'They could have superglued the Ring on top of a missile': Lord of the Rings Fans Debunk the Goofiest Alternatives to Save Frodo the Hassle of Journeying to Mordor on Foot

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
May 17, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

Frodo and Sam's descent into the pits of Mordor is probably one of the most harrowing tales of heroics ever told. While their death-defying journey is marked by perilous foes and bewildering evils, these two tiny Hobbits defy all odds and destroy the Ring of Power, thus vanquishing the most evil Maiar ever to exist in Middle Earth.

But was there an easier way?

LOTR lovers have always speculated that the entire traumatizing ordeal that transpires in the trilogy could have been avoided in several ways. However, just because Gandalf can handle the Ring with a pair of tongs for two seconds doesn't mean that he's immune to Its power. So what do you think? Was the journey to destroy the Ring over-complicated? Or could Frodo just be carried by the eagles all the way to Mordor just to drop the thing into the volcano just at the right moment? 

Scroll to read some of the more out-of-pocket suggestions from goofy fans who don't know the lore well enough to postulate alternative journeys. 

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  • 01
    What other ways could the Ring have been taken to Mordor? Lord of the Rings
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  • 02
    Everyone always says Gandalf could have just flown on the back of the eagles and dropped the Ring into the volcano... Did the Hobbits even have to go?
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  • 03
    maDAMN-Pink 21 hr. ago Hold out your hand, Frodo. why didn't gandalf just carry the ring to mordor himself with these tongs
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  • 04
    NecroHa... • • 23h ago Edited 23h ago I know the joke is always take the eagles, and I use it all the time just to be a pest. There are lore specific reasons that they did not take the eagles, Jackson also saw fit to exclude Tom Bombadil from all the
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    movies, which has been argued by all of the fans relentlessly as well. You have to remember that the Nazgûl are patrolling the skies and the eagles are too big to slip through without being noticed. Hobbits take it since they, and maybe a few others (the fellowship) can sneak in under their nose and drop the ring in.
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    QuantumHalyard 20 hr. ago I think more than that, it violates the message of the book, the eagles are heralds of Manwë, greatest of the Valar, they are powerful creatures and the defeat of Sauron and of Saruman unlike
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    that of Morgoth, was possible because they underestimated what can be done by those without great power, but with the values of humility, love, perseverance etc that Tolkien wrote about. But if we strip that
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    factor away then the main reason for not intervening is just like why it took so much for the Valar to help fight Morgoth, it simply isn't their fight. I like to think that the war of the ring was a test for men, to see if they were worthy of the dominion of the world as the elves diminished.
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    Suprise Autopsy13. 14 hr. ago And the eagles are sentient, powerful, proud creatures. They would not be immune to the temptation of the ring. I don't know about you, but I really wouldn't want to be responsible for accidentally making a wraith eagle.
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    jackparadise1 23 hr. ago Gandalf did not trust himself to handle the ring. 9 Reply Share Emergency_Property 2 23 hr. ago He could have put Frodo on an Eagle the night of Bilbos going away and the world could've been saved long before Sauron figured out where the shire was.
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    Capable_Hamster_4597 23 hr. ago A bunch of eagles flying into Mordor wouldn't have been exactly stealthy... Reply Share sauron-bot 23 hr. ago Patience! Not long shall ye abide.
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    Darthcorgibutt. 22 hr. ago UPS? Seriously, those guys are always delivering me cool and it hasn't been stolen yet.
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  • 13
    Bunselpower .22 hr. ago Get a Breath of the Wild speed runner to use Stasis to launch the ring directly into Mt. Doom right after the council.
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    bluegemini7 17 hr. ago Ultrahand the Ring to a glider and then ride it into Mount Doom from above.
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  • 15
    cchiz 21 hr. ago Get dwarves to tunnel the whole way.
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    ForGondorAndGlory 5 hr. ago If Gandalf had taken his mission seriously then he would have checked Bilbo's ring somewhere in the Hobbit movies. That alone gives the Fellowship decades to figure out what to do.
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  • 17
    InjuryPrudent256 · 15 hr. ago. edited 14 hr. ago The book kind of makes it clear that what happened was an insanely desperate miracle that just barely worked out because of everyone working together, with some luck and probably a bit of nudging from Eru Illuvatar. It was beyond close
    via InjuryPrudent256
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    And yes a random Hobbit from the Shire wasnt as adapt at getting the ring to Mordor as someone like Aragorn or Gandalf, he took it because he had massive resistance
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    to corruption and, if it came to it, the ring could be taken from him. They were the only ones that had a chance at all of making it without stopping and going "nah I like the ring ima rule the world"
    via InjuryPrudent256
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    Other ways would be 1. Give Gandalf, Aragorn or Galadriel the one ring. Have them use it to marshal the power of middle earth, take control of the Nazgul and invade and defeat Sauron (in Gandalfs case, actually beat his down in a fight). Then watch as they refuse to throw the ring in and become the next dark lord
    via InjuryPrudent256
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    2. Take the ring to the far west and be as persuasive as Luthien or Earendil in begging the Valar to help. Hope to god Eru Illuvatar lets them. Watch Orome walk the ring into Mordor, slap Sauron in the face and throw it into Mt Doom
    via InjuryPrudent256
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    3. Somehow convince Smaug to help. He probably could just fly straight to Mt Doom and unlike eagles, he gives no fks about orc arrows or Fell Beasts
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    4. Give the ring to Sauron and watch Eru shake his head and fix everything somehow because things are too I up for his liking. Might end up with a War of Wrath 2 and Middle Earth might just sink. So enjoy living in Harad and Rhun everyone
    via InjuryPrudent256
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    5. Put all the elven rings onto Glorfindel and feed him meth and lembas bread and orc draught and watch him just fking run the thing straight there over the mountains like some kind of Morrowind hack
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    6. Hold a knife to Goldberry's throat and tell Tom Bombadil to fking do it or she dies 7. Get Gandalf to kill Sauron, then somehow get the ring off him and give it to Galadriel, have her kill Gandalf, somehow get the ring off, give it to Elrond, have
    via InjuryPrudent256
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    him kill Galadriel, then get the ring and give it to Aragorn to kill Elrond, then Eomer to kill aragorn, then random guy to kill Eomer, then a hobbit to kill random guy, then a small woodland critter to kill the hobbit. Basically murder everyone who could be a dark lord or control the power of Mordor then throw the ring into the sea
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  • 27
    NoResponseFromSpez 17 hr. ago they could have superglued the ring on top of an ICBM.
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  • 28
    movies, which has be all Yo What other ways could the Ring have been taken to Mordor? Lord of the Rings Na Everyone always says Gandalf could have just the flown on the back of the eagles and dropped the Ring into the volcano... Did the Hobbits the even have to go? Hobbits take it since maybe a few others why didn't gandalf just carry the ring to mordor can sneak in under the himself with these tongs
    via canva

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