Aragorn is a fan-favorite character in The Lord of the Rings for a reason. In addition to Viggo Mortensen’s brilliant portrayal of the character, Aragorn is brave and pure-hearted in his own right. However, that doesn’t mean that his character is perfectly explained, especially when it comes to the portrayal of Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s movies. Although Jackson did plenty to be as accurate to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books as possible, there are still some inconsistencies and plot holes in the movies.
In fact, both Aragorn and the race of men in general have some oddities in the Lord of the Rings movies that still haven’t been explained. Granted, with numerous Lord of the Rings projects in the works, including The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which will heavily feature Aragorn, these questions may eventually be answered. In the meantime, though, here are 5 things about Aragorn and the race of men that still don’t make sense in The Lord of the Rings.
Éowyn is a character in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, although she isn’t as prominent and dynamic as she is in Jackson’s original trilogy of movies. In the movies, Éowyn is heroic and brave while also being elegant, beautiful, and kindhearted. In turn, Éowyn and Aragorn have a rather different dynamic on screen than they do in the books. Part of that, and something that makes little sense, is the fact that Aragorn does actually get fairly flirty with Éowyn at various points.
Aragorn never actually strays from his devotion to Arwen, but there are nevertheless moments that likely wouldn’t make Arwen too happy to see, including the scene in which Aragorn and Éowyn are having a hushed conversation before Aragorn tells her to sleep. This is also just one example of a handful, particularly in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Yet, this makes very little sense in the larger context of Aragorn’s character.
One issue that is almost certainly a function of the big screen alone is the fact that the armies of men vary significantly in terms of their numbers. For example, when Éomer is riding with the Rohirrim early in The Two Towers, there doesn’t seem to be more than a hundred or so riders with him. However, when they later appear and save the day at the Battle of Helm’s Deep, there are seemingly thousands of them—enough, in fact, to overrun Saruman’s army of thousands of orcs.
There are similar inconsistencies throughout the movies in terms of depicting the armies of men, which, unfortunately, at times makes it seem like the size of these armies is adjusted to whatever the narrative needs at the time. Again, this is an issue specifically with the movies, but it is nevertheless a confusing aspect of men in The Lord of the Rings.
Théoden is a fascinating character in The Lord of the Rings, and not only because when audiences first see him on the big screen he looks entirely different, as he’s being controlled by Saruman. Rather, Théoden is emotionally complex, and while he’s undoubtedly a brave leader, he isn’t always depicted as such or even inclined to do the right thing. Therein lies one of the most confusing aspects of the character.
Yes, Théoden is grieving the brutal loss of his son in The Two Towers, and the pressure on him is immense both in that movie and in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. However, he still comes across as very inconsistent, in terms of his opinions and his moods, throughout the movies.
One of the most emotional moments throughout Jackson’s original Lord of the Rings trilogy is Aragorn’s coronation as the King of Gondor, which sees Aragorn crowned, Arwen and Aragorn reunited, and the hobbits honored as the heroes they are, with everyone—even King Aragorn—bowing to them. Yet, something that makes no sense about this scene is Aragorn’s genuine shock over seeing Arwen.
This was unquestionably a wonderful surprise to Aragorn, but it shouldn’t have come as a shock. As shown earlier in The Return of the King, Elrond visited Aragorn and told him that Arwen was dying and her fate was now tied to the One Ring. This meant that she had not gone to the Undying Lands. It’s therefore unclear why Aragorn would be so shocked to see her, as Elrond had suggested she was still in Middle-earth and was staying because she loved him.
Finally, the biggest thing that makes no sense about Aragorn is his deep insecurity. It’s true that Aragorn has a very complex history and lineage, as he is the descendant of Isildur, who had failed to destroy the Ring and had therefore doomed Middle-earth. Even so, Aragorn is a valiant warrior, and he is the heir to the throne of Gondor.
A bit of insecurity or doubt would have made sense with this context, but the Lord of the Rings movies depict Aragorn as riddled with doubt and insecurities, nearly to the point of him being unable to accept his rightful place as the King of Gondor.
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