{"id":645148,"date":"2026-03-10T08:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/645148\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T08:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:25:16","slug":"5-lord-of-the-rings-extended-edition-scenes-that-should-have-made-the-original-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/645148\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Scenes That Should Have Made the Original Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lord of the Rings<\/a> extended editions are the preferred way of watching Peter Jackson\u2019s trilogy for many fans, and it\u2019s easy to understand why. Although they add to the Lord of the Rings movies<\/a>\u2018 runtimes, most of their scenes justify drawing out the viewing experience. Whether they elaborate on characters and parts of J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s world<\/a> or wrap up loose ends, they\u2019re well made and enjoyable. A few may even leave viewers wondering why they aren\u2019t included in the original cuts.<\/p>\n

Moments like Treebeard\u2019s rendition of \u201cThe Song of the Entwives\u201d\u00a0and Aragorn confronting the Mouth of Sauron are compelling nods for diehard Tolkien fans, but they can be removed from Jackson\u2019s films without much fanfare. Excluding such scenes for the sake of shortening the Lord of the Rings movies has logic to it. However, there are some extended edition moments that really should have made the original cut, as they add important context to the rest of the story.<\/p>\n

5) Frodo and Sam Seeing the Elves Going to the Grey Havens (The Fellowship of the Ring)<\/p>\n

\"SamImage via New Line Cinema<\/p>\n

Frodo and Sam begin their journey in The Fellowship of the Ring on their own, and the extended edition sees the Hobbits encountering a group of Elves on their way to the Grey Havens. At first glance, this scene doesn\u2019t seem all that important, which is likely why it was reserved for the extended versions of the film. However, given that it lays the groundwork for Frodo\u2019s fate in The Return of the King, I\u2019d argue it should have made the original cut. It\u2019s more than just a nod to Tolkien\u2019s lore; it\u2019s foreshadowing, setting up Arwen\u2019s conflict throughout the trilogy, as well as Frodo\u2019s eventual journey. For viewers less familiar with Tolkien, this could also offer additional context for those storylines.<\/p>\n

4) Faramir\u2019s Boromir Flashback (The Two Towers)<\/p>\n

\"SeanImage via New Line Cinema<\/p>\n

Boromir plays a significant role in The Fellowship of the Ring, but his death prevents us from getting to know him as well as the other Lord of the Rings characters<\/a>. On top of that, his struggle to resist the One Ring doesn\u2019t paint him in the greatest light. The film gets across that he\u2019s still a good man, but Faramir\u2019s flashback in the extended edition of The Two Towers does a better job of driving that home. It offers insight into what Boromir was like before arriving at the Council of Elrond and joining Frodo\u2019s quest. Seeing a more jovial and triumphant side of him makes his death that much more gutting. It\u2019s also nice to see how he fits into Faramir and Denethor\u2019s strained dynamic. This all adds to the character arcs, making it a must-watch that should\u2019ve been included from the beginning.<\/p>\n

3) Saruman\u2019s Death (The Return of the King)<\/p>\n

\"SarumanImage via New Line Cinema<\/p>\n

The most perplexing scene that only appears in the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings is Saruman\u2019s death. Although Sauron is the series\u2019 Big Bad, Saruman is a major threat throughout the films. Leaving his fate unaddressed doesn\u2019t make sense, especially when there\u2019s a perfectly good scene of him being killed by Gr\u00edma Wormtongue. It\u2019s earlier and different than his death in the source material, since the films cut the Scouring of the Shire, but that doesn\u2019t make it any less important. It\u2019s a relief that viewers can at least watch this moment in the lengthier version of The Return of the King, but I\u2019ll never understand the decision to leave it out of the original cuts. <\/p>\n

2) Gandalf vs. the Witch King (The Return of the King)<\/p>\n

\"GandalfImage via New Line Cinema<\/p>\n

Of all the Lord of the Rings extended edition scenes on this list, Gandalf vs. the Witch King probably makes the most sense to cut. While it\u2019s an intense showdown, it doesn\u2019t necessarily add a ton to the story. However, if the theatrical cuts could have included any of the more action-heavy moments of this nature, this one should have been the pick. I\u2019m doubtful anyone would complain about seeing more of Gandalf or the Witch King in action. And this scene drives home that the former isn\u2019t untouchable \u2014 a fact that raises the stakes of The Return of the King\u2018s final confrontations.<\/p>\n

1) Aragorn Confronts Sauron With the Palant\u00edr (The Return of the King)<\/p>\n

\"AragornImage via New Line Cinema<\/p>\n

Although Frodo carries the true threat to Sauron, the Lord of the Rings villain fears Aragorn \u2014 a fact that makes sense, given Aragorn\u2019s ancestry. However, this tension is more emphasized in the extended cuts of the films, with Gandalf outright telling Aragorn that Sauron fears him at one point. And when the group decides to draw Sauron\u2019s eye in The Return of the King, the extended edition sees Aragorn goading him through the Palant\u00edr. It\u2019s an intense moment that underscores why Aragorn is a worthy king, and it further explains Sauron\u2019s willingness to overlook everything Frodo and Sam are up to. It\u2019s another scene that adds to the character arcs and choices made, which means it should be in the theatrical cut. <\/p>\n

Which Lord of the Rings extended edition scene do you think should have made the original cut? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the\u00a0ComicBook Forum<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Lord of the Rings extended editions are the preferred way of watching Peter Jackson\u2019s trilogy for many…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":645149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[171,26735,53,32765,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-645148","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-list-feature","10":"tag-movies","11":"tag-the-lord-of-the-rings","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116203928257369971","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}