The biggest complaint most fans have of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is the fact that he cut Tom Bombadil. However, most fans are wrong. Firstly, Tom Bombadil would have slowed down the opening to an excruciating crawl, turning most non-readers away before the titular Fellowship is even formed. Bombadil is completely extraneous, perfect for a long and winding book but not so much for a film.
Secondly, Jackson commits far worse sins against Tolkien. His treatment of Gimli, the deep thinker and warrior-poet of the group, is devastating. Denethor is similarly done dirty, reduced to a cartoonish villain, and don’t get me started on Faramir. The pointy ears on the Elves are the result of years of incorrect illustrations, but Jackson perpetuates the myth. And the fact that we don’t even see Saruman’s death in the theatrical editions, let alone the Scouring of the Shire, is abominable and misses the point of the books completely.
Anyway, back to Bombadil. At this point, I can’t tell if people genuinely wanted the yellow-booted fellow in the films, or if he’s just reached a mythological status that nobody can tell truth from meme. I don’t think he would have worked in the movie, but I can see why people would want him there.
The singing creature known as Tom Bombadil is one of Tolkien’s great mysteries. Some believe he is Eru incarnate, God walking among men. Others think he’s just a little guy. I say, why not both? Whatever Bombadil’s true nature, I’m not quite sure why he’s in the Rings of Power.
Is Tom Bombadil Lore Accurate In The Rings Of Power?
Sure. We know so little about Bombadil, other than the fact that Gandalf believes he’s a very powerful being, that he could have been knocking about during the Second Age. Heck, maybe he was in Alqualondë during the first Kinslaying. But we can’t know for sure.
Elrond says that Bombadil travelled greatly before settling in the Old Forest, so his appearance in Rhun is justified in that sense. Gandalf also clearly has history with the fatherless one, so The Rings of Power could play on this if the Stranger’s identity is revealed as Mithrandir.
Note: It’s worth noting that The Rings of Power Season 2 marketing has suggested that the Stranger may be one of the Blue Wizards, rather than Gandalf.
Rory Kinnear?
The casting of Bombadil strikes me as a little odd. I’m a big Rory Kinnear fan. His Shakespeare work with the National Theatre was exemplary (particularly his Hamlet and Iago in Othello, if you want to check them out), and his transition into film, in which he has mostly been typecast as government officials of various ranks, has generally been well received. He was also one of my late granny’s favourite actors, so I hold him in a special place in my heart for that reason, too.
But Tom Bombadil? Kinnear’s acting chops are good, but can you imagine him singing a lighthearted ditty as he skips through the desert?
“Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!
Ring a dong! hop along! Fal lal the willow!
Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo!”
Maybe Kinnear’s got it in him, but this casting makes me suspect that we’ll be getting a gritty version of Tom, like a prequel of the hardships he endured before settling down with Goldberry in the forest, doing some breathing exercises, and getting into songwriting.
The costume is also… okay. The colours are muted, which works well for The Rings of Power’s palette, but takes away some of Tom’s magnificence. “Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow; Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.” (Emphasis mine). The pictures shared in Vanity Fair are neither bright nor merry.
Why Is Tom Bombadil In The Rings Of Power?
I’m sceptical about Tom Bombadil’s appearance in the Rings of Power. It has pangs of fan service, like the showrunners are desperate to get book readers back on board by adding in a character shrouded in mystery, who has been discussed on the internet for decades.
Maybe the show will nail it. Maybe Rory Kinnear will be the jolliest fellow ever to be seen on screen. Maybe he’ll wipe the dust off his jacket and we’ll be blinded with the brightest shade of cerulean our eyeballs have ever witnessed. Or maybe he’s an unnecessary addition who will slow down the pace of Season 2, just as he would have in the movies, and feel extraneous to the high-octane story of Elves, Dwarves, and Men. Only time will tell.
