The Lord of the Rings movies are known for many things: their bittersweet ending, the story's heart, and the well-written characters. These characters include Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and all of his Hobbit friends. He wouldn't have gotten far without Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) and Peregrin "Pippin" Took (Billy Boyd).
However, there was some pressure, apparently, to get rid of one of the Hobbits, even though they all survive the battles in the books. Would this have made sense and fit the story that the movies were telling? Or was it the right decision to stick with the books' ending? Although the movies are a bit darker than the books, they are still telling pretty much the same story. And getting rid of a character is a big decision.
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In order to determine whether or not getting rid of a Hobbit would work, let's take a closer look at the story of the Lord of the Rings movies. It is a little darker than the books and there are some changes made from the original story. For example, Tom Bombadil is not in the movies, even though he plays a big role in the books. Some characters that are present are given a slightly different story. For example, Arwen plays a bigger role in the movies than she does in the books. These changes, however, are not huge. Yet there are some that are. For example, in the books, the history of the Ring is mostly just discussed by the characters. In the movies, the audience watches it happen at the beginning of the story. This does make sense, however.
After all, books and movies are different formats, there are bound to be some changes. The Lord of the Rings movies had a lot to live up to. They not only had to adapt Tolkien's genius work, but they had to appeal to audiences who hadn't read the books as well. That's definitely somewhat difficult and would be daunting for any writer. It makes sense for the audience to go in knowing about how the Ring got to Bilbo, even if the characters don't know yet. It makes sense to give characters like Arwen more to do and cut out more mysterious characters like Tom Bombadil. But would getting rid of a Hobbit have made sense? Let's see. The Hobbits are all very crucial characters, after all. It's hard to imagine the Lord of the Rings movies without any of them.
Yet according to Dominic Monaghan, who portrayed Merry, it almost happened. The actor told IGN all about it and he also speculated on who it might have been. According to Monaghan, if any Hobbit was going to go, it probably would've been Merry. As he says, "There’s no way they are killing Frodo and Sam, and the only ones that would be left would be Merry and Pippin. They wouldn’t kill Pippin because Pippin has a really strong story with Gandalf." Therefore, Merry would be the candidate for meeting his demise. Of course, not every Lord of the Rings fan will agree with Monahan here. In fact, Merry plays a vital role as well. He helps Eowyn kill the leader of the Nazgûl. Without him, she might not have been able to do it.
And that's an important and inspirational moment for many fans. That leaves Pippin. And although he does have a strong story as well, as Monahan states, it seems he'd be a likelier candidate to perish. However, would it have worked? Even with the slightly darker tone of the movies, would killing off one of the main characters, one who survived in the books, really have worked? Probably not. Tolkien and Peter Jackson knew what they were doing. Getting rid of one of the Hobbits, after all they'd been through, would be a more bitter than sweet ending. And part of what makes the story of Lord of the Rings so compelling is that it's bittersweet.
Yes, Frodo leaves Middle Earth at the end. And it's sad. But he had a good life for a Hobbit. A great one, in fact. And he leaves behind Sam, Merry, and Pippin. If it was just Sam and Merry or Sam and Pippin, it would be all the sadder. And that wouldn't be a good note to end the story on. Instead, the Lord of the Rings movies end with Frodo leaving the rest of his friends behind. It's a perfect bittersweet ending. Of course, not every Lord of the Rings fan will agree. Some might have liked to see a darker take on the story, and what it would've been like if one of the Hobbits was gone. Yet part of the charm of Lord of the Rings is in its perfect balance of light and darkness. Of hope and despair.
And if the audience had lost another Hobbit, as well as watching Frodo leave, it would've been more despair. And that would've certainly been a different take on Tolkien's work. Instead, the story ends bittersweetly, but overall with hope. And hope is always a good thing to have.