The Only Lord Of The Rings Villain Who Dies For Real

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As a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings, I’ve always been struck by the range of villains Tolkien created. It’s not just about Sauron! You’ve got these terrifying, almost natural disasters like Shelob and the Balrog who just are, and don’t really care about the big picture. Then there are the characters who are basically just doing the dirty work for the real bad guys – think of someone like Grima Wormtongue or even the orc armies. Honestly, a lot of those poor guys didn’t make it through the films!

It’s interesting that despite having a large group of villains, only one major antagonist truly dies in The Lord of the Rings. The ending of The Return of the King feels so conclusive and triumphant that it’s easy to believe all the important enemies have been defeated. And for the people of Middle-earth who are now free, that is true. However, not everyone who seems defeated is actually gone.

Out of all the major villains in The Lord of the Rings, the Witch-king of Angmar is the only one who truly dies. While he serves Sauron, the Witch-king is a powerful leader in The Fellowship of the Ring, commanding his own armies and standing out as more than just a common soldier. Empowered by one of the nine rings given to men, his magic is weakened when Merry stabs him with an ancient blade during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, allowing Éowyn to finally kill him.

The Witch-king’s defeat wasn’t complicated. Because he was essentially a man kept alive by magic, he simply died after being attacked by Merry and Éowyn.

Why The Lord Of The Rings’ Other Main Villains Don’t Completely Die

While the Witch-king is the main villain in The Fellowship of the Ring, Saruman takes on that role in The Two Towers. However, the way Saruman meets his end is quite complex. In the original movie trilogy, Saruman just disappears after being defeated by the Ents. The extended editions show him falling from Orthanc and being impaled on a spike. But in the books, Saruman is actually killed by Grima Wormtongue, and then his spirit tries to escape to Valinor as a gas, only to be destroyed by the wind.

Because of their actions, both Saruman and Sauron are reduced to wandering spirits, unable to regain physical bodies. The destruction of the One Ring weakens Sauron so much that he’s left as just a faint presence, never truly gone but incapable of becoming powerful again. As immortal spirits known as maiar, they can’t die like humans. However, when maiar devote themselves to evil, like Sauron did with the Ring, they risk losing their power and being left as helpless, disembodied spirits.

As a huge fan of Tolkien, I’ve always found the idea that Morgoth is the true villain fascinating. And the really chilling thing is, he’s not even gone! After being defeated at the end of the First Age, the Valar didn’t kill him – they basically imprisoned him in this empty, timeless space. What’s even more unsettling is that Tolkien actually suggested Morgoth could one day escape through the Door of Night and cause trouble again. Unlike Sauron or Saruman, there’s always this lingering threat of his return, which makes him a truly terrifying figure.

In a way, the Witch-king of Angmar doesn’t really die in The Return of the King. Since the Nazgûl are already undead, Éowyn defeating him is similar to damaging a zombie – they’re already beyond death. If you accept that, then none of the major villains in The Lord of the Rings actually die permanently throughout the entire story.

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2026-05-10 01:41