Mordor with the One Ring to destroy it. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Éomer, Merry, Pippin, and what remained of the men of Gondor and Rohan went to the Black Gates to draw Sauron's army out and his attention away from the two hobbits after a meeting with the Mouth of Sauron. Gollum attacked Frodo and Sam as they made their way up Mount Doom. In the end, Frodo decided to keep the ring for himself, and put it on, thus attracting the attention of Sauron and the eight remaining Nazgûl.
Before anything else could happen, however, Gollum bit Frodo's finger off and took the ring back. Frodo fought Gollum, resulting in them both falling over the cliff. Frodo held onto the edge and survived and he and Sam escaped, but Gollum fell into the lava with the One Ring. With the ring destroyed, Sauron could no longer survive. Barad-dûr collapsed, and Sauron was destroyed in a shock wave of energy that collapsed the foundations of Mordor and in the process, the majority of the Orcs were all destroyed whereas the surviving Orcs run away, never able to form such great armies again, while the eight remaining Nazgul were all destroyed by the fires of Mt. Doom therefore, freeing Middle-Earth from slavery and destroying the ancient threat to Elves and Men.
We saw how evil he was and he was pure evil 100-fold and more.
We gasped in sheer horror.
Me: It's hard to imagine that he is that evil. He makes Voldemort, the Devil and the most evil figures of history feel like a joke.
Nico: No kidding. What about Gollum? I've always hated him because he's really creepy.
Me: Lets see.
I pulled up Gollum's info.
Gollum, originally known as Sméagol or Trahald, is a creature of Hobbit origin and a major antagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth legendarium. Gollum is one of the two secondary antagonists in the novel The Lord of the Rings (alongside Saruman), and a supporting antagonist in the novel, The Hobbit.
He is the secondary antagonist in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a minor antagonist in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, before enlarging his role as an anti-hero in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and as the secondary antagonist of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
He is a former Hobbit who is corrupted and transformed into a slimy, monstrous creature by the One Ring, which he calls "my precious". After losing the Ring to Bilbo Baggins, he hunts after it for decades, eventually becoming part of the quest to destroy it when he is tamed by Bilbo's nephew Frodo. His all-consuming need for the Ring eventually lead him to betray Frodo and unintentionally destroy the Ring and himself.
In Sir Peter Jackson's adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, he was portrayed by Andy Serkis, who also played Capricorn in Inkheart, Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Spike in Flushed Away, and Ulysses Klaue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. In the 1977 animated film, he was voiced by the late Brother Theodore. In the 1978 animated version of The Lord of the Rings, he was voiced by the late Peter Woodthorpe. In the 2003 Sierra Entertainment videogame, he was voiced by Daran Norris.
Early life and and acquiring the Ring
Originally a Stoor Hobbit, Sméagol spends the early years of his life with his extended family under a Matriarch, his grandmother. He was born circa the year 2430 of the Third Age.
In the year TA 2463, on his 33rd birthday, Sméagol becomes the fourth Bearer of the One Ring, after Sauron, Isildur, and Déagol. The latter is his cousin, and on Sméagol's birthday, they go fishing in the Gladden Fields north of the mountains. After being pulled into the water by a large fish, Déagol finds the Ring underwater, and emerges from the river with his prize. Sméagol is immediately ensnared by the Ring and demands it as his "birthday present", but Déagol refuses. Sméagol strangles Déagol and claims the Ring as his own, his "precious".
Sméagol uses the Ring for thieving and antagonizing his relatives. The Ring corrupts his body and mind, forcing him to make a disgusting swallowing noise in his throat, for which his relatives nickname him "Gollum". Finally, his grandmother disowns him and throws him out of her home. He wanders for a few years, degenerating further as the Ring's hold on him grows, until he makes a new home in a cave in the Misty Mountains. The Ring's malignant influence twists his Hobbit body and mind and prolongs his life far beyond its natural limits; he lives in his cave for 500 years while the Ring bides its time, waiting for Sauron to return. Gollum calls the Ring his "Precious" or his "Birthday Present", the latter as a justification for killing Déagol.
Living in the Misty Mountains
Gollum lives under the Misty Mountains for nearly 500 years, eating raw blind fish (which he catches in his small row boat) and Goblins when he can get them. In later years, he finds Hobbit and Elven food repulsive.
During his centuries under the Ring's influence, he develops a sort of dissociative identity disorder: Sméagol, his "good" personality, still vaguely remembers things like friendship and love, while Gollum, his "bad" personality, is a slave to the Ring willing to kill anyone who tries to take it. Years later, Samwise Gamgee names the good personality "Slinker" (for his fawning, eager-to-please demeanor), and the bad personality "Stinker". The two personalities often quarrel when he talks to himself (as Tolkien put it, "through not having anyone else to speak to") and have a love/hate relationship, mirroring Gollum's love and hatred for the Ring and for himself.
In July, TA 2941, during the Quest of Erebor, the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins stumbles upon the subterranean lake in which he lives and finds the Ring, which Gollum had lost while hunting an imp goblin in the network of caves leading to the lake. (However, it is more proper to say that the Ring abandoned Gollum, for it was known to have a will of its own. As Gandalf says later, it looks after itself, trying to get back to Sauron.) After the infamous Riddle Game, during which Gollum is unaware of his loss, Gollum refuses to show Bilbo the promised way out and plots to murder him.
When he goes to get his "birthday present", however, he finds that it is gone. He suddenly realizes the answer to Bilbo's last riddle — "What have I got in my pocket?"— and flies into a rage. Bilbo inadvertently discovers the Ring's power of invisibility as he runs, allowing him to follow Gollum to the back entrance of the cave. There, Bilbo at first prepares to kill Gollum, but is overcome with pity, so he jumps over him to escape. As Bilbo runs, Gollum cries out, "Thief! Thief, Baggins! We hates it forever!"; he does not immediately follow Bilbo out of fear of being caught by the Goblins.
Search for the Ring
Gollum eventually leaves the Misty Mountains and pursues Bilbo a few years later, but the trail is cold. He makes his way south into Mordor, discovering the secret stair located near Minas Morgul and surviving an encounter with Shelob. He is captured on his return and taken to Sauron's stronghold, where he is tortured by the Dark Lord himself until he reveals what he knows about the Ring; he reveals that "Baggins" of the Shire had taken it, alerting Sauron to the existence of Hobbits and the Baggins family. Sauron lets him go, but he is captured soon afterward by Aragorn, then interrogated by Gandalf, who places him in the care of the Silvan Elves living in Thranduil's kingdom in Mirkwood. Assisted by Orcs, he escapes them, and sets off looking for the Shire. He passes through Moria, but cannot make it out of the East gate. He sees the Fellowship of the Ring there and begins following them.
The War of the Ring
On January 15, 3019 the Fellowship is divided when Gandalf disappears while fighting a Balrog (though he later returns). Gollum continues trailing the remaining members. Gollum follows their boats down Anduin (floating on a log) to Rauros and pursued Frodo Baggins - nephew and heir of the hated Bilbo, and the new Ringbearer - and his friend Samwise Gamgee across the Emyn Muil when they struck out on their own towards Mordor. Gollum follows them, but after a confrontation (in which he bites and nearly strangles Sam) Frodo subdues him. Frodo ties an Elven Rope around Gollum's ankle for a leash, but the mere touch of the rope pains him.
Taking pity on the wretched creature, Frodo makes Gollum swear to help them. Agreeing to the oath, Gollum swears by the "Precious" itself and Frodo releases him. The unlikely company, guided by Gollum, makes its way to the Black Gate, the entrance to Mordor.
Frodo's kindness brought out the "Sméagol" personality, and he makes at least some effort to keep his promise. The two have a strange sort of bond from both having been Ringbearers; in Gollum, Frodo sees his possible future, and so wants to save him so he can save himself.
When they reach the Black Gate and find it well guarded, Gollum convinces them not to go that way, saying that they would be caught and Sauron would regain the Ring. Gollum says he will lead them south, where he knows of another entrance into Mordor.
Frodo and Sam are caught by Faramir, and Gollum follows them. When Frodo allows Faramir to briefly take Gollum prisoner, however, he feels betrayed, allowing the "Gollum" personality to take total control. Faramir finds out that the place Gollum is taking them is called Cirith Ungol. He then warns Frodo and Sam of the evil of that place, and of Gollum's treachery.
Frodo, Sam, and Gollum leave Faramir and begin crossing the pass of Cirith Ungol in the border-mountains of the Ephel Dúath (Mountains of Shadow). Gollum visits the great spider Shelob, child of Ungoliant, because he is planning to betray the Hobbits to her and then get the Ring for himself. When he returns, he finds the Hobbits sleeping, and the sight of Frodo asleep nearly moves Gollum to repent. However, Sam wakes up and speaks harshly to Gollum, and all hope of redemption is lost. Gollum follows through with his plan and leads Frodo and Sam into Shelob's Lair.
Frodo and Sam escape from her lair and come against all odds to the fiery volcano Mount Doom, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed. Gollum follows them all the way, seeking a chance to surprise them and take the Ring. When Frodo and Sam have almost reached their destination, he attacks them, but Frodo casts him down and threatens to throw him in the fire if he ever touches him again. Sam, who had hated Gollum on sight, tries to bring himself to kill him, but relents out of sheer pity and disgust, turning his back on the beaten (but still wily) creature.
Death
Moments later, Frodo is standing on the edge of the Crack of Doom, but, unwilling to destroy the Ring, claims it for himself and puts it on, becoming invisible. Then Gollum attacks the hobbits again. Gollum knocks Sam out and jumps on Frodo. The two fight until, finally, Gollum bites off Frodo's finger and seizing the Ring. Gollum then teeters on the edge of the great pit, loses his balance and falls in, taking the Ring with him along with a final, joyous cry of "Precious!" He perishes in the lava, and the Ring is destroyed with him. Had Gollum not lived to play this final part, there was a good chance that Sauron would have regained his Ring, as he knew where Frodo was as soon as he put it on.
According to J. R. R. Tolkien's notes, Eru Ilúvatar, the Middle-earth legendarium's version of God, intervened to destroy the Ring by causing Gollum to fall into the Crack of Doom.
Me: Geez!
Lana: What a freak of nature.
Me: No kidding.
Grugun: Aye.
Edwayl: (Breton Accent) He was a heartless monster lads.
Nico: He sure was.
Me: Lets head to Middle Earth and destroy the Ring, Gollum and Sauron. They will never terrorize Middle Earth as long as we have anything to say about it.
Nico: Yeah!
Lucy cut open a portal to Middle Earth and we were in the world of The Lord of the Rings: MIDDLE EARTH! It was a beautiful world and we were in the Realm of Gondor.
Jewel Man: So this is Middle Earth?
Me: Yep. We're in the Realm of Gondor.
Nico: It sure is beautiful.
We saw creepy shadowy storm clouds heading over the land of Gondor.
Laney: Those clouds give me the creeps.
Me: Those clouds aren't any ordinary clouds. Those clouds are the Shadow of Mordor.
We heard Orc chants and we got onto a hill and we saw thousands of Orcs attacking the city of Minas Tirith and it was an immensely massive fight that was happening now. we were in the Siege of Minas Tirith.
Me: It's the Siege of Minas Tirith.
Nico: Whoa! What a battle.
Varie: How many Orcs are there?
Me: 150,000.
Laney: Whoa! Not very good odds.
Me: Lets power up and help take down the Orcs.
Electro and Leonard appeared.
Me: Electro and Leonard.
Saïx: And me.
Luan: Oh great. Saïx.
Electro: Let us help you guys. We love the Lord of The Rings movies just as much as anyone else and they are the one series where we have a strong fear of Sauron and his entire forces.
Me: This is unusual. Usually you all appear and help people like Sauron and his forces.
Leonard: Not this time.
Saïx: Even we in Organization XIII have a strong fear of Sauron. He was terrifying.
Me: Wow. Lets power up and take them down.
?: Wait!
We saw a Tiger Robot appear.
Flash Man: Who are you?
Neon Tiger: Allow me to introduce myself! I'm Neon Tiger! (shoots several energy beams from his tail at Flash Man)
Nico used the Force and fired the blasts into the air.
Electro: Neon Tiger, we have to take down all those Orcs right there. We are facing the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron and he poses a threat to all of Middle Earth.
Neon Tiger: Oh.
My Signer Mark Glowed and Kalin appeared.
Kalin: Now I can kill you J.D.
Electro: Kalin, drop your ego! We have bigger problems to deal with now. Sauron's forces are attacking and we have to destroy him and all of their forces now.
Kalin: (Growls) Fine.
Me: Lets do it!
We went at them. The Orcs were savagely attacking the city.
Then massive fiery explosions were blasting the entirety of the Orc Army apart as thousands of Orcs were perishing at a rapid pace.
KRABBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM! KRABBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM! KRABBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM! KRABBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!
I fired massive energy blasts and obliterated a bunch of Orcs and Nico fired massive blasts of fire and Lincoln blasted them all over with lightning. Electro fired blasts of lightning all over and blew them apart.
Leonard: This time, my pigs are wearing helmets!
The Pig Minions took all of the Orcs all over the place and smashed and destroyed them all over the place with dynamite and weapons and blew them, apart all over the place and Saïx smashed many orcs all over with his claymore and smashed them to pieces and blew them apart all over the place with incredible fury. Lori blew many Orcs away with incredible blasts of wind.
Troy: Maybe magic will help in this battle.
Megaforce Rangers: Legendary Ranger Mode: Mystic Force!
The Megaforce Rangers turned into the Mystic Force Rangers and they blasted many Orcs all over with magic blasts and more and blew them apart all over the place.
Ben turned into a new predator. It looked like a Starfish with a jewel in the middle and it had spines all over. It was a Cascanastroderian and they are the natural predators of the Cascan's from the planet Cascareau. They got after Overflow's species. Ben crushed many orcs all over and turned them into drinkable paste. Lincoln fired blasts of lightning and Electro did the same and blew the orcs apart into piles of blood and guts and Lana fired blasts of ice and froze them and Lola fired blasts of fire and incinerated them all over the place and Ralarie chanted a powerful spell incantation and a massive stampede of Fire Horses appeared out of nowhere and incinerated many orcs in their path. Then we heard a horn blow and we saw the Riders of Theodan appear on the Pelennor Fields.
Me: The Riders of Theoden.
Nico: The Riders of the Rohirrim have arrived.
They got ready and saw us fighting the Orcs as we blew them apart all over the place with relentless fury and were tearing them apart all over the place. Massive explosions were blowing the Orcs to smithereens.
We blasted the Orcs all over the place.
Then we heard the horns blow and we saw the Rohirrim charge to the Orcs and a massive bloodbath began.
Nico: I'm going to stop Denethor.
Me: Okay. I've always hated that guy.
Nico flew to the citadel of Minas Tirith. We were blowing many Orcs apart all over the place with incredibly indiscriminate fury.
Nico busted into the citadel and he saw Denethor about to kill himself by burning himself alive on a pyre with Faromir.
Nico: What the fuck are you doing Denethor!?
Denethor took a torch.
Denethor: You may triumph in the field of battle for a day. But against the power that has risen in the east, there is no victory.
Nico: That is bullshit!
He dropped the torch and lit the wood on fire and Nico teleported and kicked Denethor away and he grabbed Faromir and he revived him with his energy.
Denethor got up and he was insane and crazy!
Nico punched him in the face and kicked him into the wall and knocked him out.
Nico: You have been dethroned.
The battle was heating up a the Legions of Haradrim arrived and Carol fired blasts of atomic energy and blew them all apart and killed all of them all over the place with incredible firepower. Maria fired blasts of water and drenched the Orcs all over and drowned them and then Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas appeared and they had a massive army of the dead with them and they were slashing and hacking the rest of the orcs all over the place and we were blowing them all apart. We then faced the Witch King of Angmar and slashed him apart and killed him in an instant and the power of a God was no match for him. We killed the remaining forces all with ease. It was a brutal battle and one of incredible brutality.
Me: Wow.
Aragorn came up to us.
Aragorn: Did you all do this to these Orcs?
Me: Yes we did Aragorn. Sorry, we are Team Loud Phoenix Storm. We came from the planet Earth to help you all destroy the ring and Sauron.
Gimli: (Scottish Accent) Wow! It's an honor to have you all here lads.
Me: Thanks Gimli.
Legolas: We've heard so many amazing things about you all.
Varie: We get that a lot.
We went into the citadel of the city and formulated a plan to help Frodo. We were told that he went into the heart of Mordor. Now 10,000 Orcs stand between Frodo and Mount Doom. We devised a plan of action. Our plan was to keep Sauron's eye fixated on us while Frodo and Sam go into Mount Doom to destroy the Ring.
Me: That's a clever plan Aragorn. It just might work. Me, Nico and Electro will head into Mordor and help Frodo and Sam destroy the Ring.
Nico: Good idea.
Gimli: Perfect lads.
Laney: Yeah.
Gimli: So...you're from another world? And your mountains are made of metal? Mine too!
Luan: Yep, we deal in heavy metals! (Laughs) Get It?
Aragorn: Well, it's good. But Legolas did it better.
Luan and Gimli: Hmph, killjoy.
Me: Guys now is not the time for jokes. Lets get moving.
We were off to the Black Gates of Mordor.
We arrived later on and we saw the Black Gates of Mordor.
Me: This is it guys.
Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf and the Hobbits went up to the gate. The Gates opened and we saw the entire army of Mordor came and we saw the EYE OF SAURON!
Lincoln: There he is.
Me: The Eye of Sauron. My dad calls him The Devil because he's just as evil.
Nico: Wow.
Me: Electro, Nico, Lets go.
We went to Mount Doom.
Me, Nico and Electro arrived at Mount Doom and we saw Samwise Gamshie and Frodo climbing up to a doorway.
Sam (LOTR): Look Mr. Frodo. A doorway. We're almost there.
But then GOLLUM appeared on a rock!
Gollum: Clever Hobbits to climb so high!
Me: Oh no you don't!
I went at him and kicked him in the face and knocked him into a rock.
Gollum: Precious! We must have the Precious!
Electro: I've got your Precious right here! (fires lightning blast at Gollum)
It electrocuted him all over the place.
I punched Gollum in the face and knocked out some of his teeth.
Me: You are FUCKING CRAZY!
Nico: And you creep me out you fucking murderer!
Gollum then went insane!
I kicked him in the face.
In the battle with the Orcs, the battle was getting intense as everyone else was blasting and slashing numerous Orcs all over the place and blowing them apart and killing them. Ringwraiths appeared and Lincoln fired blasts of lightning at them and electrocuted them all over and killed them all over and Laney fired barbs of poison and they killed numerous Orcs all over the place. Kalin blasted the orcs all over with blasts of blue energy and blew many orcs apart and Neon Tiger blasted many Orcs all over the place.
They then used some teamwork.
G1 Snarl used the Animatron Cyber Planet Key and Taranee used the Candrakar Cyber Planet Key. Snarl's tail strength was enhanced 100-fold and Taranee's fire powers were enhanced 100-fold.
Hun-Gurr used the Animatron Cyber Planet Key and James used the Pokemon Cyber Planet Key. They enhanced Hun-Gurr's Stun Blaster and enhanced his Cacnea's abilities 100-fold.
G1 Snarl and Taranee: FIRESTORM TAIL STRIKE!
Taranee fired a blast of fire and it merged with Snarl's tail.
Hun-Gurr and James: LIGHTNING NEEDLE MISSILESTORM!
Hun-Gurr fired a blast of lightning and James had his Cacnea fired his Pin Missile.
Amorpho and Demona: DARKGHOST ECTOBURST!
Amorpho and Demona fired blasts of ecto-energy and darkness.
Laney and Kamengareth: FIRESTORM CENTIPEDE BLAST!
Laney and Kamengareth fired blasts of fire and they formed into a huge centipede of pure fire.
Lola and Maxxor: FIRESTORM PERIM BLAST!
Lola and Maxxor fired massive blasts of fire.
Carol and Aragorn: ATOMIC SWORD BLADESTORM!
Carol fired blasts of atomic energy and Aragorn fired blades of energy.
Lincoln and Gimli: LIGHTNING AXE HACKSTORM!
Lincoln fired blasts of lightning and Gimli fired blasts of energy from his axe.
Edwayl and Gandalf: CELTIC MAGIC FIRESTORM!
Edwayl and Gandalf fired blasts of energy and magic.
Zarya and Legolas: WOLF RIDER STORM!
Zarya fired blasts of blue fire and Legolas fired numerous arrows and the blasts turned into an army of wolf riders.
Lynn and Blugon: SMASHING EARTH FIRESTORM!
Lynn and Blugon punched the ground and sent numerous Orcs flying in massive explosions of fire.
Aragorn: And feel this final smash. GONDOR SLASHSTORM BLADEDANCE!
Aragorn fired blasts of energy from his sword and slashed numerous orcs apart.
Back at Mount Doom we were with Frodo in and we were standing on a cliff in the heart of the volcano.
Frodo: Time to destroy this ring for good!
Me: Come on Frodo.
He held out the ring and it was a 24 karat gold ring and it had writing on it.
Me: Don't give in to it Frodo. Throw it in.
Gollum: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Frodo: You want your precious?
He took the ring off the chain and dropped it into the volcano and Gollum jumped after it.
Me: I've had it with this fucking freak!
Frodo: Me too. SHIRE LEAFSTORM SMASH!
Frodo fired a wave of leaves and they formed into a hammer and smashed into Gollum and sent him and the ring into the lava and Gollum died with the ring in his hands.
Me: Lets get outta here!
We flew back and had Sam and Frodo with us.
The Ring melted in the lava and Sauron released an ear-shattering scream as he was dying and the tower of Baradhur collapsed and he exploded.
Merry: FRODO! FRODO!
The war was over!
We regrouped and the orcs fell into a huge crack in the earth and they died in an instant and we saw Mount Doom explode.
Me: Whoa! That was a close one.
Nico: No kidding. Sauron has failed this world and this universe.
Nicole: Yes he has.
Kalin: This was intense!
Nico: It sure was.
Electro: You know there was another guy named Sauron, right?
Maria: Of course. But we already took care of him before today.
Leonard: Just wanted to know. Well, we'll see you guys around.
The Masters of Evil then teleported out.
Me: That was intense.
We had Sauron and Gollum forever sealed into the Book of Vile Darkness. We went back to Minas Tirith after Frodo was healed and we were the guests of Aragorn's coronation. He was coronated as King of Gondor and he was the first King of Gondor in over 3,000 years. The White Tree bloomed again for the first time in a long time. We were honored to be there. We saw Aragorn reunited with Arwen. It was good.
Aragorn: Thank you all so much for saving all of Middle Earth from the evils of Sauron.
Me: It was our pleasure your majesty. We're glad we could help you out.
Nico: Yeah. We do what we have to do to save the entire universe from evil.
Vince: Yep.
Laney: Evil will never rest.
Lana: Yep.
Gandalf: J.D. I want you to have this as a token of our thanks.
Gandalf took off his ring. He had the ring of power Narya, the Ring of Fire and he gave it to me as his way of saying thank you.
We later went back home to Earth.
Aragorn: (To the viewers) Never follow the ways of Sauron. Or Team Loud Phoenix Storm will stop you.
THE END
Another Awesome fanfic complete!
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy is one of my favorite movie series and it was so awesome! The Return of The King is my favorite out of all the movies and it was awesome! A lot of big stars were in those movies and they all did a great job in those movies. It was awesome! NicoChan11 and ArchangelOfJustice12 gave me the ideas for this one. Thanks guys. Next up is my original chapter for where we learn a very dark secret about Tara Markov and face her extremely evil father back from the dead. We're going to make sure that he pays for his crimes even in death.
See you all tomorrow.
