Lord-of-the-Rings-Gandalf-Ian-McKellen-Witch-KingThe Witch-king is surprisingly able to break Gandalf’s staff in The Lord of the Rings movies, and here is how the villain is able to do it. Gandalf is one of the most powerful figures in the Lord of the Rings universe, with him facing down all kinds of terrifying monsters throughout the franchise and mostly coming out unscathed. However, the Witch-king puts up a fight when facing off against the powerful wizard, with him being the one who is finally able to break Gandalf’s staff in the Lord of the Rings movies.

The Witch-king of Angmar is the leader of the Nazgûl in The Lord of the Rings, with him being a constant threatening presence throughout Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy up until he finally faces off with the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. This is a moment that had been built up throughout the franchise, with his clash with Gandalf in the final film being one of the many highlights of the movie. Due to Gandalf’s power, the outcome of his Witch-king fight has been controversial, and here’s why.

The Witch-king Breaking Gandalf’s Staff Is Not Lord Of The Rings Canon

It Didn’t Happen In The Books

Witch-king riding his fell beast in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings The Witch-King of Angmar
Rings of power Halbrand lord of the rings witch king of angmar Gandalf and Witch-king in Lord of the Rings Return of the King Lord of the rings fellowship of the ring Frodo the witch king

Although the Witch-king breaking Gandalf’s staff is one of the most pivotal moments in the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, it actually isn’t canon in the franchise. Near the end of the third film, the Witch-king leads the Nazgûl to Gondor, something that Gandalf deduced would happen earlier. Luckily, Gandalf and the gang are there to fight back upon the Witch-king’s arrival, with the Witch-king and Gandalf clashing. During the fight, the Witch-king manages to break Gandalf’s magical staff, to the surprise of many fans.

As it turns out, the Witch-king actually didn’t break Gandalf’s staff in The Lord of the Rings books. The two do fight, but the addition of Gandalf’s staff breaking was entirely made up for the movie. Although it hasn’t been confirmed, this decision was most likely made in order to raise the stakes of Gandalf’s fight with the Witch-king even further. Although Gandalf eventually comes out on top, the Witch-king’s destruction of Gandalf’s staff highlights how much of a threat he is, with this being a point of contention for The Lord of the Rings fans.

Gandalf Is Considerably Stronger Than The Witch-king

He Should’ve Beaten Him Easily

Ian McKellen looking surprised as Gandalf the White in The Return of the King. Gandalf Smoking Pipe Beside Bilbo In Battle Of The Five Armies (1) Gandalf fighting the Balrog in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gandalf talking to Bilbo outside the troll horde in The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey Gandalf and Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Ian McKellen looking surprised as Gandalf the White in The Return of the King. Gandalf Smoking Pipe Beside Bilbo In Battle Of The Five Armies (1)
 Gandalf fighting the Balrog in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Gandalf talking to Bilbo outside the troll horde in The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey Gandalf and Frodo in Lord of the Rings.

Despite how the battle plays out in the movie version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Gandalf is considerably stronger than the Witch-king. This is especially true due to Gandalf having come back as Gandalf the White at this point, making him even more powerful than he was before. Gandalf should have easily been able to beat the Witch-king, although the fight in the movie version didn’t play out this way.

This has caused a lot of controversy in The Lord of the Rings fandom, as many fans say that the Witch-king shouldn’t have been able to break Gandalf’s staff. According to fans, Gandalf should have been able to kill the Witch-king without even breaking a sweat, with their fight taking away from Gandalf’s character in an attempt to add further stakes. This has been one of the biggest points of contention in the otherwise faithful Peter Jackson adaptations, with it still being talked about until this day.

The Truth Behind Gandalf’s Staff In Lord Of The Rings

The Staff Could Have Been Broken

Gandalf the White standing in front of soldiers in The Lord of the Rings. Gandalf wields a sword in battle. Ian McKellen looking surprised as Gandalf the White in The Return of the King. Gandalf after his resurrection as the White Gandalf on a horse in front of an army of knights looking down a hill at the end of LOTR: The Two Towers

Although the controversy around the Witch-king breaking Gandalf’s staff has been raging for a while, there is evidence that it could have been broken. Although Gandalf is an incredibly powerful wizard, there is nothing to say that his staff couldn’t be broken. The staff isn’t known for being inherently divine, with Gandalf’s great power instead being what makes the staff so special. Thus, it is believable that the Witch-king could have broken Gandalf’s staff, with that not being this scene’s biggest problem.

The big problem with Gandalf’s fight with the Witch-king in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is that Gandalf struggled at all. Due to the difference in thier power levels, there was no chance of the Witch-king ever beating Gandalf, although the fight scene would suggest otherwise. The Witch-king’s successes in the duel go against what The Lord of the Rings franchise has established about Gandalf, which is why the scene has remained so controversial decades after the movies were originally released.