Summary
- Witch-king breaking Gandalf's staff in LOTR isn't canon, added for movie tension.
- Gandalf is much stronger than Witch-king, fight outcome controversial among fans.
- Despite controversy, Gandalf's staff could have been broken - power levels at play.
The Witch-king is surprisingly able to break Gandalf's staff in The Lord of the Rings movies, and here is how the villain is able to do it. Gandalf is one of the most powerful figures in the Lord of the Rings universe, with him facing down all kinds of terrifying monsters throughout the franchise and mostly coming out unscathed. However, the Witch-king puts up a fight when facing off against the powerful wizard, with him being the one who is finally able to break Gandalf's staff in the Lord of the Rings movies.
The Witch-king of Angmar is the leader of the Nazgûl in The Lord of the Rings, with him being a constant threatening presence throughout Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy up until he finally faces off with the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This is a moment that had been built up throughout the franchise, with his clash with Gandalf in the final film being one of the many highlights of the movie. Due to Gandalf's power, the outcome of his Witch-king fight has been controversial, and here's why.
The Witch-king Breaking Gandalf's Staff Is Not Lord Of The Rings Canon
It Didn't Happen In The Books
Although the Witch-king breaking Gandalf's staff is one of the most pivotal moments in the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it actually isn't canon in the franchise. Near the end of the third film, the Witch-king leads the Nazgûl to Gondor, something that Gandalf deduced would happen earlier. Luckily, Gandalf and the gang are there to fight back upon the Witch-king's arrival, with the Witch-king and Gandalf clashing. During the fight, the Witch-king manages to break Gandalf's magical staff, to the surprise of many fans.
As it turns out, the Witch-king actually didn't break Gandalf's staff in The Lord of the Rings books. The two do fight, but the addition of Gandalf's staff breaking was entirely made up for the movie. Although it hasn't been confirmed, this decision was most likely made in order to raise the stakes of Gandalf's fight with the Witch-king even further. Although Gandalf eventually comes out on top, the Witch-king's destruction of Gandalf's staff highlights how much of a threat he is, with this being a point of contention for The Lord of the Rings fans.
Lord of the Rings: The Return Of The King, Ending Explained
LOTR: The Return of the King is the epic finale to the story of Frodo and the Ring, and it perfectly captures the themes of the trilogy.
Gandalf Is Considerably Stronger Than The Witch-king
He Should've Beaten Him Easily
Despite how the battle plays out in the movie version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Gandalf is considerably stronger than the Witch-king. This is especially true due to Gandalf having come back as Gandalf the White at this point, making him even more powerful than he was before. Gandalf should have easily been able to beat the Witch-king, although the fight in the movie version didn't play out this way.
This has caused a lot of controversy in The Lord of the Rings fandom, as many fans say that the Witch-king shouldn't have been able to break Gandalf's staff. According to fans, Gandalf should have been able to kill the Witch-king without even breaking a sweat, with their fight taking away from Gandalf's character in an attempt to add further stakes. This has been one of the biggest points of contention in the otherwise faithful Peter Jackson adaptations, with it still being talked about until this day.
The Truth Behind Gandalf's Staff In Lord Of The Rings
The Staff Could Have Been Broken
Although the controversy around the Witch-king breaking Gandalf's staff has been raging for a while, there is evidence that it could have been broken. Although Gandalf is an incredibly powerful wizard, there is nothing to say that his staff couldn't be broken. The staff isn't known for being inherently divine, with Gandalf's great power instead being what makes the staff so special. Thus, it is believable that the Witch-king could have broken Gandalf's staff, with that not being this scene's biggest problem.
Return of The King Cast: What They've Done Since (& Where They Are Now)
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King features a massive cast of talent who've appeared in plenty of amazing projects over the years.
The big problem with Gandalf's fight with the Witch-king in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is that Gandalf struggled at all. Due to the difference in thier power levels, there was no chance of the Witch-king ever beating Gandalf, although the fight scene would suggest otherwise. The Witch-king's successes in the duel go against what The Lord of the Rings franchise has established about Gandalf, which is why the scene has remained so controversial decades after the movies were originally released.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Release Date
- December 17, 2003
- Runtime
- 201 Minutes
- Director
- Peter Jackson
Cast
Elijah Wood
WHERE TO WATCH
The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King concludes the epic saga of the Fellowship's quest to destroy the One Ring and put an end to Sauron's reign of terror. As Frodo and Sam continue on their way to Mordor and Mount Doom, accompanied by Gollom, the rest of the Fellowship work to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron's forces. The film's ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Vigo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.
- Writers
- Peter Jackson
- Franchise(s)
- The Lord of the Rings
- Studio(s)
- New Line Cinema
- Distributor(s)
- New Line Cinema
- Budget
- $94 million
Your comment has not been saved