One of the more ambiguous elements ofThe Lord of the Ringsmovies was Legolas' murder of Gríma Wormtongue, but Legolas had his reasons.Peter Jackson’sHobbitandLord of the Ringsmovieswere full of puzzling decisions, but most of them made sense in the long run. Jackson made directorial decisions geared mostly at condensing his source material into three feature-length movies. AdaptingThe Lord of the Rings, the masterwork of fantasy’s greatest writer, was no mean feat. J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel was a vast, sprawling epic and Jackson had to change a lot, including Wormtongue’s end.
But Wormtongue’s death in the trilogy was oft-disputed among fans. InLord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingmovie, Legolas shot Gríma Wormtongue with an arrow, and Wormtongue died at the top of Orthanc. This confused many fans as it seemed contrary to Legolas' normal kindness, and the usual modus operandi of the Fellowship of the Ring, which was to spare lives when it could. Jackson’s movies may have glorified violence a touch more readily than Tolkien’s novel did, as products of modern Hollywood, but this decision-making still seemed out of sorts.
Legolas Likely Killed Wormtongue Because They Wanted More Information From Saruman
Saruman Was Still Useful To The Fellowship Of The Ring
Legolas shot Gríma Wormtongue inThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingto try and save Saruman’s life. Legolas was watching closely as Saruman goaded Wormtongue and Wormtongue finally reached the end of his tether. He saw Wormtongue as he made to stab Saruman and shot him in an attempt to save Saruman, but was a little too late.Legolas was clearly reluctant to kill Saruman, as he waited until Wormtongue had actually started attacking Saruman to shoot. In this sense, Jackson preserved the morality that seemed inherent to this key Third Age character.
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Legolas knew that Saruman may have survived a few stab wounds, especially as he was one ofthe most powerful characters inThe Lord of the Rings. So, he made the unfortunate call to end Gríma’s life, which could have preserved the life of a man who was still useful to the Fellowship. As Gandalf indicated,Saruman held vital information on Sauron. Having defected from the White Council and gone to Sauron, Saruman was in the know as to Sauron’s plans and possibly his technology or strategic advantages. Sadly, Saruman fell to his death anyway, and he perished along with Wormtongue.
Was Legolas Right To Kill Grima Wormtongue?
Legolas' Decision Was Controversial Among Lord Of The Rings Fans
Legolas clearly ruminated on his choice to kill Wormtongue, but his presentation wasn’t totally clear inThe Return of the King, leaving many to speculate. Legolas was one ofthe best characters inThe Lord of the Rings, with or without his assassination of Gríma. Perhaps,Return of the Kingcould have made it more clear that Legolas was trying to avoid all deaths in this scenario. However, overall, the scene worked.Jackson had to find a way to kill off Wormtonguesomehow, bearing in mind Wormtongue’s death was closely linked to Saruman’s death in the books.
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Legolas was right to kill Wormtongue, as the Fellowship wanted Saruman alive. Both characters could have earned a second chance, but both failed to demonstrate how or why while atop Orthanc in their last moments. With Saruman’s death squeezed into a scene in the extended edition ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingafter originally being cut fromThe Two Towers, Jackson was not able to give Gríma a second more than he was worth. On all counts,it made sense for Legolas to execute Wormtonguefor the greater good, even though he failed in his intention.
How Wormtongue Dies In The Lord Of The Rings Books
The Return Of The King Movie Changed Saruman And Gríma’s Deaths
Saruman and Wormtongue died toward the end ofThe Lord of the Ringsbooks, but not on Orthanc.The Return of the Kingchanged the book’s storyin many places, but Saruman’s and Wormtongue’s deaths constituted one of its biggest shifts. In both the book and the movie,Wormtongue ensured Saruman’s death with a knife and paid the price. While Legolas shot him in retaliation inThe Return of the Kingmovie, Hobbit archers shot him in the book. Saruman and Wormtongue were in Isengard when this happened inThe Return of the King, but not in the book.
Keeping Saruman and Wormtongue in Isengard for their deaths inThe Return of the Kingmade sense.
In the book, both Saruman and Wormtongue were in the Shire when they died, exiting, following their defeat in the Scouring of the Shire. Keeping Saruman and Wormtongue in Isengard for their deaths inThe Return of the Kingmade sense, sinceWarner Bros. decided to cut the Scouring of the Shire. Including the Scouring of the Shire would have made for strange pacing.The Return of the Kingmovie ended with the defeat ofLord of the Rings’Sauronas his tower crumbled dramatically. Tacking on the Hobbits' less dramatic battle in the Shire after wouldn’t have worked.
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Plus, putting Saruman and Wormtongue on the top of Orthanc for their death scene allowed Christopher Lee his iconic fall. Peter Jackson certainly lent the scene some visual gravity, so to speak. Saruman getting impaled on his own machinery was a totally appropriate coda to Gríma’s death.Gríma was a somewhat mysterious character inLotR,and he received a tragic endingin both the book and the movie. Saruman’s voice had an unworldly power, and one questions how much Wormtongue was ever able to resist. Regardless, his death felt earned inThe Lord of the Rings’final movie.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
