What are Gandalfs powers exactly? One movie he's taking on a Balrog solo; next movie he is struggling with some orcs...

What are Gandalfs powers exactly? One movie he's taking on a Balrog solo; next movie he is struggling with some orcs. And how the hell did he come back from the dead?

he can only use magic against magic, hence balrog.

orcs can't use magic, that's why he can't use magic. he has to use sword.

Iluvatar sent him back.

Bump

And why isn't this explained in any of the movies?

because the movies are long as they are. and this is not a plot changing subject.

Except it is though. It's a massive plot hole that isn't even touched on. While we're at it, what does the ring do exactly? LOTR scripts needed a lot more work.

When Gandalf kills the Balrog he breaks the mountainside. If he went full power everywhere then he'd crash Middle Earth with no survivours

the movies were all so short there was no time to explain this

no it is not. explaining it wouldn't change a thing.

the one ring controls the other rings hence the owner of the rings.

>Except it is though.
No it isn't.

>It's a massive plot hole
No it isn't.

>that isn't even touched on.
Yes it is.

>While we're at it, what does the ring do exactly?
Did you even watch the movies?

>LOTR scripts needed a lot more work.
No they didn't.

Awful thread.

Well that's changed my mind. Thanks user!
>fanboying this hard

You talk like a redditor

It's not a plot hole, It's just extra backround story that couldn't realistically be put in the movies. Movies don't have to explain 100% of their backstory and universal laws to tell a good story.

If you're interested enough you can find out through other media what the powers of Gandalf and the Ring are.

The only thing you need to know about the Ring for the movies is that
a) It's powerful
b) It corrupts people
c) It deceitful, lt wants to get back to Sauron

What It actually does is irrelevant because only Sauron can use it properly and Sauron isn't even really in the movies

>only Sauron can use it properly

incorrect

You know a more constructive post would have explained how I was wrong and corrected me instead of just saying I was wrong.

Respawn drained his mana and he was OOM against those orcs

I remember reading something about Tolkien deliberately wanting to keep it ambiguous, which was a good idea considering Harry Potter and videogame style "magic systems" are fucking sperg shit.

Light and smoke
Stealht
Words of hope for the mortal races
Almost tireless always in the work
Extreme patience
Magical cunning

god i hope this is the same guy

>What are Gandalfs powers exactly?
huge, he is one of the most powerful beings in Middle Earth. he was a maiar, they were something like angels in Tolkiens mythology, servants of the God. other maiars in the Third Age were other wizards, Balrog, Sauron and Eagles

> One movie he's taking on a Balrog solo; next movie he is struggling with some orcs

wizards were sent to Middle Earth to help it's inhabitants in their struggle against Sauron, but were only to guide and help, so Gandalf was forbidden from using his power most of the time. Balrog was a fallen angel that was not suppposed to be in middle earth and was dangerous with his great power, so he had to take him out. it was Gods business, not mortal one, so he was allowed to use his full angel power this one time.

> And how the hell did he come back from the dead?
literally the God sent him back to finish his mission of guiding people against Sauron.

not an argument

He has one of the elven master rings, that protects him from fire, hence balrogs.

>he can only use magic against magic

I don't think this is true

it is true.

dubs of truth and good explanation

>Iluvatar sent him back.

Is this in the book?

>One movie he's taking on a Balrog solo

He did die in doing so remember

It's in the film ya doofus

not in the books, he just says he went beyond time. only one being there is beyond time.

Tolkien explains in his letter of Iluvatar's intervention.

Only he can send back the dead to life.

The ring is used to control the other rings, it's literally the first scene in the movie. The elves weren't retarded though and took theirs off, all the dwarves got eaten by dragons or lost. So he was stuck with a bunch of lame ass hooded dudes.
Also using it to go invisible lights you up to sauron and nazgul so it's not really a big help

>t: guy who watched the flicks only

>"I am afraid I have been far too casual about 'magic' and especially the use of the word; though Galadriel and others show by the criticism of the 'mortal' use of the word, that the thought about it is not altogether casual. But it is a v. large question, and difficult; and a story which . . . is largely about motives""
-t.olkin

TRUUUUUUUUUUU

Is it normal to cry like 5 times watching FOTR?

LotR gods are a bunch of cheaters who directly influence the outcome of earth affairs. And they're all siding against Morgoth.

It's a rigged system and it's rigged against Melkor. It takes all of them just to beat this one guy they hate and they're always cheating to come out on top. If any of them 1v1'd Melkor it would be over quickly but because God and his angels don't play fair they always win - and even then they have a hard time winning.

from the end of the first age valar were neutral

...

When Gandalf died and got sent back to finish his job, if he died again, would Gandalf always come back alive to see msnkind win or die trying ?

propably no, even when he came back he said that he did not came back for long and that mortals will have to take care for themselves, thats why crowning Aragorn was so important to him, he wanted to leave mankind in good hands

>What are Gandalf's Powers?
Incredible

>One movie he's taking on a Balrog solo
Balrogs are bad guys. A powerful foe that survived from an old war. The Fellowship and Orcs and shit woke it up. Had Gandalf just left it, it'd have gone and wrecked Middle Earth. Only like 3 people could have defeated it, Gandalf, Sauroman and Gladreil. Elrond I'm not sure. Glorfindel I'm not sure.

>struggles with some Orcs
Gandalf could have solo'd the entire army in Dol Goldur, but he wasn't allowed to. His job was to guide. Orcs might be bad guys, but they are part of 'order' where he can't justify using his powers. Orcs can be defeated by men. The Balrog could not. Soloing the entire force would have been interfering. He only went there in the first place to find out how the dead were coming back to semi-life, since that's a power beyond 99% of people. He would have escaped had he not run into Sauron (in the guise of the Necromancer). The White Council came and saved him.

>And how the hell did he come back from the dead

God said "you ain't finished, son, I command you can't die yet" and so he didn't die. God sent him back with buffed power because God knew Sauroman had turned. So Gandalf needed to become The White power level to defeat Sauroman.

Do the Istari really die? I don't get it, Saruman didn't exactly die in the Shire as far as I know

>Glofindel im not sure
Motherfuckin Glorfindel? You arent sure?

>Glorfindel I'm not sure.
Come on now, killing a Balrog is his claim to fame.

>Saruman didn't exactly die in the Shire as far as I know
He basically got the same treatment sauron did. He was no longer able to take on a corporeal form and was banished to be a fart in the wind.
When he's stabbed by wormtongue a cloud of smoke rises from his body, looks to the west, and is dispelled by a strong wind. Effectively demonstrating that he's lost his powers and grace.

But he died fighting it originally, didn't he? I can't remember. Also not all Balrogs are equal.

yeas, he defeated one in the First Age, but he was sent back to Middle Earth on a similiar mission to Istari and elven magic greatly diminished since then, in the Third Age he could be much weaker

Sauron returned just because the ring was there huh? Makes sense then.
So I guess death for the "good" Maiar means they can return to Valinor and have a new body, but this is denied for the bad guys and they get banished

le motherfuckin le glorfindel

le based GOAT

have all my reddit gold, sir

> I don't know how to use the internet, I'll beg strangers to spoonfeed me

Who brushes your teeth you millennial piece of shit

>Sauron returned just because the ring was there huh?
After numenor got dropped on his head he lost the ability to take a pleasing form. The ring was his corporeal anchor to middle earth, since it was made from corruption and evil, and lacked the divine parts of him, his form was basically the manifestation of his shitty energy. Once the ring is gone, he loses his link with the corporeal world.

why? would crowning him king boost his stats?
is king aragorn > strider aragorn?

I'm not exactly an expert on the lore, so correct me if I'm wrong, but somebody told me that if Gandalf went all out, so would Saruman, and they would've been backed up by even higher beings. It would basically be like nuking the shit out of each other until nothing remains. Not exactly a smart thing to do.

Don't bother trying to bring sense into this universe. The neckbeards and kidults that browse Sup Forums have some kind of blindspot when it comes to LOTR. It's as if it can do no wrong.

Aragorn was best fit to lead humans since he is the last of the pure Numenorean bloodline

thas raycs

It's almost like LOTR is actually good

bad bait

Numenoreans were almost superhuman though, they lived for hundreds of years (Aragorn lived for 210 years), had powers of divination and great wisdom and power of will

Yes, but he probably could take him. He was more powerful when he returned too.

does aragorn have a half elf child with liv tyler who has all the sick powers of both

Sauron go to bed.

>what does the ring do exactly?
It enhances your abilities. It makes hobbits invisible, because they are good at sneaking and hiding by nature. When Galadriel saw it, she desired to use it to become the most beautiful and most loved. Gandalf was tempted to use it to become even more powerful.

yes, he founded an entire dynasty, Telcontar

So who would have won in a Gandalf vs Witch King showdown?

yes, it's in the sequel

Was he? I thought his power was linked to the magic of the elves, which was basically nothing at this point.

Or was he returned as if he was at the height of the elves power AND some?

I'm pretty sure Glorfindel + Aragorn couldn't tagteam The Nine, so could the Balrog defeat The Nine?

Also wasn't there a Balrog at the siege of Minas Tirith?

Wasn't a non-mortal foe. So Witch King. Had Gandalf been given the all clear to use full power. Gandalf. Though in the film the Witch King fucks up Gandalf in the book no such thing happens.

depends how strong Sauron would be, Witch King only channeled his masters strenght

don't gandalf and galadriel both mention how they need to resist it because they could both totally fuck shit up if they put the ring on? Galadriel specifically mentions she would be a queen more terrifying than any other or something, haven't seen them in a while but I remember she was also proud of herself for resisting the ring.

Would WK use his spikey swing thing to fuck up Gandalf physically or would it be a magic fight like with Saruman?

yeah it's much more compelling and interesting to have magic presented ambiguously like Tolkein does it. why should a power that is only fully available to gods and demigods be spelled out for us?

It had wings, so why did it fall? Maybe that's why they couldn't use the eagles to fly to mount doom because they were afraid of suddenly falling out of the sky for no reason.

>Had Gandalf been given the all clear to use full power. Gandalf
ehh, powerlevels arent so clearly defined in LOTR We dont even know how gandalf ranks among the maiar and sauron is the strongest.So it could be possible that even though sauron is weak and wk is weaker manifestation of him, he could win

magic of course

“In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.

All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath Dínen.
"You cannot enter here," said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. "Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!"
The Black Rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter.
"Old fool!" he said. "Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!" And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade.

And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the city, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of war nor of wizardry, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn.
And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns, in dark Mindolluin's sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the north wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.”

That was imagery representing that the balrog is essentially a fallen angel, you dense faggot.

but not you typical rpg game magic of course, ie throwing spells to give enemy dps. they would try to banish each other from the world stating their and their masters authority, more like an exorcism than a literal fight

1: Gandalf falling in Moria
2: Boromir's death
3: Sam following Frodo
4: ???
5: ???

I couldn't think of other tear-shedding moments

we got deus ex machinaed of that fight happening ):

>frodo and sam talking about the shire while lava pours on both sides

So it had wings, then! It could fly.

so can chicken-owait

The eagles were maiar? Interdasting

He was the rightful heir to the throne of high king of middle earth. He unified the continent and allowed a last flicker of their previous greatness to be born again, and ensuring that his blood-line was reinvigorated.

My 5

1. ywn be forced to be Galadriel's sex slave
2. ywn be forced to be Arwen's sex slave
3. ywn be forced to service Galadriel and Arwen in a 3-way
4. ywn see them exiting a room together and have Arwen say, "Smell my mouth."

That's pretty much the only times I recall crying during those movies.

>See TT intro flashback
Its implied.

Explain how its a plothole...

Its a fantasy world with magic and demons. There are many mysteries we dont know about and dont need to know about. If you're using real life as a reference of what is a plothole thats stupid.

>4. ywn see them exiting a room together and have Arwen say, "Smell my mouth."

second-hand pusy stank is my new fetish

He fought the Balrog for ages through several dungeons and won. He got to come back because of it.

Illuvita technically allows him to come back but we dont need to know this. My previous explanation is perfectly sufficient to accept what happened in a world of magic. Now shut the fuck up.

Tolkien retconned the Eagles being Maiar. He made them common animals that the Valar taught to speak and shit. They do not have souls. Therefore they are not Maiar.

Is this the same guy with no knowledge of LOTR lore making LOTR threads every day?

Wait, so if Gandalf didn't go full anime battle with that Balrog it would have kept going on a rampage.

Not sure why, but I always assumed if Gandalf just ran the Balrog would be like "Whatever, fuck this, I'm going back to sleep"

It was a threat that Gandalf couldn't ignore. It was a threat only a few people could have hoped to beat. It was awake and Sauron would have called it to heel. It's like you're leading a group of soldiers back to friendly lines and you suddenly see a huge fuel depot. Only you can blow it up and if you didn't it'd make the enemy much more powerful. So you blow it up, even if it means dying in the process.

Technically, in the book, the Balrog tries to run away from Gandalf but Gandalf chases it so he can kill it.

me too, though I remember reading somewhere(or maybe im just confusing it with smaug) that gandalf didnt want Sauron making any alliances

Idk man seems like a heavy rain and a large moat would stop the Balrog.

He literally falls into a lake when he falls with Gandalf. He just gets out of the lake and runs away and he dries off and his flames return. The reason the fight takes place in a mountain is because the Balrog runs away to get his flames back, Gandalf uses this to actually get out of the 'underworld' because he has no idea where he is and would have been lost forever.

...

Gandalf has the fire ring, thats why he was able to fight the balrog.

His staff has a powerful "light beam" that can cut through stone close range or scare away nazgul.

than how he blasted bunch of goblins in hobbit: unexpected journey?