In The Return of the King, the original plan was for Sauron to physically appear as Annatar, his angelic form, and fight Aragorn in a one-on-one duel. They even filmed scenes for this version, but Peter Jackson eventually decided it didn’t feel true to the story — especially since it wasn’t in the book. Instead, they focused on Aragorn’s leadership and rallying the forces of men, making the ending more faithful to Tolkien’s themes.

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