Lord Of The Rings Universe Characters Who Died Off-Screen

There are a lot of important Dwarves that die off-screen in Tolkien’s writings, likely a symptom of the fact that his stories are supposed to be written from Elf, Hobbit, and Human perspectives. Yet another short-statured ruler who dies elsewhere is Thorin’s father, Thráin II. A king in exile, Thráin leads an adventurous life that includes war, nomadic wanderings, and endless family misfortune. Eventually, he tries to return to the Lonely Mountain in much the same way that Thorin and his companions do so later on.

In Thráin’s case, though, things go really badly. After countless disruptions and dangers, Thráin himself disappears on the edge of Mirkwood, presumably captured by Sauron’s servants and brought to his dark fastness of Dol Guldur. «The Return of the King» appendices tell us, «There he was tormented and the Ring taken from him, and there at last he died.»

In Peter Jackson’s «The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug» film, Thráin’s death was initially cut, leaving his final moments off-screen. However, in a deleted scene, we do get to see Jackson’s interpretation of events. Gandalf attempts to save the Dwarf leader, but Sauron is too strong, and he nabs the Dwarf, presumably vaporizing him in an instant.