'The Rings of Power': Fans Defend Galadriel After Critics Brand Her as a 'Mary Sue'
Mary Sue is a common name for female characters that are pictured as perfect, overpowered, and borderline omnipotent.
Amazon's 'The Rings of Power ' is currently weathering a storm, but there is one character who seems to be on the frontlines when it comes to dealing with fan criticism.
According to many Tolkien fans, Morfydd Clark 's Galadriel is a "Mary Sue" – way too perfect, way too powerful, and way too clever for one of the main protagonists. However, not everyone is ready to agree with the sentiment – not least due to how Tolkien himself always posed the character.
In the books, Galadriel was usually described as one of the most powerful elves of Middle-earth, with the author never failing to mention her wisdom and beauty. This, many people online argue, indicates that using the term "Mary Sue" in regards to Galadriel is already kind of funny.
Still, the fact that Galadriel went from a passionate warrior to an ethereal and wise elven queen seems to not sit well with some fans. However, this is also not something outstanding in the Tolkien world. Remember Aragorn?
"There were some 2,000-years between the quote-tweet photos of Galadriel, and guys are complaining she's a 'Mary Sue'. Aragorn went from a wandering tramp to King in six months. Are female elves not allowed promotion?" Twitter user @Lesism argued.
According to the defenders, Galadriel simply does not fit into the Mary Sue term – at least as of the two episodes that have already premiered.
Notably, another camp of Galadriel haters slams her for not being "feminine" enough. According to these fans, the protagonist elf is too aggressive and fails to live up to the standards set by Cate Blanchett's Galadriel in Peter Jackson's movie trilogy.
'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' is currently streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes arriving every Friday.