Sauron’s abilities aren’t exactly unknown to The Lord of the Rings fandom; yet, by removing this savage scene, we missed seeing just how cruel the villain could be.

Fans of The Lord of the Rings books will undoubtedly know which death I’m referring to, as it demonstrates the Dark Lord’s might.

Arguably, when comparing the films to the books, much can be missed – like the origins of Sauron and the terror he wrought.

In the films, there’s only one moment when we see Sauron in his humanoid form: at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. Despite being but a brief glimpse, we immediately comprehend how evil he is.

But our understanding could have been amplified.

Originally, another scene was included in this opening sequence, in which we’d have seen Sauron kill the elven king, Gil-galad.

This death has particular brutality, as described in the books, “The Ring misseth, maybe, the heat of Sauron’s hand, which was black and yet burned like fire, and so Gil-galad was destroyed.”

Sauron burns the elven king, further emphasising his sheer power. So, why was this cut from the film?

As Gil-galad’s actor, Mark Ferguson, explained during an interview, it came down to what made more sense to establish a series of events for the audience.

Even though we were denied seeing Sauron’s brutality so early on, we swiftly learnt of his power without it. This is especially true for book fans, for they knew the story before it was edited down for mass audiences.

In truth, though, we didn’t need to see this harsh moment, even though it would have solidified in our minds the horrors the Dark Lord had inflicted.

Sometimes, it’s better to use our imaginations to fill in the gaps. And, let’s be honest, the films don’t hold back on brutality the further into the tale we descend.