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

Watching Gollum finally die in Return of the King is a bittersweet moment, as his evolution throughout the trilogy is one of the best displays of character work in fantasy. However, the dual personality of Sméagol and Gollum is an integral part of the story, and this is a fitting way to end it.

The ring had truly destroyed this character, and as such his demise is entirely centred on it. As Frodo and him fight over the titular ring and Gollum tumbles off the ledge of mount doom he plummets into the fiery pit and rather than screaming and struggling when he hits the lava, he is stoic and still.

This moment is beautiful as we see Gollum finally get the ring back after so much struggle, but it betrays him, and you can see in his face how he still loves but hates it, as he loves and hates himself. Even lifting it above him to keep it from harm at the very end.

The journey of this character is phenomenal, and this is a tragic yet fitting way for it to culminate.