Lord Of The Rings & The Hobbit: Every Major Death RANKED

In a way, Gandalf dies twice, throughout Fellowship and Two Towers. Although neither one truly sticks and we see the wise wizard return to life in a new and more powerful form, it doesn't stop his death from being a fantastic moment full of emotion.

The first - and superior - segment occurs mid-way through The Fellowship of the Ring. After seeing Gandalf defeat the Balrog we witness as he is dragged down with it, and as he clings onto the ledge of the bridge of Khazad-Dum, he utters the iconic line "fly you fools" before falling.

The moment is incredibly emotional as Elijah Wood's deathly scream reveals how tragically he takes this loss. The characters all display their emotions beautifully, and the music scores the scene with this sense of losing a beloved friend.

However, this is not the final death of Gandalf, as that comes in Two Towers when we learn what proceeded this incident. We witness Gandalf fight the beast atop a mountain, and it is exhilarating to see the wizard fighting for his life. He eventually succumbs and the moment passes by.

Although the second sequence is his true death, the first is a highlight for the entire trilogy and acts as a blueprint for how to show the loss of a beloved mentor.