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Between the blockbuster movies, “The Rings of Power” series on Prime Video, and countless other media projects, “The Lord of the Rings” is still the fantasy franchise to rule them all. Created by author J.R.R. Tolkien, the medieval fantasy tale takes place in the realm of Middle-earth, with its heroes battling the dark lord Sauron. This war concludes with Sauron destroyed along with the One Ring of Power in the climax of Tolkien’s “The Return of the King,” restoring lasting peace for much of Middle-earth. This provides a happy ending for many of the surviving main characters in the War for the Ring as the heroes go their separate ways.
Through appendices and other ancillary material, Tolkien has revealed what happened to many of his fan-favorite characters following his main narrative. Some of these codas are bittersweet, while others maintain the happier elements alluded to in the text. Some of this material was even filmed for the Peter Jackson “Lord of the Rings” extended edition that we’ll never see, reflecting the source material. Within Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” here’s what happened to every major character after “The Return of the King.”
Frodo Baggins
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The de facto protagonist of “The Lord of the Rings,” Frodo Baggins never fully recovers from the physical and psychological wounds he endures from his journey to Mount Doom. After Frodo Baggins’ parents are killed in a boating accident, he is raised by his uncle Bilbo in the Shire. Volunteering to be the ring-bearer, Frodo’s mind is tempted and warped by the One Ring’s corrupting influence by those around it. Though the Ring and Sauron are destroyed, Tolkien’s “The Return of the King” ending is different from Jackson’s, with Frodo and the hobbits having to retake the Shire from Saruman.
Despite liberating his home and being recognized as a hero, Frodo cannot find inner-peace, even back at the comfort of the reclaimed Shire. Two years after returning to Bag End, Frodo and Bilbo accompany the elves in departing Middle-earth to the heavenly realm of Valinor. Though Frodo’s lifespan is extended due to the nature of this paradise, it doesn’t grant him immortality, and he likely dies from natural causes eventually, though Tolkien doesn’t provide specifics. A far cry from the cheerful and innocent character introduced in “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Frodo finds some semblance of solace, but it’s outside of Middle-earth.
Samwise Gamgee
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Frodo’s best friend and the gardener of his home in Bag End is Samwise Gamgee, another hobbit living in the Shire. Steadfastly loyal, Sam accompanies Frodo to deliver the One Ring of Power to the elven stronghold of Rivendell and voluntarily joins the Fellowship of the Ring afterwards. Arguably the hero of “The Lord of the Rings,” Sam carries Frodo and the ring when his friend is too physically weakened to continue and resists the Ring’s influence. After helping Frodo and his friends defeat Saruman and the evil wizard’s forces, Sam marries fellow hobbit Rosie Cotton and moves into Bag End.
After Frodo and Bilbo’s exodus to the Undying Lands, Sam Gamgee raises his daughter Elanor with Rosie in Bag End. Sam is elected for seven seven-year terms as the Shire’s mayor, helping the community thrive under his leadership. After Rosie passes away from natural causes, Sam decides to travel to Valinor, having earned a spot due to his brief time as a ring-bearer when Frodo was incapacitated. Sam is 102 years old when he leaves Middle-earth, and the appendices mention him finally reuniting with Frodo before they both presumably die of old age among the elves.
Gandalf
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One of the strongest characters in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise is Gandalf, one of the Maiar race of wizards. Setting the events of the series into motion after recruiting Bilbo Baggins on an epic quest to Erebor, Gandalf is also the most powerful member of the Fellowship. After dying battling a Balrog in the mines of Moria, the supreme beings known as the Valar resurrect Gandalf as a white wizard. Reborn and more powerful than ever, Gandalf helps lead the defense of Minas Tirith and participates in the battle at the Black Gate.
It’s Gandalf that officiates the coronation of Aragorn, crowning him as King Elessar as part of his royal title. After overseeing the restoration of Minas Tirith’s regent, Gandalf accompanies the hobbits back to the Shire before concluding his business in Middle-earth. Two years after the hobbits return to Bag End, Gandalf departs from Middle-earth in the same ships to Valinor that carry Galadriel, Elrond, Bilbo, and Frodo. Like the elves, Gandalf is effectively immortal in the Undying Lands, with the white wizard residing in paradise.
Aragorn
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The true King of Gondor and heir to the legacy of the notorious King Isildur is Aragorn, who is known by many names throughout Middle-earth, including Strider. Raised by Elrond after the death of his father, Aragorn became a Ranger of the North once he became an adult and learned of his true heritage. Gandalf has Aragorn escort Frodo and his friends from the town of Bree to Rivendell, with Aragorn continuing his journey with the ring-bearer after joining the Fellowship of the Ring. A pivotal leader in the alliance against Sauron, Aragorn is crowned King of Gondor following the Dark Lord’s defeat and marries Elrond’s daughter Arwen.
Because of his being a direct descendant of one of Middle-earth’s most important locations, Númenor, Aragorn ages slower than typical humans. For much of “The Lord of the Rings,” Aragorn is 87 and at the physical prime of his life. This allows Aragorn to live to the age of 210, having reigned as King of Gondor for 122 years, passing the crown to his son Eldarion upon his peaceful death. Aragorn’s reign is one of the most celebrated in the history of Middle-earth, marked with widespread prosperity and harmony.
Legolas
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The main link between “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” movies is Legolas, the elven prince and son of King Thranduil. A prominent figure in the Fellowship of the Ring, Legolas represents the elven interests during the quest. Despite their initial interpersonal friction reflective of differing cultures, Legolas and Gimli form a deep friendship during their adventures together. This friendship informs Legolas’ decision to stay in Middle-earth for over a century after the coronation of Aragorn.
Shortly after the destruction of the One Ring, Legolas and Gimli explore Middle-earth together, traveling through Fangorn Forest and the Glittering Caves. Afterwards, Legolas forms a community with the elves who hadn’t left Middle-earth with Galadriel and Elrond in Ithilien. After Aragorn’s death, following his 122-year kingly reign in Gondor, Legolas decides his time in Middle-earth has finally come to an end. As cited in Tolkien’s appendices, Legolas and Gimli sail together to Valinor as the last living members of the Fellowship to depart Middle-earth.
Gimli
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Gimli represents the dwarven interests on the Fellowship of the Ring and comes from respected nobility within his society. Gimli’s father Glóin was one of the dwarves that was part of Thorin Oakenshield’s company that reclaimed the kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Both through his budding camaraderie with Legolas and his meeting with Galadriel, Gimli overcomes his prejudices towards the elves. This growing mutual respect and friendship with the elves ultimately leads Gimli to become the first dwarf in Valinor.
After his tour of Middle-earth with Legolas, Gimli forms a community of dwarves in the Glittering Caves, serving as their leader. Gimli renews the dwarves’ alliance with humanity, with his people’s craftsmen helping with the repairs to Rohan and Gondor. Following Aragorn’s death, Gimli travels to Valinor with Legolas, with the dwarven lord being 262 years old at the time. Like the hobbits in the Undying Lands, Gimli doesn’t gain immortality in Valinor and presumably dies of natural causes at a time unspecified by Tolkien.
Merry Brandybuck
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Among Frodo’s closest friends among the hobbits of the Shire is Meriadoc Brandybuck, better known as Merry. The Brandybucks’ familiarity with waterways around Hobbiton proved instrumental in helping Merry guide Frodo, Sam, and Pippin to the town of Bree. After joining the Fellowship, Merry and Pippin escape captivity from the orcs and find themselves in Rohan. Swearing fealty to King Théoden, Merry secretly joins the Rohan cavalry in their attack on Sauron’s armies besieging Minas Tirith.
Merry’s heroism continues when he eventually returns to the Shire, helping liberate his community from Saruman’s occupation. This makes Merry and Pippin more respected figures among the hobbits than even Frodo and Sam. Merry marries Estella Bolger and has a son before becoming the Master of Buckland while serving as the Shire’s lead historian. At the age of 102, Merry revisits Rohan and Gondor one last time before passing away shortly thereafter and being laid to rest next to Aragorn.
Pippin Took
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Merry’s best friend and younger cousin is Peregrin Took, better known as Pippin. Like his fellow hobbits in the Fellowship, Pippin is revered across Middle-earth as a hero and helps liberate the Shire from Saruman. Whereas Merry had become part of Rohan’s military, Pippin swears fealty to Gondor, becoming part of Minas Tirith’s Guards of the Citadel. In this capacity, Pippin helps save Faramir’s life and participates in the battle at the Black Gate.
After causing Saruman’s downfall in the Shire, Pippin marries Diamond of Long Cleeve and has a son with her, whom he names after Faramir. Pippin becomes the head of the Took clan, and at the age of 94, leaves the Shire with Merry for one last adventure. After visiting Rohan and Gondor, Pippin dies back in the human city that he came to love so well. Following Aragorn’s death and interment, Pippin and Merry are both reinterred by the late king in the royal crypt.
Galadriel
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One of the biggest links between “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” and “The Lord of the Rings” is Galadriel. A presence in Middle-earth since the First Age, Galadriel is a major figure in elven society and leads the community of Lothlórien alongside her husband Celeborn. A member of the White Council, Galadriel leads the expedition to drive Sauron out of Dol Guldur and later shelters the Fellowship of the Ring in Lothlórien. After crushing Sauron’s remaining forces following his defeat, Galadriel personally attended the wedding of her granddaughter Arwen to Aragorn in Minas Tirith.
In “The Silmarillion,” Tolkien describes Galadriel as the mightiest of the elves after Gil-galad’s death and “The Rings of Power” transforms Galadriel in the right ways to reflect that. However, for all her might and grace, Galadriel realizes her time in Middle-earth is coming to an end after Sauron’s downfall. Accompanied by her husband, daughter, and son-in-law, Galadriel travels to Valinor two years after the hobbits return to the Shire. Given her elven heritage, Galadriel spends the rest of eternity living in the Undying Lands with her family.
Arwen
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Arwen is given a more significant role in Jackson’s movies compared to Tolkien’s text, most notably with her taking a stand against the Nazgûl instead of the omitted character Glorfindel. Arwen is the daughter of Elrond and Celebrían, the daughter of Galadriel, effectively making her Galadriel’s granddaughter. After falling in love with Aragorn, Arwen agrees to give up her elvish immortality in order to remain in Middle-earth with him. After Sauron is defeated and Aragorn is officially crowned the King of Gondor and Arnor, Arwen proceeds with marrying him.
Staying in Middle-earth alongside her husband after her elvish family relocates to Valinor, Arwen and Aragorn have three children together. Along with two unnamed daughters, the royal couple has a son, Eldarion, who eventually succeeds his father as the king of the merged kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. After Aragorn passes away from natural causes, Arwen succumbs to a broken heart the following year, dying at the age of 2,901. Arwen and Aragorn are married for approximately 122 years before Aragorn’s death, with their union reflective of a restored and harmonious Middle-earth.
Faramir
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The youngest son of Denethor, Gondor’s steward at the start of “The Lord of the Rings,” Faramir is much less favored by his father than his older brother Boromir. A deleted scene from “The Two Towers” reveals a much different response to the One Ring compared to his more revered sibling, hinting at his stronger moral fortitude. In “The Return of the King,” Faramir is gravely wounded after the Witch-King’s forces seize the Gondorian city of Osgiliath but survives and eventually recovers. Following Denethor’s passing during the siege of Minas Tirith, Faramir succeeds his father as the kingdom’s next steward.
Appendices and other material by Tolkien reveals that Aragorn retains Faramir as his steward after he is crowned King of Gondor. Faramir marries Éowyn and settles in Ithilien, the area in which he was introduced in “The Two Towers,” with Aragorn naming him the prince of the region. Faramir and Éowyn have a son named Elboron, with Faramir eventually passing away at the ripe old age of 120. Faramir’s grandson Barahir becomes something of a historian, contributing to the stories contained within the “Lord of the Rings” appendices.
Éowyn
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A shieldmaiden of Rohan, Éowyn’s noble status in her kingdom comes from her being the niece of King Théoden. Éowyn is raised by Théoden alongside her older brother Éomer after their father dies fighting orcs and their mother dies from the resulting grief. Disguising herself as a male soldier, Éowyn participates in the Battle of Pelennor Fields, where she avenges Théoden by slaying the Witch-King. Recuperating from the battle in the Houses of Healing, Éowyn meets and falls in love with Faramir, marrying him soon thereafter.
After Faramir is named Gondor’s steward and the Prince of Ithilien, Éowyn joins him where they raise their son Elboron. Éomer returns to Rohan without his sister, succeeding his uncle Théoden as the new King of Rohan and raising a family of his own. Unlike Faramir, no specific year or age of her demise is mentioned by Tolkien’s writings, but it’s presumed she passes away around the same relative time. One of the stronger female characters in “The Lord of the Rings,” Éowyn unfortunately takes a more passive role after the War for the Ring, but she gets her happy ending.
Bilbo Baggins
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Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of Tolkien’s preceding novel “The Hobbit.” Bilbo only plays a relatively minor role within “The Lord of the Rings,” but it’s a pivotal one that sets off the events of the story. For much of the trilogy, including the bulk of “The Return of the King,” Bilbo resides in the elven stronghold of Rivendell, where he works on his memoirs in peace. Because of his status as a ring-bearer and friendship with the elves, Bilbo is invited to accompany them to the Undying Lands to live out the rest of his days.
As is the case with Frodo and Sam, traveling to the Undying Lands does not grant Bilbo immortality, but it does extend his lifespan further. That said, at 131 years old by the time he departs from Middle-earth, Bilbo is already the oldest hobbit in the written record for the fantasy race. Tolkien doesn’t give a specific date for Bilbo’s eventual death in his footnotes or appendices for the character, but it’s presumed that he likely doesn’t outlive his nephew. At the very least, Bilbo gets to enjoy one last adventure into the unknown and passes away peacefully in the company of Frodo and his longtime friend Gandalf.