Image: New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company
About This Quiz
Over the course of the three "Lord of the Rings" movies, MANY characters meet their doom, be it by broadsword or Balrog. Do you know which of these characters is dead and which still walk Middle Earth?
The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Gandalf had a close call with the Balrog, but he survived. He returned as Gandalf the White and drove Saruman back into his tower.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Aragorn of Arathorn, rightful king of Gondor, is very much alive. He married Arwen with her father's blessing near the end of "The Return of the King."
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
One of the best things about the movies is the friendship between Legolas and Gimli. In every battle, they keep careful count of who kills the most Orcs!
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Frodo's Sam survived to the end, and even married his dream girl. He was a gentle soul, but quick to draw a sword in defense of Frodo!
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The Movie Db
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Gimli has a heart as big as his ax. Just remember: "Nobody tosses a dwarf!"
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Boromir is the younger son of the Steward of Gondor, and he's part of the Fellowship. He dies heroically, defending Merry and Pippin from Orcs.
Alive
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Not only is Galadriel immortal, she manages to avoid being killed in battle. The Queen of Elves is alive and well!
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Faramir is the eldest son of the insane Steward of Gondor. At his father's behest, he undertakes a suicidal attack against a superior Orc force, but manages to survive.
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Elrond was suspiciously absent from the battle on Pelennor Field, but he DID get Aragon's sword reforged. He's still alive in Rivendell.
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Meriadoc (Merry) Brandybuck frequently causes more trouble than imaginable, especially when he grabs hold of a palantir and gets a direct line to Sauron. However, he's got a stout heart and helps kill the Witch King of Angmar.
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Treebeard is alive and well, and basking in a bit of triumph after the overthrow of Saruman. The ent attack scene in "The Two Towers" is truly amazing.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Gollum is simultaneously a sympathetic and abhorrent character. He meets his end when he tries to steal the One Ring back from Frodo and ends up in the fires of Mount Doom.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Frodo, the hero of the tale, is alive and well at the end. However, his experiences have changed him and he joins the elves going to the Grey Havens.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Eomer is the leader of the Rohirrim and a hero of the Battle of Pelennor Field. He takes over the leadership of Rohan after Theoden's death during the battle.
Dead
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Bilbo has aged measurably since The Hobbit, largely due to the loss of the One Ring. However, he's alive and accompanies Frodo and Gandalf to the Grey Havens.
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Thorin is the brave leader of the dwarves who open the Lonely Mountain and retrieve the dwarf treasure. Sadly, he falls in battle to Azog the Defiler.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Theoden was the leader of the people of Rohan, and led them in the Battle of Helm's Deep. He fell to the Witch King of Angmar during the battle of Pelennor Fields.
Alive
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Eowyn is not only very much alive, she uttered the famous line, "I am no man," before driving her sword into the head of the Witch King of Angmar. She married Faramir after Sauron was defeated.
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Saruman was the ultimate double agent, leading the White Council while working for Sauron. He finally abused Grima Wormtongue one too many times, though, and met his end.
Alive
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Arwen doesn't have a huge role in the movies, despite her importance to Aragorn. She marries Aragorn at the end of the movies.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
For someone who seems to have no physical form, Sauron sure causes a lot of trouble. The destruction of the One Ring, however, puts the final nail in his coffin.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Smaug, as voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch in the Hobbit movies, was all reptilian menace. His tone changed, though, when Bard put a black arrow through his chest.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Bard first helps the dwarves get to Lake Town, then he's the one who brings down Smaug. He survives the Battle of the Five Armies.
Dead
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Dead
Riding his flying mount, the Witch King of Angmar is truly fearsome. When he lands, however, he runs afoul of a hobbit and a woman.
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Dead
We first meet Haldir when he leads the Fellowship into Lothlorien. He then leads the elves who arrive to help in the battle at Helm's Deep, but falls when the wall is breached.
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Radagast the Brown is one of the more oddly endearing characters in Middle Earth. He's fiercely loyal to Gandalf, though, and helps turn the tide in the Battle of the Five Armies ... and survives!
Dead
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Kili's romance with Tauriel the elf is manufactured for the movies, but nonetheless sweet. He dies trying to save her, which sends her into a killing rampage.
Alive
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
"You shall not pass!" This was one of Gandalf's greatest lines, and it in the end spelled the doom of the Balrog.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
While he does meet his end in Tolkien's books, at the end of the final Hobbit movie, Balin is alive and well. He's the elder statesman of the dwarves, and a source of great wisdom.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Thranduil is hardly a sympathetic character, with his abusive treatment of Tauriel, but he's a fierce warrior. He survives the Battle of the Five Armies.
Dead
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Tauriel's character was created for the Hobbit films, and doesn't appear in the books. She survives the Battle of the Five Armies but loses Kili, the dwarf who captured her heart.
Dead
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Pippin is nearly indestructible, showing a stout heart (and love for pipeweed). He sets out with Frodo on the quest to destroy the ring, and survives!
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Dwalin was among the party of dwarves who accompanied Thorin to the Lonely Mountain. He fought bravely in the Battle of the Five Armies, and was one of the first to bow to Thorin's body when the king fell.
Dead
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Dead
Like this brother, Kili, Fili dies in the battle of the Five Armies. He accompanies Thorin to stop the second Orc assault in the mountains, and falls in battle.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character alive or dead?
Alive
Gloin survives the Battle of the Five Armies. He has to, since he's the father of Gimli, who joins the Fellowship of the Ring!
Dead
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Celeborn is Galadriel's husband, and doesn't play a huge role in the movies. At the end of "The Return of the King," he accompanies Galadriel to the Undying Lands.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Bofur and his warhammer were heroic in the Battle of the Five Armies. He caved in many Orc skulls and survived.
Dead
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Beorn, the skin-changer, sheltered the dwarf party on the way to the Lonely Mountain. We see him again in bear form, charging into battle at the Battle of the Five Armies.
Dead
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
The King of the Dead, brought forth with his army by Aragorn to win the Battle of Pelennor Fields, fights on the promise that he and his men will be released when they fulfill their obligation. Aragorn frees him, and he disappears into mist.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Oin is another member of Thorin's Lonely Mountain party. He survives the Battle of the Five Armies, despite a serious lack of consonants in his name.
Dead
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Bombur is the barrel-bodied dwarf whose barrel roll through the Orcs was a highlight of the escape from the wood elves. He and his jocular personality survive the Battle of the Five Armies.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Ori is another of the party of dwarves, although not the most notable of them. He's a bit whiny, but does survive until the end.
Dead
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character alive or dead?
Alive
Dead
Azog the Defiler is an old enemy of Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves. After a long battle with Thorin, he finally falls.
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Youtube
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
As far as we know, Shelob is still alive at the end of the movies. However, she was wounded severely by Sam and blinded by the Phial of Galadriel.
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Nori and his amazing hair was part of Thorin's party to the Lonely Mountain. He survived the Battle of the Five Armies.
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Gwaihir the Eagle is one of Tolkien's deus ex machina devices. When things get dire, the Eagles come to the rescue!
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
Alive
Grima Wormtongue, played with oily perfection by Brad Dourif in the movies, is Saruman's chief henchman. However, he turns on his master at the end of The Two Towers.
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Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Dead
You might not have known his name, but you surely recognize Lurtz as the leader of the Uruk-Hai who attack the Fellowship. He dies at the hands of Aragorn, who has to cut off his arm, then his head.
Alive
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The Movie DB
Is this LOTR character dead or alive?
Alive
Bifur is Bombur's cousin, but doesn't share his girth or good humor. He survives the Battle of the Five Armies and lives in the Lonely Mountain after the battle.
Dead
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You Got:
/49
New Line Cinema, WingNut Films, The Saul Zaentz Company