Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn looking on angrily in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Viggo Mortensen’s iconic Aragorn was different from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Aragorn in one key way. Pioneer of high fantasy and creator of one of fiction’s greatest heroes, Tolkien built Aragorn up as the future king of Gondor and Arnor in his 1954 novel, The Lord of the Rings. Peter Jackson’s legendary Lord of the Rings movies adapted this novel. With so many Lord of the Rings adaptations currently being worked on and due for release, it is a good time to evaluate Aragorn as one of the franchise’s key heroes.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim movie will emerge in December 2024, while The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (working title) is scheduled for 2026. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was released in 2022 and is set to continue for many more years. Aragorn isn’t set to feature in any of these adaptations, except Hunt for Gollum. While unconfirmed, Aragorn’s presence in the Gollum movie is likely, making assessing the faithfulness of Warner Bros.’ Aragorn timely and prudent.

The Lord Of The Rings’ Aragorn Was Far More Insecure In The Movies

Aragorn Was Sure Of Himself In The Lord Of The Rings Novel

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn looks off to his right side on horseback while scanning the battlefield in front of his soldiers in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn looks on in Lord of the Rings The Two Towers while standing in front of horses. Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wearing a bracer and armor. Aragorn, Legolas, and other soldiers on foot and horseback in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Aragorn with a Sword at the Black Gate in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn looks off to his right side on horseback while scanning the battlefield in front of his soldiers in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn looks on in Lord of the Rings The Two Towers while standing in front of horses. Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wearing a bracer and armor. Aragorn, Legolas, and other soldiers on foot and horseback in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Aragorn with a Sword at the Black Gate in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

In The Lord of the Rings novel, Aragorn never doubted his ability or role as the future king, as he did in a few movie scenes. Aragorn was a confident leader in the book, embodying the medieval romance hero that Tolkien was referring to. The Lord of the Rings was inspired by medieval epics and romances, whereby heroism was very clear-cut. Aragorn doubted his ability in the movies. Aragorn agonized over his claim to the throne and his worthiness as he observed the shards of Narsil in the movies, as masterfully portrayed by Mortensen.

The Lord Of The Rings Movies Gave Aragorn Modern Character Development

Gandalf riding Shadowfax beside Aragorn and Legolas in The Two Towers

While Aragorn was a medieval romance hero in the book, he embraced modern trends in the movies. Peter Jackson gave Aragorn modern character development, in line with fantasy TV and movies of recent years. Character development is a tool used by modern storytellers, but it wasn’t so big in the medieval tales that Tolkien was basing LotR on. Nonetheless, Tolkien’s novel included some great character development, but it didn’t apply to Aragorn as much as it applied to others. Aragorn was Jackson’s main knight in shining armor, so he amplified his development to ensure he had thoroughly modern relevance.

This was key to the success of the character. In Peter Jackson’s movies, Aragorn was, at first, a humble and lowly ranger, well represented by his soft brown leathers and worn clothing. Aragorn’s costume in The Lord of the Rings movies developed to match his growing confidence, which started to shine through more and more. Although Aragorn’s insecurity in the movies could be seen as unfaithful, it served a purpose. By emphasizing Aragorn’s journey in The Lord of the Rings, Jackson beautifully underlined his transformation from ranger to king and appealed to a modern audience.