The Mind-Blowing Plot Twist that Lord of the Rings Fans Can't Miss

Summary

A potential plot hole in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King involving Gandalf's staff has been found by a fan on Reddit.

The Witch-king breaking Gandalf's staff is only shown in the extended edition, which causes a discrepancy with the ending. It's plausible that Gandalf possesses a different staff, considering he had various staffs throughout the trilogy, and viewers can choose to address or overlook this inconsistency.

A possible plot hole has been discovered by fans in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This film, released in 2003, is the third and final part of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Return of the King brings the epic story of the Fellowship's mission to destroy the One Ring and put an end to Sauron's reign of terror to a close. Despite its enormous success, with 11 Oscars won and over $1 billion earned at the box office, some minor errors can be found in the film.

Nearly two decades after its release, a Reddit user known as u/Epic_Rain may have uncovered a potential inconsistency in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King involving Gandalf the White's staff.

Posted on r/lordoftherings, the content highlights the destruction of Gandalf's staff during his confrontation with the Witch-king of Angmar (a scene exclusive to the extended edition). However, in the conclusion of The Return of the King in the Grey Havens, Gandalf is seen with his staff once again. In response, users in the comment section shared their thoughts on this potential plot hole, offering possible explanations to address the apparent inconsistency.

u/Mediocre_Scott expresses their disappointment with this particular scene in Peter Jackson's movies, believing that J.R.R. Tolkien's original depiction was far superior. They argue that the Witch-king should not have been capable of breaking a wizard's staff.

u/Door__Opener prefers "just to ignore that the witch king destroyed his staff in the movie."

u/WastedWaffles agrees, saying "the movies aren't as perfectly consistent as the books."

u/Shadecujo says they hate the deleted scene because it creates a plot hole.

u/fuzzybad agrees, saying it's the "one scene that should have stayed deleted."

According to u/7evenh3lls, Gandalf received his second staff, along with new clothing, from the Elves in Lorien. Perhaps this is also where the staff at the end came from.

In a humorous comment, u/Brostapholes suggests that Tom Bombadill made Gandalf a new staff from a tree during Gandalf's time with him after the One Ring's destruction.

u/nameisreallydog also took a humorous approach, joking "There’s a new staff with the promotion."

u/jimfortuno also jokes that Gandalf "used his second collapsible staff."

Breaking Down Return of the King's Potential Plot Hole

The inconsistency in Return of the King may appear as a plot hole, but there are a few possible explanations for it. Firstly, the scene where the Witch-king destroys Gandalf's staff only appears in the extended edition of the film. This suggests that the plot hole exists solely in that version. It is understandable why this scene was cut, as it creates an inconsistency with the ending. In contrast, the theatrical version, which can be considered the definitive version, does not feature this plot hole. The extended editions, on the other hand, serve as additional material for fans who are interested.

Another explanation for the plot hole could be that it is simply a different staff. Gandalf possesses multiple staffs throughout the Lord of the Rings, including the white staff gifted to him by Galadriel, which is clearly destroyed by the Witch-king. In the final scene at the Grey Havens, Gandalf is seen with a staff that looks similar but slightly larger, suggesting it may be a different one. While this slight inconsistency does exist in the extended edition of Return of the King, it is ultimately up to the audience to decide how to interpret or disregard it.

Source: u/Epic_Rain/Reddit