The Lord of the Rings‘ Witch-king is brought to life in a stunning new cosplay that recreates his armored look from the films. First hitting theaters in 2001, Peter Jackson’s acclaimed The Lord of the Rings trilogy brings the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved book series to life, chronicling Frodo’s epic quest across Middle-earth to destroy the One Ring. The Hobbit and his allies encounter a host of formidable enemies over the course of the three films, including the powerful Witch-king.
Now, Sanit Klamchanuan on Instagram has created a cosplay of the Witch-king of Angmar’s armored look as featured prominently in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Check out his impressive cosplay below:
The cosplay, which is created in Klamchanuan’s own words using “stuff from around the house,” captures the shape and general silhouette of the Witch-king’s armor and black cloak, including the distinctive headpiece.
How The Lord Of The Ring Trilogy Nails The Witch-King
Much of the reason for the Witch-king’s effectiveness in Jackson’s trilogy is, of course, due to how the character was brought to life in Tolkien’s novels. That aside, however, Jackson immediately establishes the Nazgûl as major threats from their first moments on screen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Part of this is purely due to their visual appearance, but their piercing cry also contributes to the general aura of fear that accompanies their time on screen.
The Witch-king, in particular, becomes a standout character after he stabs Frodo on Weathertop. While the Witch-king doesn’t play as prominent a role in Jackson’s second film, he returns as a major force of antagonism in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The villain is further established as a force to be reckoned with during the siege on Minas Tirith when he faces off against Gandalf the White (Ian McKellen) and emerges unscathed.
A big part of the Witch-king’s effectiveness in the third film is also due to the addition of his fell beast. Despite being more than 20 years old now, the effects used to bring the fell beast to life still hold up today, and the creature makes for a suitably terrifying and bloodthirsty addition to the Witch-king’s arsenal. The fact that cosplayers continue to bring the Witch-king and other characters from The Lord of the Rings to life all these years later speaks to just how much of an impact they made on-screen.
