Faramir is one of The Lord of the Rings' most popular characters, known for his steadfast determination to fight valiantly and his almost unbreachable moral code. Despite his brother Boromir always seeming to be the more popular one (both in the series and in real life), there are quite a few memes relating to Faramir's story arc and character.
Today, we'll look at 10 of the funniest; and if you haven't already seen The Lord of the Rings, we highly recommend you do, since this article is filled with spoilers.
The Silmarillion
This meme references Denethor's dislike for Faramir, an idea we'll touch on many times throughout this list; no matter what Faramir does, in Denethor's eyes he'll never be as good a son as Boromir was.
The idea of The Silmarillion, another of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth works, being better than Lord of the Rings may seem foreign to some, but it's actually promoted often by Tolkien "purists" (die-hard fans who take the twentieth-century author's word as gospel) - though those same purists much prefer the books to the movies.
Eowyn
While Eowyn and Faramir's relationship is given just a few seconds of screen time in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, in the books it's much more fleshed out. They meet during what is a mental and physical healing period in both their lives, and despite some drama and differences of opinion, they eventually find themselves attracted to one another.
Of course, none of that would have been possible if Aragorn hadn't rejected Eowyn in the first place, but he was really always meant for Arwen anyway.
This One Sparks Joy
Marie Kondo is known for her strategy of decluttering, or "tidying up", based on whether an item sparks joy or not. This is a strategy Denethor may have used when deciding which of his sons he'd rather be rid of, as he even admits that he wishes Faramir had died in Boromir's place.
The reasons given for his hatred of Faramir are vague at best, but it's likely because Boromir was always the more battle-ready and proactive of the two - behaviors that aligned closely with Denethor's.
A Chance
Boromir used to be an even more popular character for memes than Faramir (and one could argue he still is), thanks to his appearance in perhaps the most popular Lord of the Rings meme ever ("One does not simply"), and the fact that he was played by Sean Bean, an actor relentlessly joked about for often being killed off in movies and TV shows no matter what role he takes.
Unfortunately, the amount of memes one could make about Boromir dwindled, especially since the character only appeared in one film - giving Faramir a chance to step in (so to speak).
Nearamir, Faramir
Faramir's name lends itself to an interesting pun, though it can be used many different ways: this meme, for instance, references the popular song "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, the main theme song to James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic.
Plenty of memes use similar jokes, of course (like "closeamir"), but nothing beats a good pop-culture reference.
Quality
YouTube is known for their occasionally buggy video quality, which can drop from perfectly fine to indistinguishable after just a few seconds of interruption in the viewer's connection.
This meme compares Boromir and Faramir respectively to those two opposite ends of the spectrum; since Faramir never got that chance to show his quality, he's quite a step down from Boromir.
Grave Flex
Faramir clearly wasn't happy about his brother's death, as is shown in both the books and the movies, but internally he must have at least appreciated the chance it gave him to finally prove himself to his father. His outlook seemed to be getting even brighter after he captured Frodo, Sam, and Gollum, and recovered the Ring of Power.
But after realizing how dangerous the ring truly was, he refused to take it to Gondor, and that didn't go over too well...
No One Wants You
Denethor was understandably upset about Faramir's refusal to use the Ring for the benefit of Gondor. After all, if given the chance, Boromir definitely would have used the ring, as Boromir himself said in The Fellowship of the Ring.
While it's questionable that Denethor ever would have grown to accept his least-favorite son, Faramir's decision - despite being the right thing to do - made that completely impossible.
I Am Once Again Asking
And, of course, as we've already mentioned, Denethor is very open about how little he appreciates Faramir, going as far as to state he wishes Boromir had lived and Faramir had died. Despite the fact that Faramir kind of knew that all along, he still seems to be extremely hurt by the sudden truth bomb.
Thankfully, this tense moment can be exploited for meme gold when juxtaposed against a fairly unassuming Bernie Sanders campaign ad.
My Line Has Ended
Nearing the climax of The Return of the King, it becomes clear that Denethor has gone completely mad; upon discovering Faramir's unconscious body, he screams "my line is ended!" - refusing to listen to Pippin's insistence that Faramir is still alive. After brief deliberation, he decides to burn Faramir - and himself - in a grave ceremony, ordering his servants to "bring wood and oil" and throwing Pippin out of his castle (telling him to "go now and die in what way seems best to you").
Of course, he discovers Faramir was alive the whole time, but, engulfed in flames, Denethor sees no better route than to throw himself off of the citadel's court - 700 feet in the air.