What Happens After Return of the King? Every LOTR Character's Fate, Explained

Warner Bros. recently announced that a new Lord of the Rings film is in the works, bringing us back to Middle-earth with an all-new sequel. 

The film, titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, is being co-written by none other than Tolkien über-nerd Stephen Colbert—who will, mercifully, have plenty of time on his hands after The Late Show ends in May 2026—alongside screenwriter son, Peter McGee, and Lord of the Rings veteran Philippa Boyens. 

Shadows of the Past returns us to the Shire, 14 years after the end of The Return of the King, as hobbits Sam, Merry, and Pippin retrace the first part of their journey. Of course, while only 14 years have passed by Shire-reckoning, it’s already been 24 years for us since Return of the King hit theatres—and will be even more by the time we actually see Shadows of the Past. 

Before we head back to Middle-earth, let’s revisit where we left our favourite heroes. Who remains on Middle-earth, and who sailed on to the Undying Lands?

Frodo

At the end of Return of the King, Frodo returned to live in the Shire for a period, serving as Deputy Mayor before eventually sailing from the Grey Havens to the Undying Lands. After his ordeal bearing the Ring all the way to Mordor, Frodo found his physical and psychological wounds were too great to find peace in Middle-earth. When the elves offered him a place aboard their ship, he accepted. Hopefully, he found the healing he needed in the elven homeland.

Could we see him return in Shadows of the Past? Possibly, but I’d say more likely in flashback form. Then again, if you can sail to the Undying Lands, you can always sail back, right?

Sam

When we last saw Sam, he was happily married to Rosie Cotton and tending to their new home at Bag End. After their first child, Elanor, was born, they went on to have a flock of 12 more adorable hobbit children. According to the Shadows of the Past plot synopsis, we’ll see Elanor uncover a secret about the War of the Ring and how it was almost lost. 

Sam was elected Mayor of the Shire approximately six years after Frodo, Bilbo, and Gandalf set sail, and served a total of seven terms before retiring. So, we may very well find Sam deep in his mayoral duties when we next see him on screen. After Rosie’s death, much later, Sam, too, sailed to the Undying Lands—where we can only hope he and Frodo were reunited.

Merry & Pippin

After returning home, best mates Merry and Pippin found they had become the tallest hobbits in the Shire, thanks to the Ent-draught they drank in Fangorn Forest. Merry became Master of Buckland and married Estella Bolger, while Pippin became Thain of the Shire, its military leader, and married Diamond of Long Cleeve. They named their son Faramir after Pippin’s dear friend. Later in life, Merry and Pippin journeyed back to Gondor, where they spent the rest of their days and were buried beside each other next to Aragorn.

Bilbo

As the protagonist of The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins’s story is one of the longest we follow in Tolkien’s world. By the end of Return of the King, Bilbo had become the oldest hobbit on record, likely due to his years bearing the Ring. At 131 and nearing the end of his life, Bilbo set sail with Frodo and the others, heading from his home in Rivendale to the Grey Havens and on to the Undying Lands.

Gandalf

Although Gandalf originally came from the ethereal realm of Eru Ilúvatar, he had lived in Valinor (the Undying Lands) before being sent to Middle-earth to help vanquish Sauron. At the end of The Return of the King, his mission complete, Gandalf returned to the Undying Lands with Frodo, Bilbo, and the elves.

Curiously, two years before setting sail in Tolkien’s book, Gandalf tells the others he is going to have a “long conversation” with Tom Bombadil. Since he isn’t seen again for those two years—until they all meet again at the Grey Havens—it’s unclear if the conversation lasted that long, or what was discussed. Perhaps if the hobbits meet Tom in the new film, we'll finally find out!

Aragorn & Arwen

At the end of the war, Aragorn and Arwen finally married—with Arwen giving up eternal life for their powerful love. Together, they had a son, Eldarion, and several daughters. Aragorn became King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor. 

After his death, Arwen returned to Cerin Amroth in Lothlórien, where she died of a broken heart. Sad, but somehow a fitting end to their story.

Legolas

Immediately after the end of the war, Legolas and his bro Gimli travelled throughout Middle-earth together—first to the Glittering Caves at Helm’s Deep, and then through Fangorn Forest. Legolas eventually settled in Ithilien, a region of Gondor bordering on Mordor that had been ravaged during the war. 

He worked to restore its woodlands for a time, but after Aragorn’s death, he too set sail for the Undying Lands and invited Gimli to join him. 

Gimli

Following his travels with Legolas after Aragorn’s coronation and marriage, Gimli established a new dwarf settlement at Helm’s Deep, becoming Lord of the Glittering Caves. According to Appendix A in Tolkien’s Return of the King, Gimli accepted Legolas’s invitation to go with him across the seas to the Undying Lands—making him the first dwarf to ever do so. 

The text also suggests that Gimli wasn’t motivated by his friendship with Legolas alone, but also by the chance to see Galadriel again. Clearly, she made quite the impression!

Faramir & Éowyn

After meeting and falling in love while recovering from their battle wounds in the House of Healing, Faramir and Éowyn married. Faramir accepted the titles Aragorn bestowed upon him— Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien—becoming one of the king’s chief advisors and commanders. 

Unfortunately, it seems like Tolkien’s feminism got destroyed in the fires of Mordor, because not much is known about Èowyn other than that she and Faramir had a son, Elboron. He didn’t even leave us the date of her death—rude!

Treebeard

After deposing Saruman in Isengard, Treebeard returned to live in Fangorn Forest with the other Ents. Although the forest began to heal after the war, Treebeard remained pessimistic about the future of his kind, since the Entwives were still nowhere to be found. 

However, he did tell Merry and Pippin to send word if they caught sight of the Entwives near the Shire—and wouldn’t that be a wonderful addition to the plot of the new film?