SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for Nimona.
The long-awaited Nimona is currently streaming on Netflix and features a few Easter eggs that are sure to interest Lord of the Rings fans. It’s not surprising that a few Lord of the Rings references were snuck into the film, as Nimona creator ND Stevenson has made it no secret that he’s a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work. After all, before he became known for his graphic novels and animation, he gained attention for his fan art. In particular, he was praised for his “hipster Lord of the Rings” character designs in a reimagining of the story titled Broship of the Rings.
In addition to making Lord of the Rings fan art, Stevenson started working on Nimona while studying at the Maryland Institute College of Art. The project started as a character design for class before evolving into a webcomic, and then an Eisner Award-winning graphic novel published by HarperCollins. Since then, he has moved on to TV and film writing, directing, and animating. Meanwhile, after a long road and a few threats of cancellation, Nimona was adapted into a film for Netflix. In an interview ahead of Nimona‘s release, Stevenson listed Lord of the Rings as one of his major sources of inspiration.
Indeed, Nimona does have a bit of a Middle-earth vibe to it. It takes place in a medieval kingdom with knights, monsters, and magic. However, Nimona also includes a few direct nods to The Lord of the Rings franchise.
Lord of the Rings references in Nimona
Multiple times in Nimona, you’ll hear the words, “Go back to the shadows from whence you came.” In fact, you’ll first hear it within the first two minutes of the film. This is what historical heroine Gloreth uttered before vanquishing a monster in a feat that became legendary. In the present-day kingdom, the quote is a common battle cry from the Institute for Elite Knights. However, the history of the quote is actually a lot more problematic than it sounds. Gloreth didn’t vanquish a monster. She betrayed her friend and joined her village in persecuting a mere child because of her shapeshifting abilities. When it is uttered for the final time by the evil Director (Frances Conroy), it is once again laced with discrimination and hatred against Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz).
Fans of The Lord of the Rings will be delighted every time they hear this quote because it references The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. It seems to be a mixture of a quote from Gandalf (Ian McKellen) from The Fellowship of the Ring and a quote from Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf tells the demonic Balrog, “Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass.” In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Galadriel comes up against Sauron (Benedict Cumberbatch) and uses all her power to banish him while yelling, “Go back to the void from whence you came!”
So, Nimona managed to reference two Lord of the Rings adaptations with its quote. Additionally, one can’t help but notice that the statue of Gloreth does bear a resemblance to Galadriel. What is interesting is that Nimona flipped the circumstances of the quote. In The Lord of the Rings, it is used by the good guys against forces of evil, but in Nimona, it is used by those who are evil against those who are innocent. It’s actually pretty clever, as those familiar with The Lord of the Rings likely believed early on that Gloreth was a hero like the woman she quoted. This made it all the more shocking and painful to learn that the quote was a source of discrimination and that the kingdom twisted its legend to make it seem like a display of heroism.
(featured image: Netflix)
