The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 has fixed the one big mistake many agree was made in the original Peter Jackson trilogy. As a prequel to the original trilogy, The Rings of Power is set centuries before Frodo’s journey to destroy the Ring in the Lord of the Rings timeline. Despite this, the show still contains many connections to the original films, primarily through The Rings of Power‘s central cast, which involves characters like Galadriel, Elrond, and Sauron.

The return of these characters was teased in The Rings of Power season 2’s trailer, offering audiences a look at the next step in Galadriel’s epic journey. As one of many upcoming Lord of the Rings shows and movies, The Rings of Power will continue bridging the gap between the Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth. One way in which the show will do this is by introducing a new character to the show, though one that is all too familiar to the world of Tolkien. In doing so, the biggest mistake of Jackson’s first movie is being rectified.

Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Cutting Tom Bombadil Hurt The Movies

The Mysterious Tom Bombadil Was Not Part Of Jackson’s First Movie

The character in question is none other than fan-favorite Tom Bombadil. The character has long been a mysterious inclusion in J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe, primarily due to his lack of care for the world beyond the borders of his forest, and the fact that the One Ring has absolutely no effect on him. This led many to desire an appearance by Bombadil in live-action upon the announcement of Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring. However, Peter Jackson and his writing team – Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens – decided against including Bombadil in The Lord of the Rings.

The reasoning behind this choice is sound enough, with Jackson imploring that Bombadil has no bearing on the plot of the trilogy, something Tolkien himself once stated. That said, Bombadil’s absence somewhat hurt The Fellowship of the Ring regarding some fan backlash. As alluded to, Bombadil is a cult icon of sorts in the world of Tolkien fandom, with many citing the decision to cut him from the trilogy as one of the biggest mistakes Jackson made. As rare as criticisms of the trilogy are, cutting Bombadil’s role is one that commonly rears its head concerning book accuracy.

The Rings Of Power Can Do Justice To Tom Bombadil After His Movie Absence

Tom Bombadil’s First Live-Action Lord Of The Rings Appearance Can Offer Redemption

Decades on from the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Bombadil is finally receiving his fair share of justice. In May 2024, the announcement came that The Rings of Power season 2 had cast Rory Kinnear as Tom Bombadil, shocking the Tolkien fandom. Bombadil’s appearance was not overly expected in The Rings of Power, primarily due to the character’s only book appearances coming in the Third Age of Middle-earth rather than the Second Age. Nonetheless, Bombadil will appear in The Rings of Power season 2, offering justice for his absence in the Jackson movies.

Bombadil was depicted as a wandering pilgrim of the Second Age in Tolkien’s works, meaning his Rings of Power inclusion can fit into Middle-earth canon.

Finally, Tom Bombadil is going to be explored in a live-action Lord of the Rings property. The character who has become so beloved by fans of Tolkien’s works will have a somewhat active role in the story of a Lord of the Rings project, tied to The Stranger and Nori Brandyfoot in season 2 of the Amazon Prime show. Jackson had the limitation of a film runtime which factored into his cutting of Bombadil, yet The Rings of Power offers longer-form storytelling, meaning the mysterious being can be justifiably included.

Why Jackson’s LOTR Movies Cutting Tom Bombadil Was Secretly A Good Thing

Bombadil’s Absence Was A Criticism Of Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings, Though One That Served The Story

Although Bombadil being cut from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is a regular complaint of the Oscar-winning films, it was undoubtedly a good choice from the director and his writing team. As alluded to, Bombadil simply has no influence on the overarching plot of The Lord of the Rings whatsoever. In the original novel, Bombadil saves Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin from dangers like Old Man Willow and Barrow-wights before telling them he cares little about the outside world, singing some songs, and sending the Hobbits on their perilous journey, never to be seen again.

Jackson felt that including a character who has complete power of the One Ring was contradictory, as much of the first film… focused on how the Ring dominated the minds of everyone who came close to it.

With the limited constraints of runtime in a movie as vast and dense as The Fellowship of the Ring, cutting a character who has no outright impact on the plot makes a lot of sense. Another reason Jackson cut Bombadil was, ironically, something that makes the character so interesting. Jackson felt that including a character who has complete power of the One Ring was contradictory, as much of the first film – and the trilogy as a whole – focused on how the Ring dominated the minds of everyone who came close to it.

Showing Bombadil to completely resist the power of the Ring would have not only lessened the evil, malevolent nature of the titular jewelry, but it would have raised questions over why he could not have taken the Ring to Mordor himself. For these reasons, Bombadil’s absence only better served the story of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptation. With The Rings of Power, however, the longer form of TV allows Bombadil to be depicted better. Time constraints will not be as prevalent, and capturing Bombadil’s spirit from the novel as an unknown personification of nature in Middle-earth will be much easier.