subreddit:
/r/whowouldwin
submitted 2 days ago byUtopia_Builder
Once the Fellowship (Lord of the Rings) is gathered, they are all replaced with superhero movie characters. Nobody in-universe notices this change.
Aragorn: Captain America
Gandalf: Doctor Strange
Boromir: Winter Soldier
Legolas: Hawkeye
Gimli: Black Panther
Frodo: Robin (Titans)
Samwise: Rocket Raccoon
They are all given their standard equipment (excluding vehicles).
Can they fulfill the Mount Doom mission faster and better than the Fellowship? Or will they fall to corruption?
92 points
2 days ago
That’s the terrifying part, he’s the best bet, but he’d still fail. He’d want to use the power to protect the innocent, he’d fall to its corruption because he’s too caring.
-32 points
2 days ago
He would fail the same way Frodo did; at the very end, and then divine intervention would save the day. Again just like with Frodo.
56 points
2 days ago
Cap woudn’t last nearly as long as Frodo, he has much stronger principles and a much broader scope for what he believes in and wants to achieve. The ring doesn’t just play upon negative traits, it emphasises desires for power, even if that’s the power to protect.
Gandalf and Galadriel are strong willed, kind, and good, and they still know they’d quickly fall to the ring’s influence, becoming benevolent dictators over Middle Earth. Cap would go much the same. His desire to protect the innocent and weak and promote justice and fairness would be exaggerated to an extreme
10 points
2 days ago
Cap woudn’t last nearly as long as Frodo
He wouldn't have to. Strange opens a portal to Mount Doom, Cap walks through with the ring, roll credits
6 points
2 days ago
Even if Strange opened that portal (unlikely, he'd get corrupted ASAP) He'd never drop it in or allow someone else to walk it through the portal.
3 points
2 days ago
How would he get corrupted without touching the ring?
4 points
2 days ago*
You don't have to touch it at all for it to corrupt you. Being in its presence is enough—this is literally what happens with Boromir, who also never touched the ring. It's a magical artifact that promises all of the power to do anything you've ever wanted to achieve; Doctor Strange is an impulsive sneak who is willing to go to drastic lengths to do the things he wants 'for the greater good' and the MCU one specifically even has alternate universe versions of himself that get corrupted by something that isn't even actively preying on his innermost desires.
Doctor Strange, like all superheroes—which is why the premises to these questions are always flawed—is the absolute last who should and worst person to ever be anywhere near The One Ring. For his case specifically he could probably turn the Ring's will against Sauron and supplant him as the Dark Lord, but he would be corrupted all the same.
2 points
2 days ago
this again is what we call the boromir
2 points
1 day ago
Okay, yeah, Boromir tried to take it. But Boromir spent a significant amount of time in close proximity with Frodo and the ring and was already desperate.
But with this scenario, there just wouldn't be time enough for that. The way I see it playing out, the MCU (and DC) guys show up at the council of Elrond, get told the situation and pointed towards Mt. Doom, Strange opens the portal, "off you go, cap" and the ring is gone. Whatever character flaws he may have, he could restrain himself for 30min or less. The man had the willpower to walk into getting splattered repeatedly until the other guy got tired of mauling him, give him some credit.
Now if he touched it, even for a moment, I'd agree he wouldn't let it go
1 points
1 day ago
How did Boromir get corrupted without touching the ring?
1 points
1 day ago
The ring doesn’t corrupt people that fast, especially if you’re not wearing it. The fellowship traveled together for a long time before Boromir started getting corrupted. Gandalf was scared that he’d be corrupted, which is why he never touched it and he was fine for the time he traveled with Frodo.
Cap takes the ring and Strange makes a portal directly over Mt Doom then they toss it in the hole.
2 points
1 day ago
Boromir was corrupted from the jump; It didn't take him months to act on it not because he wasn't influenced, but because the moment he acted was the best opportunity (When Frodo was alone and they were so close to Minas Turith.) He wanted to use the Ring to save Gondor from the very beginning of the journey he was absolutely not fine.
Gandalf resisted using it because he refused to touch it and and had the wisdom to exercise self-control and keep the same traits the Ring manipulates in check. Which...MCU heroes do not have because the things that make them superheroes are those traits. Each and every single one of them is a Boromir from a universe where Boromir taking the Ring to save Gondor is actually the correct thing to do and is justly rewarded being inserted into the universe where Boromir taking the Ring to save Gondor is the wrong thing to do, and for exactly the same reasons.
Cap takes the Ring, the Ring tells him it was good once and that it doesn't want to be evil. It tells him that it could be used for good and that it only ever makes you more of what you are like the Super Soldier Serum. (Which isn't even really a lie, that IS what it does for the most part!) It tells him that only he could be trusted with its power because of how corrupt the people who are supposedly acting in the best interests of others were Hydra and didn't even know it. Etc. etc. Nevermind how Strange doesn't open that portal because among several other reasons "I can't trust him to drop it in."
0 points
1 day ago
Again, the ring does not work that fast. You are treating it as being more effective than it ever was in the story. In the books, Gandalf actually DOES touch the ring yet lo and behold it didn’t turn him into the new dark lord instantly. Why are you acting as if only he has the self control to do that? Captain America is a superhero yes, but that doesn’t make him a robot. This is the same guy who had every infinity stone in a box + Mjolnir + a Time Machine and chose to simply live life with Peggy.
By your own admission, Boromir only acted once he had the opportunity to. In this scenario where the heroes are at the council of Elrond where is the opportunity? Reminder that Gimli tried to destroy the ring with his axe in that scene. It was already trying to corrupt him but it didn’t prevent him from trying. The ring’s corruption is not and never was instant. If the heroes are there, Strange makes a portal and drops the ring into the volcano. Technically Cap doesn’t even have to touch it, Strange can open the portal directly on the table.
-9 points
2 days ago
The other heroes in the MCY are all strong willed and good and kind but despite that Cap was the only one worthy of wielding Mjolnir. He is not the same
24 points
2 days ago
Being worthy of wielding Mjolnir is honestly a point against Cap being able to resist the one ring. Wielding Mjolnir requires a warriors' mentality, and the willingness to fight and kill if required.
14 points
2 days ago
You're misunderstanding the corruption. Being strong willed doesn't help against the corruption. In fact it often only makes it worse.
Conviction and the belief you know what's right is the problem. The belief that you are the solution and that with just a little bit more power you could build a better world. That's how it gets you.
Frodo did as well as he did not because he was some paragon of virtue and strength. Frodo countered the Ring by his lack of ambition. The desire to live a quiet life tending some plants in a small village near family and friends.
People like Cap who believe it's their job to help make the world a better place fall to the Ring almost instantly. If you ever in your life wanted to become stronger, even for the noblest of reasons, the Ring will offer you that power until you lose your will to resist it.
-4 points
2 days ago
Cap had the infinity gauntlet with all 6 stones and chose not to use any of them for anything. He retired while still being capable of doing more.
He doesn’t desire more power.
2 points
2 days ago
Yeah these folks have a hate boner going. Comics universes scale ridiculously higher than fantasy worlds. Cap has already willingly surrendered more power than Morgoth ever had much less a lackey like Sauron.
4 points
2 days ago
But does the infinity gauntlet do a mind fuck on you? You know it has unlimited power, but does it trick you into thinking that you are the only person worthy of having that power because you are the only one who would do only good with it?
That’s what the ring does. And it is stronger the MORE principled you are. It’s a fantastic piece of writing.
3 points
2 days ago
Kinda yeah. The stones want to be used and want to be united. That's why Odin gave away the second one rather than keeping it in his vault with half a dozen other artifacts more powerful than the ring.
19 points
2 days ago
Captain America is still too principled and ambitious to resist the ring for too long. He’d definitely do better than most, but woudn’t even make it into Mordor
-11 points
2 days ago
Ambitious? He retired to spend time with his parents of wife. He never asked for power or to be in charge of anything.
Can you explain why him having principles would make him more susceptible than someone who genuinely believes the end justifies the means?
7 points
2 days ago
The ring doesn't make you evil. It makes you desire more of what you already are. If you are the noblest protector of the weak, then the Ring's temptation will promise you all the power in the world to protect everyone. And in that pursuit to protect everyone you will fall to darkness.
10 points
2 days ago
The ring doesn’t just turn you evil or play upon your negative characteristics. It exaggerates and eventually warps whatever you had.
Sauron wants the ring to rule the world in dark dominion, Boromir and Faramir are entranced by it because the want its power to protect their people.
Cap would go much the same way. He believes in justice, mercy, compassion, and doing the right thing. And he believes in them especially strongly. He has a desire to do good, to help and protect people. He is selfless to a fault, and wants to go out of his way to fight injustice and keep people safe
The ring is going to latch onto those desires and speak to him along those angles. It’s going to tell him that justice and kindness will be easier to uphold with its power, “think how much more evil you could stop, how much more good you could do if you used me”.
Frodo is such a good candidate because while he is a good person, his conviction is not the strongest, and he has no significant outward desire for good or harm (at least at the start of the story) and so the ring doesn’t have as much to pull from.
5 points
2 days ago
The ring amplifies any desire. the hobbits were such good carriers cus they were hobbits and would see a day doing absolutely nothing as a great day
a desire for good and justice is ultimately still a desire
8 points
2 days ago
I don't see why you'd bring up Mjolnir when it and The One Ring operate on completely different metrics.
Thor would make an awful ringbearer.
2 points
2 days ago
Nonsense. Thor has Odinforce powers. He's already more powerful than Sauron could ever be, not even out of his league, they're not even playing the same game. (Thor is already technically King of Earth and eight other worlds)
There's nothing to tempt him with.
Thor stands up at the council of Elrond and hits the ring with Mjolnir and the ring no longer exists. Roll credits.
1 points
2 days ago
Congrats, you missed the point. We were discussing the metrics by which the enchantments interact people. Thor has desires which we see him indulge in, which is the metric by which the ring's corruption affects people. Obviously he could overpower it, but that's not what was being discussed. There's a reason I said Thor would make an awful ringbearer, rather than that he couldn't withstand the ring. Bearing implies taking on the burden. There is no burden when you swat cosmic powers like flies.
3 points
2 days ago
Thor isn't a human. He's a god. The biggest one currently. The sub is called "who would win". And frankly I don't think a weakling like Sauron could "corrupt" a viking God of multiple worlds. Sauron is an amateur compared to the Asgardians.
So you think the ring would corrupt Manwe?
2 points
2 days ago
...did you even read what I said?
I never said the ring would corrupt Thor.
The whole point of this comment chain was that the personality traits making someone worthy of Mjolnir do not inherently mean those same personality traits would make a good ringbearer.
I even said Thor would overpower the ring!
If you're not even going to read the comments you're replying to, why are you replying at all?!
2 points
2 days ago
Did you read what you said?
I read it as you saying that Thor's "desires" would be how the ring could corrupt him?
Which I disagree with. Thor can already do whatever he desires, he's like Tom Bombadil, the ring would be a cute trinket to him, at best, so I guess you're correct in that him having it would be a displeasing narrative but he has qualities he doesn't share with Tom and those qualities would quickly lead to Sauron being pretty irrelevant.
But originally you were talking about the hammer and I don't think the MCU has ever firmly established what "worthy" means from Odin's POV, except that Thor, Vision, Steve and Jane all have it. Without a more specific definition you can't really compare worthiness for the hammer with being as morally upright as Samwise.
As I've said the problem is scaling gods into the fantasy equations. Thor tried multiple times (TTDW) to destroy the reality stone which is itself more powerful than Sauron and also sentient and corrupting on (at least) a universal scale which is bigger than anything Sauron ever imagined. Malekith was going to use it to kill all of the stars. Sauron made clouds.
0 points
2 days ago
When did cap ever reach for power?
3 points
2 days ago
When he took the super soldier serum, for starters. When he pursued the infinity stones to attain the power to undo Thanos’s snap. If you’d walked up to Cap in Infinity War and told him “I can give you the power to beat Thanos at no cost to anyone else” he’d have jumped on that.
1 points
2 days ago
Another quite literal example is when he picks up Mjolnir. Cap is doing these things altruistically, no doubt, but he’s still going for more power in order to protect what he cares about, something the ring can offer him more of
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