10 Movie Sequels That Totally Insulted Great Characters

In Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Saruman has one final stand against our heroes. He taunts them from atop the Tower of Orthanc after his defeat at Isengard. However, Grima Wormtongue, his former subordinate, betrays him at the last minute, stabbing him in the back and letting him fall to his death, where he is impaled by the spoke of a giant wheel.

What a way to go, right? Wrong. Saruman doesn't even appear in the theatrical release of the film. Director Peter Jackson reserved his death scene for the four-hour extended cut, so only hardcore fans with hardcore bladders saw it.

This doesn't seem fair to the character, who acted as a secondary antagonist throughout the first two films, or to actor Christopher Lee, who makes his second appearance on this list. If Jackson didn't want to film the Sacking of the Shire, Saruman's death scene in the books, then he should have at least let everyone see the character's final moments in the theatrical cut.