The first season of The Rings of Power ended with the major plot twist that Halbrand was Sauron all along. This was a significant reveal, especially since several other characters were considered possible candidates. Now, as audiences await season two, the big question is whether the villain will return looking the same or if he will take on a new mysterious form.

Of course, this reveal was fitting for a Lord of the Rings spin-off since such surprises were a staple of J.R.R. Tolkien's works. However, not every impactful reveal was as flashy as Saruman's turn to darkness or Gandalf's return to life. Some plot twists were more minor and are rarely talked about today. From Bilbo's unprecedented resistance to the One Ring to the mystery of Longbottom Leaf in Isengard, several impactful moments in The Lord of the Rings don't get enough attention years later.

Bilbo's Resistance To The Ring

The One Ring has a unique ability to turn the morals of anyone it comes in contact with. Men seem all the more prone to this change, as shown by Boromir, but even powerful beings like Gandalf and Galadriel reveal that its power tempts them.

The most resistant seem to be Hobbits, with Bilbo being the best of them in Lord of the Rings. He had the Ring for several decades, yet he could still pass it on willingly, which neither Gollum nor Frodo succeeded in doing. There is evidence that the tiny object took its toll on Bilbo, but he ultimately walked away from his time as Ring-bearer relatively unscathed— yet, he gets no credit for it.

Tom Bombadil Putting On The Ring

Tom Bombadil is one of the most mysterious characters in Lord of the Rings, and with so many questions left unanswered, he was left out entirely from the Peter Jackson trilogy. The Fellowship of the Ring book reveals that he is older than even Gandalf, but his actual role in Middle-earth is never fully understood.

Still, the biggest twist regarding Bombadil is the moment that he joyfully slips on the One Ring and takes it off again. Frodo was shocked that the strange being could not only effortlessly pass it back to Frodo but that wearing the Ring hadn't caused him to disappear. It was a significant switch from what everyone else was used to, but it was never discussed again.

Bilbo's Song About Aragorn's Identity

When Frodo first met Aragorn, he wasn't sure if the man could be trusted. It wasn't until he read a letter from Gandalf, which included a poem that Aragorn had repeated, that he realized that the Ranger had a connection to the old wizard.

Later, Frodo was further surprised to learn that the poem that had earned his trust had been written by none other than his uncle, Bilbo Baggins. As it turned out, Aragorn and the hobbit had a very close relationship, and when Bilbo learned that Aragorn was the true king of Gondor, he wrote about how "all that is gold does not glitter" and that "not all who wander are lost."

Aragorn Having His Sword Reforged

Bilbo's poem perfectly sums up Aragorn in Lord of the Rings since it explains that he is the true king of Gondor. One of the most memorable lines is "renewed shall be the blade that was broken," which Lord of the Rings fans know to be the shattered sword Isildur used to cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand.

While the sword's reforging was a major moment in the films, it was a far more subtle twist in the books. Aragorn had carried the broken blade for most of his life but had it repaired in Rivendell before the Fellowship set out for the quest. It was a sign that Aragorn's time was approaching and that he recognized this as the critical mission to reclaim his throne.

The Mystery Of The Entwives

When Merry and Pippin met Treebeard the Ent, the ancient being was curious about where the hobbits had come from. In the books, this was because he hoped there were any female Ents, or Entwives, near the Shire since they had been missing for many years.

This seemed to set up a big upcoming reveal, but the real twist was that no one would ever find out what had happened to the Entwives. Treebeard said one day, they all up and left, and he had spent thousands of years searching for them, but he never got an answer.

Merry And Pippin Finding Longbottom Leaf In Isengard

After Merry and Pippin helped Treebeard take down Saruman in Isengard, they searched the stores of Orthanc for food. Fans know that they found plenty of mead and salted pork, but in the books, the hobbits were shocked to discover that Saruman had a stash of Longbottom Leaf stored in barrels marked as having come from the Shire.

This was strange, considering the world outside Hobbit country knew nothing of the halflings or the unique crops they grew, like Longbottom Leaf. They pondered this, but it didn't stop them from smoking or stashing away their fill. Later, they would discover that this was the first hint that Saruman had taken over the Shire and had been taking their crops for profit.

Gríma Wormtongue's Final Betrayal

Before Saruman's betrayal in Lord of the Rings, it would have been impossible to picture him with slippery Gríma Wormtongue. He was purely evil with grotesque appetites for violence and power, and by aligning himself with the fallen White Wizard, he believed that he had secured all he would ever need.

Of course, the coming war did not end in Saruman's favor, so Gríma found himself a servant to a pitiful imitation of the wizard's former self. After they were overtaken by the Hobbits of the Shire at the end of Return of the King, Gríma surprised readers by turning on his master and finishing off Saruman himself.

Aragorn's Return To Gondor

After the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn was hesitant to enter Minas Tirith since he knew the time had not yet come for him to claim his throne. He wanted to prove himself by finishing the war against Sauron and didn't wish to disrupt the rule of the Stewards until it was time. But when he learned that his friends were fighting for their lives, he had no choice but to come and heal them.

The Lord of the Rings movies never explain this, but Aragorn was a talented healer, a detail that had been prophesied about the returning king. So, when the people of Gondor saw Aragorn and his Elfstone, they knew he was their rightful ruler. It was a beautiful, impactful twist but ultimately left out of the movies.

Gollum's Destiny

When Frodo notices Gollum following the Fellowship through Moria, he questions whether it would have been better for Bilbo to have killed the wretched creature all those years ago. However, Gandalf believes that Gollum would still have an important part to play.

Throughout the following installments, it wasn't easy to see how this could be true. Gollum wasn't entirely unpopular in Lord of the Rings, and many fans could sympathize with him, but it was clear that he would never willingly give up the Ring. It is later revealed that Gollum's part was to fall with the Ring since even Frodo couldn't cast it into the fires. It was a tragic twist but a necessary one.

Aragorn And Arwen's Symbolism

In the Lord of the Rings movies, it was clear from Fellowship of the Ring that Arwen and Aragorn were in love. However, in the books, the elf played little part in Frodo's adventures, so it wasn't until the two were wed in Return of the King that he was aware of Aragorn's complicated romance.

This twist came after several mentions throughout the series of Beren and Lúthien, a tragic pairing of a human man and elf woman who had become a legend. Aragorn particularly loved the story, which is why he told it to the four hobbits on Weathertop. The reveal that Aragorn was in a parallel romance and that the two would find a happy ending was a perfect way to end their story.

NEXT: 8 Unnecessary Heroic Sacrifices In The Lord Of The Rings