George Martin Claims One LotR Character Is Better Off Dead (And He May Be Right)
George Martin has his own take on the deaths of major characters.
The two most famous resurrected characters in popular culture are Gandalf and Jon Snow. The deaths of both shocked fans, and many breathed a sigh of relief when they were resurrected.
Jon Snow is treacherously "killed" by his own brothers in the Night's Watch.
Fortunately, Melisandre turns out to be in the Black Castle and manages to revive the young Lord Commander. Although, the story of Gandalf's death and rebirth is a little more interesting.
In the mines of Moria, the Fellowship of the Ring encountered the Balrog, an ancient and powerful demon.
Realizing that none of the Fellowship could stand against the fiery demon, Gandalf ordered the rest to flee, and fought the Balrog himself on the Bridge of Khazad-dum.
Gandalf defeated Balrog at the cost of his own life. Maia's physical death led to the banishment of the spirit from Arda, but Eru Iluvatar, the demiurge himself intervened in Gandalf's fate and brought him back to the world.
At the top of the mountain, the weakened Gandalf was found by the eagle Gwaihir, who brought him to Lorien.
In the realm of Galadriel, Gandalf regained his strength and was given new snow-white robes and a staff, becoming Gandalf the White.
Despite the fact that George Martin himself created one of the most famous resurrected characters (at least on television), he was critical of Tolkien's character being brought back to life.
"Much as I admire Tolkien, I once again always felt like Gandalf should have stayed dead...His last words are, 'Fly, you fools!' What power that had, how that grabbed me. […] I think it would've been an even stronger story if Tolkien had left him dead," the author shared in his interview with Bullseye.
The death of Gandalf with no resurrection would really make the audience feel more for each hero, as even the most powerful of them fell in the fight against evil.
However, what worked in the books of Martin, who killed off important characters in batches, would not necessarily work in Tolkien's universe.
Martin's works are more realistic and dark, while Tolkien wrote a more magical and fantastic story, which is expressed in their different interpretations of death.
It cannot be denied that the resurrection of Gandalf is more than justified. It showed how powerful good is, and that it is willing to do the almost impossible to rid the world of an evil like the Dark Lord.
Source: Bullseye with Jesse Thorn