Summary

• The Witch-king and Gandalf are both powerful, but Gandalf is a Maiar, making him more potent than most beings.
• In the extended edition for Return of the King, Gandalf struggles against the Witch-king, serving as added tension before Eowyn's victory.
• Even though Gandalf wasn't a great fighter, he should have been better equipped to defend himself against the Witch-king.

In the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf confronts the Witch-king of Angmar. Although brief, many fans have brought this scene into question, since wizards are among Middle-earth's most powerful beings. Yet, the Witch-king overthrows Gandalf and seemingly almost wins the fight. So, why did Gandalf have such a difficult time with the battle?

To start, both of the characters are undoubtedly strong. The Witch-king was named Lord of the Nazgûl. A ghostly wraith, the Witch-king is stronger than most of Sauron's followers and conquered much of Middle-earth for the Dark Lord. However, Gandalf is still far more powerful. Within J.R.R. Tolkien's writings, a wizard is essentially an angelic being called a Maiar who has been sent to Middle-earth to confront Sauron. Their abilities outmatch almost everyone in the world, meaning that defeating a wizard is no easy task.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on February 26, 2024: The Lord of the Rings franchise is expanding into new territory thanks to upcoming projects like The Rings of Power Season 2 and the animated prequel The War of the Rohirrim. However, fans will forever remain infatuated with Peter Jackson's original adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic work. Even two decades after the trilogy came to an end, audiences still have plenty of questions about the iconic franchise, including some about Gandalf and one of his most difficult battles ever.

Gandalf's Hardest Battles in The Lord of the Rings Mythos

Of course, Gandalf had already fallen prey to the Balrog of Morgoth during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Yet, this fight was surprisingly an even match, since the Balrog was once an angelic being as well, meaning that their level of power came close to that of a wizard. Long ago, the Maiar were seduced and corrupted by Morgoth, the previous Dark Lord of Middle-earth. One of these beings became the monstrous Balrog that Gandalf came to face. But still, he managed to slay the beast after days of fighting, even if it did cost him his life — or, at the very least, the life that he had known.

• Trivia: It is generally believed that the Witch-king of Angmar was once one of the three lords of Numenor who was corrupted by the ring of power given to him by the dastardly Sauron.

This brings things back to the Battle of Minas Tirith. As Gandalf defends the city, the Witch-king flies in on his Fellbeast to fight Gandalf. The wizard yells, "Go back to the Abyss!" to which the Witch-king replies, "This is my hour!" The wraith then raises his sword and lets out a screech, causing Gandalf's staff to shatter into pieces. Gandalf's then knocked to the ground, wounded and seemingly unable to get up. Things look grim for Gandalf, but luckily, the Riders of Rohan arrive just in time to distract the Witch-king, forcing him to fly away to another part of the battle.

The Gandalf vs Witch-king Fight Deviated From Tolkien's Work

Given that it took another Maiar to defeat Gandalf, many wonder why the white wizard seemed to be weak during his fight against the Witch-king in Return of the King. The most likely answer to this valid question is that the fight never took place in the books, giving Peter Jackson and his team full leeway to adapt the battle as they saw it taking place, rather than how Tolkien would have depicted it. While both were present during the Battle of Minas Tirith, Gandalf and the Witch-king never come face to face in Tolkien's original work. If they had, the wizard would likely have far outmatched his opponent.

• Trivia: Witch-king of Angmar is responsible for killing King Theodon of Rohan during the Battle of Minas Tirith.

But from a movie-making standpoint, the scene serves as added tension during the battle, to push things to their very worst before the Rohirrim arrive. While it's jarring to see Gandalf's powerful wizard staff break so easily, not much is thought about it on a casual viewing, since he never needs to use his staff from that point on. The scene simply shows how dangerous the Witch-king is and makes his defeat at the hands of Eowyn all the more impressive.

However, despite not making much difference, it's worth noting Gandalf wasn't necessarily a great fighter. While he did possess a huge amount of power, his expertise was in negotiation and inspiring those around him. Still, most Tolkien fans would agree that Return of the King's depiction of Gandalf should have been able to defend against the Witch-king, at least with far more ease than was shown.

Who Finally Defeats The Witch-King?

In Peter Jackson's Return of the King, it is Eowyn who finally defeats the Witch-king. Riding into battle with Merry at her side, Eowyn confronts the Witch-king in Pelennor Fields, where it quickly becomes clear that she is unmatched by this powerful creature. However, Merry manages to distract the Lord of the Nazgûl long enough for Eowyn to get the upper hand against him and stab him through his mask. The villainous Witch-king is finally vanquished as the battle for Minas Tirith comes to an end.

• Trivia: Witch-king of Angmar makes an appearance in two entries of The Hobbit trilogy, fighting the wizards in a precursor to their latter battle during the War of the Ring.

Although the Witch-king claimed he could not be defeated by any man, Eowyn and Merry outwitted this prophecy. In the end, Eowyn proves herself a mighty warrior by doing what even Gandalf could not: killing the leader of the Nazgûl.