Fanfic / Avengers of the Ring

Avengers of the Ring by Dr Matthattan is the first in a series of crossovers between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the films of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which feature various Marvel heroes travelling to Middle-Earth.

The first and third fics feature the heroes joining the quest to destroy the One Ring and the quest for Erebor, in that order, while the second fic sees the six Avengers and Sif return to Middle-Earth after the War of the Ring to stop a new threat foreseen by Gandalf. The fourth story in the series marks a shift as Gandalf travels to Earth to join Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Stephen Strange against a new threat, the fifth story takes this a step further as residents of Middle-Earth get involved in the struggle against Thanos, and the sixth pits the heroes against the dual threats of Thanos and Morgoth.

There are six stories in this series to date; Avengers of the Ring, Return of the Avengers, Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, Avengers: Dagor Arnediad and Avengers: Methteilien. The series ended in December 2022.

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The Avengers of the Ring series contains examples of:

• Absence of Evidence:
  • In Return of the Avengers, while Barton correctly observes that orcs aren't the type to formally declare war, the fact that they were able to gather their forces without being observed makes it clear that some unknown party is coordinating their efforts.
  • In Methteilien, the dwarves deduce that Morgoth is likely attacking a moon with a supply of uru as Thanos's use of the Reality Stone means that he doesn't need to claim resources in the same manner.
• Ace Custom: After the Time Skip in Methteilien, Faramir has repainted the Mark 49 Hulkbuster suit Gondorian black with a white tree on its chest.
• Actor Allusion:
  • Towards the end of Avengers of the Ring, during Aragorn's coronation ceremony Bruce and Steve are shocked that Arwen and Elrond resemble Betty Ross and Johann Schmidt respectively, but Galadriel calms the Avengers' nerves to assure them that Arwen and Elrond are not the people they knew.
  • Additionally in The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, Wanda and Gandalf both seem to feel that Strange sounds vaguely similar to Smaug.
  • Dagor Arnediad also features Drax attacking Thranduil because of his resemblance to Ronan. Later in the story Thor when describing his relationship with Galadriel to Rocket mentions she resembles Hela.
  • In Methteilien, Shuri bonds with Bilbo due to his resemblance to Everett Ross.
  • In the final battle of Methteilien, Scott Lang is taken aback when he finally sees Tauriel and notes her resemblance to Hope. Barton asks if he's ever seen a doppelganger before.
  • In Return of the Avengers, when Stark meets Eomer he observes that Eomer "looks like just the judge [he's] looking for..." Natasha also mentions a "Montana ranch".
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Word of God confirms that Wanda's close relationship with Gandalf is intended to acknowledge Ian McKellen's role in the X-Men Film Series, when he portrayed Magneto, who is Wanda's father in some variations of the X-Men franchise.
    • There is another minor reference to Magneto in The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer when a groundskeeper in a cemetery (Stan Lee's Creator Cameo) asks Gandalf if he knows anything about straightening metal due to a damaged rake.
    • Another particularly literal example of this occurs when Thor mentions that Thanos has certain "methods of persuasion", which references a line of Magneto's from X2: X-Men United.
• Action Girl: As in canon, Eowyn, Black Widow, Sif and Wanda all get their chance to shine; one chapter in Return sees Black Widow, Sif, Arwen and Eowyn thwart an assassination attempt on Arwen, and Scarlet Witch focuses heavily on Wanda as she fights alongside the Company of Thorin Oakenshield.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • Essentially; with Boromir still alive, Denethor never falls as far as he did in canon, dying a hero in defence of his city instead of burning himself to death in a moment of insanity.
  • Here, Grima survives the War of the Ring, and by the time of the second story, he is trying to redeem himself. Eventually, he is killed when Malekith's forces torture him, but he avoids giving them anything useful, and in acknowledgement of his actions, Eomer assures Grima as he dies that he can consider himself a man of Rohan once again.
• Adaptational Late Appearance: Some characters who were Adapted Out in the movies appear later than in the books
  • Prince Imrahil, Boromir and Faramir's uncle, arrives to Minas Tirith after the Battle of Pelennor Fields, while in the books he arrived before the battle.
  • The Grey Company, led by Elladan, Elrohir and Halbarad first appeared to join Aragorn before he took the Paths of the Dead, but here they debut a few years later during Return of the Avengers.
• Adaptation Name Change: Valkyrie's winged horse is named Grane (after Bruunhilde's horse in The Ring of the Nibelung) instead of Warsong.
• Adaptational Karma: In MCU canon, apart from losing his daughter to the Snap, and losing the support of the Pro-Accords Avengers, Secretary Ross faced no punishment for dividing the Avengers right before Thanos invaded. In Dagor Arnediad, Gandalf magically paralyses him when he comes to gather the Avengers, and later on, while he's still focusing on arresting the heroes instead of defending anyone from Thanos, Morgoth shows up in his warship the Ancalagon and destroys the UN Building along with everyone in it, including Ross.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: In Methteilien, Morgoth’s forces attack the Avengers compound as soon as most of the Avengers have gone to Middle-Earth, leaving only key members like Barton, Romanoff, Shuri and Faramir to defend themselves against the special ops forces Morgoth had corrupted into his service. Once this assault has been defeated, Wong and the remaining Mystics create a portal to the Black Tree’s base in Siberia so that the Avengers can attack their enemies in turn.
• All Your Powers Combined:
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Gandalf and Gimli assist Thor, Eitri, Rocket and Groot in forging Stormbreaker, and later Galadriel and Mantis work with Wanda to give her the mental clarity to protect Iron Man as he uses mithril-enhanced armor against a dragon-like warship.
  • After the initial Snap, several dwarves relocate from Erebor to Nidavellir, where they work to help Eitri restart the forge to create new weapons against Thanos, combining the expertise of the dwarves of two realms to create something new.
  • For the villains, Zola uses Morgoth’s magic and samples of Cross Particles to resurrect the Winter Soldiers killed by Zemo as undead Wrights as a security force for Black Tree’s headquarters.
  • When infiltrating Muspelheim to rescue Wanda, the team use Pym particles and the Mirror Dimension to sneak up on Morgoth's fortress without being detected until they're ready.
• Always Someone Better: Shuri's status as this is invoked in Methteilien; once Scott provides her with samples of Pym Particles, Shuri is not only able to create more, but find a way to create a serum that combines elements of both red and blue particles in one, allowing the same device to be used to make the subject shrink and grow rather than just do one or the other.
• Amnesia Missed a Spot: Referenced in The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorceror; even after the Valar erased all memory of Wanda's time in Middle-Earth, Bard's daughter Tilda still named her own daughter after Wanda, and Dagor Arnediad establishes that Ori's subconscious recollection of Wanda inspired a new path that led to him not going to Moria with Balin and Oin as he did in canon.
• An Arm and a Leg: With Eitri crippled as in canon, Gimli volunteers to act as his hands in their first meeting, and later Thor and Shuri provide Eitri with vibranium prosthetics.
• And the Adventure Continues: Methteilien concludes with all parties moving on after the defeat of Thanos and Morgoth, ranging from Natasha becoming the new leader of the Avengers to Elanor renaming herself 'Sentry' and joining Carol to seek redemption for her time in the Black Order, or the Asgardians settling on Middle-Earth to rebuild.
• Anyone Can Die: Much like the film it based on reading Dagor Arnediad it can be assumed going in there were going to be losses but the losses that ultimately occurred still would be considered shocking not only for the permanent deaths but also that not all those were snapped in the movies were snapped in the story and vice versa. It is also shown that by the deaths of Sif and General Ross in the story characters who may still have a future in MCU canon their survival is not entirely guaranteed in the MTCU canon. This continues into Methteilien when Ayesha and the pod containing the unhatched Adam Warlock are killed off even though they will continue to appear in future MCU films.
• Armor-Piercing Question: A couple of these in Methteilien:
  • Wanda at one point asks Morgoth why he doesn’t like humanity, which prompts him to rant about his anger that humanity were given true free will and (in his view) abused that right.
  • Later Morgoth provokes Elanor/Reaper to have doubts in Thanos by pointing out that the timeline she's been presented with doesn't fit the idea that Morgoth performed the Snap.
• Artificial Limbs: In Methteilien, Shuri designs artificial vibranium hands for Eitri, which Thor grafts onto him using the power of the Odinforce.
• Artistic Licence – Biology: In Dagor Arnediad, Eitri is reimagined as being as short as Gimil and the other dwarves of Middle-Earth.
• Ascended Extra:
  • In Return of the Avengers, Sif joins the original six Avengers when they return to Middle-Earth, with all concerned parties considering her the seventh Avenger.
  • During Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Gandalf and Radagast each hint that they consider Wanda to be a sixth member of their order, with other characters referring to her as 'Wanda the Scarlet' to fit the existing titles of 'Saruman the White', 'Gandalf the Grey' and 'Radagast the Brown'; she even attends the Council of the Wise in Rivendell, alongside Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel and Elrond.
  • From a certain perspective; Methteilien sees Groot and Rocket induct Bilbo into the Guardians of the Galaxy, Bilbo affirming that he will be proud to be part of the team until they can restore those lost in the Snap.
• Ascended Fanboy: Essentially applies in Methteilien when it's mentioned that Cassie Lang regards Captain Marvel as her favourite Avenger during the year when her father was believed dead post-Snap.
• Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: After Steve breathes his last in Methteilien, he disappears in a flash of light to be taken before the Living Tribunal, and eventually becomes the new Evening Star to replace Earendil.
• As Long as There Is One Man: After having heard Steve say it back in Avengers of the Ring Boromir defiantly tells Thanos that as long as one person stands against him, he hasn't truly won as Steve did in the Infinity War comic with Thanos exchanging similar lines back to him. He remains Defiant to the End and ultimately is killed by Thanos with Sif making the same stand and dying not long after.
• "Ass" in Ambassador: The Mouth of Sauron, as in canon, to the point that Bruce withdraws from negotiations in case the Mouth provokes him into transforming into the Hulk and compromising the fragile chance offered by the talks.
• Avengers Assemble: As well as the wider examples of the Avengers coming together with the Fellowship of the Ring and the Company of Thorin Oakenshield (as well as Wanda's more honorary role as one of the Order of Wizards), after the one-year-jump in Methteilien the forces of Gondor and Rohan have become part of Wakanda's defences.
• Back for the Dead: The Watcher in the Water in Return of the Avengers. It shows up just long enough for Thor to electrocute it to death, then pull out its jaws and keep them as a trophy to impress the Dwarves.
• Bad Boss: In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Ultron sacrifices several warg troops just to see how Wanda’s powers have advanced since he last saw her.
• Badass Boast:
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Wanda delivers the following to Lake-Town as a whole and Alfrid in particular when he questions Thorin's identity;
    I AM WANDA THE SCARLET! Sister of Pietro! Friend of the Wise! And if I say Thorin Oakenshield is King under the Mountain, then King under the Mountain he is!
  • In The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, when T’Challa warns Gandalf that armies may come for Wanda when she leaves Wakanda, all Gandalf has to say to that is “Let them come”.
• Bash Brothers: Dwalin and Drax form a close bond during the battle in Sokovia in Dagor Arnediad, to the point that Drax is given command of dwarven forces in defiance of traditional dwarf military operations.
• Badass Family: The final battle of Methteilien on Musphelheim has Galadriel, her son-in-law Elrond, and his children Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen all fighting on the front lines together.
• Batman Gambit: In Methteilien, Morgoth learns of Carol Danvers' existence and stages an attack specifically to draw her out.
• Batman Grabs a Gun: In Dagor Arnediad, the battle becomes so intense that Galadriel uses a lance in combat rather than relying on her more ethereal abilities.
• Beware the Nice Ones: As in canon, Steve Rogers, Galadriel, and Wanda Maximoff can genuinely go to town on their enemies when they have to fight.
• Bewitched Amphibians: Invoked, when Gandalf threatens to turn Bruce into a toad and see if he can summon the Hulk from that form, if he sides with Merry and Pippin when they're arguing again.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • In Avengers of the Ring, Thor takes the place of the eagles in rescuing Frodo and Sam.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, technically applies to the Vision, as his presence tips the scales back in favour of the elves, dwarves and men despite Ultron’s presence on the Orcs’ side, but he maintains a discreet role in the battle to minimise his impact on the timeline.
  • Quite a few occur during the final battle in Dagor Arnediad, ranging from Hulk returning to the fight to knock down a range of Outriders to Gandalf and Thor appearing to destroy the Threshers.
  • In Methteilien, the Black Tree’s attack on the Avengers compound prompts Pepper to go into action as Rescue for the first time. Later on, Scott and Rocket arrive in Middle-Earth in time to save Beorn from some of Morgoth's new creations, while Tom Bombadil appears in time to save the various heroes from the Nameless.
• Birds of a Feather:
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Aragorn and T'Challa are both benevolent Reasonable Authority Figures that lead their subjects into battle. Even with the threat of both Thanos and Morgoth, when Aragorn brings Middle-Earth's defending army to Wakanda, it doesn't take long at all for a mutual respect and friendship to develop. T'Challa even goes so far as to call Aragorn, "brother," an honor no monarch has ever received from a Wakandan king before.
  • The Jabari Tribe and Dunendlings are considered primitive, but honorable warriors. They get along instantly, Andras happily proclaiming, "Jabari real warriors!"
  • In Methteilien, post-Snap, Sam and Radagast have formed a strong bond due to their shared love of nature.
• Black-and-White Insanity: A good description of the antagonists' motivations in The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer; the Blues believe their system will allow Dormammu to take the corrupt souls of Earth and leave the pure to rebuild, but Strange and Gandalf each acknowledge that factors such as trauma and loss could drive even good people to temporarily give into Dormammu's influence if they are caught unprepared.
• Blue Is Heroic: Referenced as Captain America comes to be known as 'the Blue Runner'. Subverted by the corrupted Blue Wizards/the Mustarman Brothers in The Witch, The Wizard and the Sorceror.
• Body-Count Competition: Inevitable, really:
  • During the attack on Balin's tomb, Thor suggests to Gimli they honor Balin by seeing which of them can kill more Orcs. Legolas of course joins in.
  • After seeing most of Thor's powers return at the Battle of Helm's Deep, Legolas and Gimli insist that only those Thor killed with direct hammer blows can be counted. Thor still wins, by several hundred.
  • It is then repeated at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields and Morannon, but the winner of those battles is not explicitly stated (but it was probably Thor). Gimli is taken to the siege at Erebor after the victory at Morannon, and gleefully notes that he can use this to overtake Legolas, who is not present.
  • The final battle in Return of the Avengers features a four way version, between Legolas, Gimli, Thor and Sif. Sif wins by four, she and Thor outrank the others by a few hundred, and Legolas comes in last.
  • In Dagor Arnediad Nebula becomes another participant, although it is suggested that her experience of competition while growing up with Thanos means she’s taking it a bit too seriously.
• Borrowed Catchphrase: In Dagor Arnediad, Aragorn becomes the first non-Wakandan to utter the phrase 'Wakanda forever' when he and T'Challa lead the forces of Wakanda, Middle-Earth and the Avengers against Thanos's forces.
• Break Them by Talking: Galadriel halts the attack of Thanos's general Warbringer by telepathically telling him that Thanos will never favor him, giving Rocket enough time to plant a bomb on him.
• Brick Joke:
  • When the Hulk attacks Saruman's tower by himself and then relaxes by diving into the flooded Isengard, Pippin and Merry point out that his catchphrase is supposed to be "HULK SMASH!" not "HULK SPLASH!" When Gandalf makes the above warning about Bewitched Amphibians, Bruce says that in that case, the Hulk would have every right to say "HULK SPLASH!" After sinking the fleet of the Corsairs of Umbar, Hulk himself exclaims "Hulk Splash!"
  • In The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, Wanda expresses disdain for Pietro's memorial statue in Sokovia, thinking that it turned him into an idol rather than a real person who was lost. During the final battle, she half-idly wrecks it in the fighting.
• Brought Down to Badass:
  • In Avengers of the Ring, the energy-draining properties of the vortex that sent the three Avengers to Middle-Earth also drains Thor and Bruce's energy; in their first fight against a group of Orcs, Bruce only retains a degree of Hulk's enhanced healing and his limited knowledge of hand-to-hand combat without being able to actually transform into the Hulk, and Thor's only exceptional abilities are a degree of enhanced strength and the ability to call Mjolnir back to himself after throwing it in a manner that Rogers compares to an Olympic event. Even when Hulk comes out for the first time in the story, his strength is only to the level of matching the cave troll in Moria blow for blow. The two of them are slowly restored to their full strength over the course of the adventure.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Ultron has lost his drone army and is restricted to a single body that is weaker than his primary form, but develops new skills after Sauron instructs him in magic.
• Call-Back:
  • When they arrive in Middle-Earth and find out that Thor can only recall a thrown Mjolnir into his hand, and is now unable to fly or project his hammer beyond his strength, Banner comments that "one out of three isn't bad", which Thor adjusts to "one out of four" when he finds that he cannot project lightning either. As Thor slowly regains his powers over the course of the war against Sauron, he comments to himself "two out of four" and so on as he regains each ability.
  • When Thor rescues Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom, he observes that he hopes Sam didn't have to travel this far to find Frodo, referencing how he last instructed Sam to find Frodo before the Fellowship parted company.
  • In Avengers of the Ring, when the Fellowship first see the statues of Argonath, Steve comments that Stark would build a bigger statue if he had the chance; in Return of the Avengers, Stark sees the statues himself and briefly acknowledges this.
• Call to Agriculture: While in Wakanda after the first battle against Thanos, Sam is trusted with the duty of tending Wakanda's royal gardens, including the new White Tree that was planted in the grove that once held the heart-shaped herbs.
• Canon Character All Along: The Mustarman Brothers, the Big Bad Duumvirate in The Witch, The Wizard and the Sorcerer, are actually the Blue Wizards Morinehtar and Romestamo, corrupted into cultists of Dormammu.
• Canon Welding: Radagast was absent from the War of the Ring because an encounter with Dormammu in the past sent him falling through Space and Time until he fell in present day New York in the MCU.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: In Methteilien, after Warbringer's attack on the Avengers compound fails to kill any of the Avengers still there, Thanos privately muses that the only reason he doesn't kill Warbringer for that failure is that he doesn't have anyone better qualified to take his place.
• Can't Take Criticism: In Methteilien, Morgoth immediately becomes angry if anyone attempts to tell him what he should do even if they’re making valid observations.
• Cavalry of the Dead: In Methteilien, during the final battle against Morgoth, the Allies are aided not only by the return of those killed in the Snap, but also the return of those killed just before the Snap, such as Boromir and Sif, sustained in the Astral Dimension by the power of the Silmaril until they know that their greatest enemies have fallen.
• Cessation of Existence: In Methteilien, Zola is ultimately defeated when Natasha uses a Wakandan bead to generate an EMP to erase his consciousness from his robot body.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • Saruman brought napalm to use at Helm's Deep, some of which is taken by Steve after the battle is over. Which he uses to great affect during the Siege of Gondor.
  • Ultron’s rims, used to send the Earth residents to Middle-Earth in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, are later adapted to help the Avengers travel to Middle-Earth in Methteilien in the hope that they will bypass Morgoth’s barriers.
  • After a HYDRA agent got away with a sample of 'Cross Particles' in Ant-Man, Armin Zola takes them from a rogue HYDRA faction in Methteilien.
  • While preparing for the final battle in Methteilien, Gandalf works with Thor to prepare the Quantum Energy Scott absorbed during his time in the realm to develop a means of manipulating one of the Infinity Stones to their will for a fraction of time; it is subsequently clarified that they intend to influence the Soul Stone to take temporary control of the Gauntlet as a whole.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: When Thor and Aragorn learn that their enemies in Return of the Avengers are Saruman’s spirit- now 'living' in the palantir network- and the still-living Malekith, Thor ‘warns’ the two that they will inevitably betray each other, which proves true when Malekith ‘sacrifices’ Saruman to turn the palantir hosting his spirit into a weapon against the Avengers.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Sif’s absence in Thor: Ragnarok is explained as her having relocated to Middle-Earth during Return of the Avengers.
• Closest Thing We Got: In Dagor Arnediad, Morgoth's betrayal deprives Thanos of the Mind Stone, forcing him to use the Silmaril as a substitute, which limits the range of the Snap while still allowing him to kill individuals on Earth and Arda before sealing himself away on Arda.
• Combat Pragmatist: In Methteilien, Sam and Pippin lead the other hobbits in the final battle to just throw stones at Thanos's forces, as they recognise that their people aren't experienced enough warriors to engage anyone in direct combat.
• Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: While Wanda never used 'Scarlet Witch' as a name in the films, here she introduced herself to the Company with that title, and also ends up adopting the title of 'Wanda the Scarlet' during her time in Middle-Earth after Radagast calls her that during their first meeting.
• Commonality Connection: Various bonds, ranging from Clint Barton obviously bonding with Legolas and Bard (the great-grandson of the bowman who killed Smaug) due to their status as archers, to Scott Lang encouraging Beorn to join the opposition against Thanos by mentioning how Cassie inspires Scott to be a hero, reminding Beorn of his own daughter.
  • Clint and Faramir gain another bond in Methteilien, as both lost their wives and children to the Snap and were close to letting their rage and desire for revenge overwhelm them.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Wanda faces this after Smaug's death, torn between her loyalty to the Company and her promise to help Lake-Town as Thorin falls victim to the gold-sickness and withdraws from his old promises.
• Convenient Coma: Basically applies in Methteilien to Thor, who spends a year in the Odinsleep after Morgoth's first major attack on Earth post-Snap.
• The Corruptible: Thorin falls victim to the gold-sickness as in canon, to the point of using Wanda as a threat against Lake-Town.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Invoked in Methteilien when Gandalf reveals that his own large teleportation spells are only useful between Earth and Arda, and sending similarly large groups to anywhere else, or even anywhere on-planet at either of those locations, is beyond his power.
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • The Ents already did a significant amount of damage to Isengard on their own, but when aided by the Hulk- even in a weakened state- they were even able to damage the tower itself, with Saruman only surviving the assault because his magic made the tower too strong for the Hulk to break inside.
  • With his full power restored, Thor accompanies Galadriel to Dol Guldur, where the two single-handedly destroy the remains of Sauron's forces and bring down the tower without their enemies ever reaching them.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Gandalf and Wanda single-handedly destroy a force of about a hundred orcs by themselves.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Thanos single-handedly tears through Erebor, killing Dori, Gloin, and several other dwarves, before banishing Gimli to Eitri's forge.
  • In Methteilien, Morgoth uses his own strength and the power of the Mind Stone to take over the armed forces of the Kree and the Sovereign.
• Deal with the Devil: In Methteilien, Thanos contacts Earth to suggest an alliance against Morgoth, but the Avengers and the Free Peoples all know that Thanos is just the lesser of two evils and refuse to consider such a deal.
• Death by Adaptation:
  • Dagor Arnediad explicitly confirms that it was Nori rather than Ori who accompanied Balin and Oin to Moria in this version of events, and Dori and Gloin are killed when Thanos attacks Erebor. Later in the fic, Morgoth's attack on Washington DC kills former General Ross.
  • Following the Snap, Nebula is a victim of Thanos's attack, along with Frodo, Merry, Eowyn, Elrond, Ori and Tauriel; Sif and Boromir are killed during the battle before Thanos triggers the Snap as are Thranduil and Dwalin by Morgoth.
  • Methteilien reveals that Maria and Monica Rambeau were also killed in the Snap, and Morgoth destroys Ayesha, most of the Sovereignty, and the cocoon containing the entity that would have been Adam Warlock before it can 'hatch'. In the final battle, Steve performs the Snap to restore those lost rather than Banner, although with urgent medical treatment and spells he is able to keep fighting until Thanos and Morgoth are dead.
• Death by Irony: Just as Thanos is about to finish of Stark, he mocks him by saying that he will enslave and brainwash his daughter Morgan so that she will forever blame her father for her fate. A second later, he gets his throat slashed out by Elanor Gamgee, whom Thanos had manipulated and brainwashed into his daughter and bodyguard until her real father Sam showed her the truth.
• Death of a Child: Haleth, son of Hama and several of Rohan's Child Soldiers are killed during the Battle of Helm's Deep, with their deaths deeply affecting Steve.
• Death Seeker: In Methteilien, while Faramir doesn't explicitly want to die, Eomer and Radagast express concern that him giving up hope of returning to Middle-Earth means that he no longer cares what happens to himself or others.
• Defeat Means Friendship: In Return of the Avengers, the Army of Light wins the allegiance of the Dunlendings when a disguised Captain America defeats all ten champions of the ten Dunlending tribes who came to talk with the Army of Light single-handedly; the fact that he confronted them in disguise rather than using his usual costume to inspire fear, coupled with Rogers not using his shield, helps to assure the Dunlendings of his good intentions.
• Defrosting Ice King: Thranduil has clearly done this by the time of the War of the Ring, as he warmly thanks Thor for his compliments of Legolas's skills and later tells Natasha that he considers it an honour to be considered worthy of wielding an Avenger's weapon even as he recognizes that only Thor's hammer is bound by such an enchantment.
• Demonic Possession: Essentially applies to Saruman in Return of the Avengers when he attempts to transfer his essence into the Hulk, only to be expelled from the green goliath thanks to Hulk's own strength and some distant aid from Galadriel.
• Deus ex Machina: In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, once the Battle of Five Armies has concluded with the final destruction of Azog and Ultron, the Vision and Galadriel have to appeal to the Valar to erase all recollection of Wanda, Ultron and the Vision's time in Middle-Earth to ensure that the War of the Ring will unfold as it should.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation:
  • In Avengers of the Ring, Due to Boromir's survival, Denethor's death is very different. Rather than burn to death in a feat of madness he bravely dies defending Faramir against the Witch King. The Witch King himself is also dealt the final blow against him by Thor with help from Eowyn and Merry, the author believing the death of the Witch King was caused by not a single individual but a team effort. Many other enemies minor and also somewhat important are also defeated by the three Avengers with the Troll in Moria killed by Hulk, Gothmog killed by Thor and the Mouth of Sauron killed by Captain America with help from Pippin.
    • However, Boromir still meets his death in a different way - in Dagor Arnediad, he is killed standing up to Thanos.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Fili, Kili and Alfrid are killed by Ultron who also subsequently wounds Thorin which ultimately kill him rather than the wounds suffered in his fight with Azog. In addition Wanda assists Thorin in killing Azog with the latter being killed by decapitation rather than being stabbed under water.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, the Black Order are killed in slightly different ways with Obsidian being killed from an explosion as a result of a combined effort from Star Lord, Spider-Man, Bilbo, Mantis and Iron Man meant to mirror the battle with Thanos in the Battle of Titan scene in the film. Glaive is killed by the combined effort of Loki, Arwen and Ayo. Midnight is killed by Nebula who replaces Wanda in the "She's not alone scene" rather than by a passing Thresher allowing Nebula to achieve a more personal victory. Only Maw is killed in the exact same manner he is in the film and because of that his death is skipped over in the story.
  • In Methteilien, instead of being killed by Tony using the Infinity Gauntlet to snap him out of existence along with his army, Thanos gets his throat slashed by Elanor and then finished off by Thor.
• Dirty Coward: The Master of Lake-Town and Alfrid, as in canon, to the point that the Master offered to pay Wanda if she would save his life (although Wanda was already acting in Lake-Town's defence) and Alfrid is swiftly dispatched by Ultron who is utterly baffled at Alfrid wearing a dress and trying to bribe him.
• Divide and Conquer: In Methteilien, after most of the Avengers have returned to Middle Earth to deal with matters there, Morgoth and Zola encourage Earth to turn on the Avengers by claiming that Morgoth can oppose Thanos where the Avengers have just provoked both parties, in an attempt to fuel the runestones and the Ultimate Negator with humanity's hatred.
• Do with Him as You Will: In Return of the Avengers, Black Widow is sent to recuse some hostages, and realizes they were tortured and probably raped. She drags the leader of their captors over, breaks his knee, and then offers the women knives. She later even compares it to when Tony did something similar-"Yinsen's village".
• Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment: In Methteilien, Word of God confirms that Shuri has bonded with Bilbo due to his resemblance to Everett Ross, who was another victim of the Snap.
• Double Meaning: In Methteilien, during the final battle a shot from the Winter Soldier ricochets off Iron Man's armor. When Stark tells Barnes "It wasn't your fault", both men understand that this is Stark's way of saying that he understands Barnes wasn't in control when the Winter Soldier killed Howard and Maria, even if Rogers recognises this is just an understanding between the two rather than outright reconciliation.
• Drama-Preserving Handicap:
  • Upon arriving in Middle-Earth, Thor and Bruce Banner are de-powered due to the energy drain of the vortex that sent them to this new world, requiring time to regain their lost energy and full strength.
  • Methteilien features a few of these for both sides;
    • While Thanos was able to use the Silmaril as a limited substitute for the Mind Stone, he recognizes that he would be unable to bear the strain of using it to try and enact the full scale of the cleansing he intended with the planned Gauntlet even if he performed smaller snaps in different parts of the universe. It is also noted that he has put the Stones through such strain already that he can't perform another Snap without risking destroying them, although he can still channel the powers of the individual stones.
    • On a more specific, practical note, the lack of the Mind Stone prevents Thanos reading his enemies' minds, with the result that he can't predict what foes such as Captain America plan to do, while Morgoth is able to use the Stone to cloud Thanos's ability to perceive the future with the Time Stone by disrupting his focus.
    • For the heroes, Thor entering the Odinsleep for a year deprives them of the advantages offered by the Bifrost, as Gandalf's own teleportation abilities are far more limited.
    • When the Avengers rescue Ant-Man from the Quantum Realm, Gandalf rules out the idea of using the Quantum Realm to attack Thanos via time travel as the Titan's command of the Time Stone would make him immune to such temporal interference.
    • As the campaign against the villains continues, it's noted that the Stones are essentially fragile after performing the original Snap, and further use of the Gauntlet could shatter them and prevent the heroes from reversing the Snap or defeating the villain. Thanos is able to channel their individual power for brief moments, but even he knows that he can't rely on the full power of the Gauntlet without acquiring the Mind Stone to complete the set, and the allies in turn acknowledge that none of them can use the Gauntlet more than once.
• Due to the Dead:
  • Avengers of the Ring: For the Battle of Helm's Deep, the Rohirrim and Galadhrim are buried outside its walls; and Eowyn and Legolas each sing a son of lament for their respective people. Theoden also requests one of the Galadhrim's banners to use with his own when he holds court away from Edoras.
  • Also Avengers of the Ring, after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the dead of Gondor, Rohirrm, and the latter's horses are all buried. Theoden's body is kept for return to Edoras, and his horse Snowmane is given its own grave (fitting for the horse the king rode). Thor by contrast requests his horse be buried with all of the other horses; and places his ruined helmet on his body, so that a part of Thor will always be with him.
  • Repeated with those who died at the Battle of the Morannon, with a bronze plaque commemorating them and warning none to disturb their rest. "You will suffer the same fate as the Host of Mordor on Plennor Fields. You will understand the Men of the Mountain's battle-cry before meeting your end-'The dead do suffer the living to pass'".
  • Return of the Avengers: As the Avengers went home before the funeral of Theoden, here they make a point to visit his grave and pay their respects.
  • When Wanda witnesses Pietro's memorial statue in The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, she reflects that she prefers the dwarves' simple toast to his memory when she first told them her story in Bag End, as the dwarves' actions showed sorrow for a precious life cut short whereas the statue just turns Pietro into an idol.
  • In Methteilien, those killed before Snap are given due deference, as the dead of Middle-Earth are buried in Wakanda and Boromir and Sif's bodies are preserved until they can be taken back to Minas Tirith, while Loki is given a traditional Asgardian funeral to affirm that he has been forgiven for his past sins. Later in the fic, Rogers, Gandalf and Galadriel retrieve Gamora's body from Vormir so that she can receive a better burial than just being left on the planet, with Rocket speaking a brief eulogy as the only remaining member of the original Guardians while Banner, Rhodes, Pippin and Galadriel attend the funeral.
  • The end of Methteilien has Captain America's funeral, where his casket is buried at Arlington Cemetary. Boromir, Sif, Vision and Gamora's graves are also shown/mentioned being visited by their loved ones that didn't have a chance to until then.
• Enemy Mine: Discussed in Methteilien when Legolas asks Rogers what they will do if they find themselves in a position where the only way to stop Morgoth destroying the universe is to join forces with Thanos, and Rogers must concede that there is a part of him that would be willing to do whatever it takes to stop Morgoth.
• Exact Words:
  • When Steve first hears the prophecy that no man can kill the Witch-King, he shows some Genre Savvy when he wonders if that prophecy can be interpreted to mean that the Witch-King could be killed by an Asgardian or a Hulk (even if Eowyn still assists Thor in killing the Witch-King).
  • In Return of the Avengers, Heimdall tells ‘Odin’ the truth that he cannot see Sif in any of the nine realms, as she is in the secret realm of Middle-Earth.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Evoked in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, as Ultron still wants Wanda to join him as he sees her as the closest thing he has to a family on some warped level, even as Gandalf argues that Wanda has already rejected his plans once
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • Saruman believed that he could bribe Bruce Banner to share the secret of how to create more Hulks, incapable of comprehending the idea that not all men would be willing to turn on each other for their own profit.
    • Depending on whether he should be considered 'evil' or just self-centered, the Master of Lake-Town demonstrates a similar psychology when he offers to pay Wanda if she will save him from Smaug, but Wanda chooses to prioritize saving the people of Lake-Town as a whole.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Ultron fails to really understand why Wanda rejected him for trying to destroy Earth.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Gimli and Eitri speculate that Thanos banished Gimli to Eitri's forge to make the two dwarves dwell on their own status as the last of their kinds, but this backfires as they instead choose to consider each other kin and vow to band together to defeat Thanos.
  • In Methteilien, Thanos claims that he is ‘superior’ to Faramir because he is willing to accept sacrifices for a greater cause, ignoring the difference between moving past a tragic accident and accepting the deaths of a loved one as the result of a deliberate act. This trope is also a good description of the reason for Zola's failure to rally support for Morgoth on Earth with his public broadcast; he apparently believed that past experience of Morgoth’s power during his previous attack on Earth would encourage people to swear loyalty to his new master when he passed on a message claiming that Morgoth would help any who served him, rather than humanity using that past attack as proof Morgoth could never be trusted where the Avengers have proven themselves true heroes.
• Evil Counterpart: Aside from the canon example of Saruman versus Gandalf, this is deliberately invoked by Sauron, as he confronts Captain America, Thor and the Hulk ‘wearing’ a suit of mystic armour he deliberately designed based on what he has seen of the Iron Man armour by glimpsing through realities to observe the Avengers’ original world.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: Considered in Dagor Arnediad and Methteilien, faced with the threat of Thanos's plans to erase half the universe and Morgoth's ambitions to destroy it all.
• Eye Scream: In Methteilien, Legolas manages to shoot a sniper right in the man's closed eye before his enemy can fire at the elf.
• Famed In-Story: In Methteilien, after the Snap has been undone, Scott notes that his colleagues in X-CON are eager to meet Bilbo, noting that spending time in a spaceship and stealing treasure from a dragon makes Bilbo basically the coolest thief ever.
• Family of Choice: Steve and Boromir quickly develop respect for each other as military captains, but over the course of Avengers of The Ring, they grow to see each other as brothers. In later works, Steve is always at least a little delighted to return to Middle-Earth, because he gets a chance to see Boromir, Faramir, Eowyn, and the latter two's children. He considers them family, and the feeling definitely reciprocated.
• Fate Worse than Death:
  • Sauron almost subjects Thor and the Hulk to these, having prepared a Morgul blade powerful enough to even infect Thor and devising a spell that will trap the Hulk in a force field that will draw on the Hulk's own strength to keep him trapped, although his forces never have the chance to use either.
  • In Methteilien, Morgoth intends to keep Wanda trapped by his throne during his campaign, and punishes her brief defiance by forcing her to telepathically watch the Vision's death for the next few hours. He later states that once he has destroyed her allies, he intends to trap her in a pocket dimension to relive her most painful thoughts and memories for all eternity.
• The Final Temptation: The Ring not only tempts Galadriel as in canon (albeit off-screen), but tries to tempt Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers and Wanda Maximoff with the idea that they could use it against their enemies, but the Avengers always refuse to take it.
• Fire-Forged Friends: The Fellowship, of course, but the first three Avengers that get sent to Middle-Earth quickly develop strong bonds with them as well. And the rest quickly follow in the stories that follow. Some friendships are particularly strong:
  • Steve with Aragorn and Boromir.
  • Thor with Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli.
  • Bruce (and Hulk) with the Hobbits.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: When Steve uses the Infinity Gauntlet, he has a vision of Peggy saying she will wait for him until the end of time. He realizes what she meant when the battle is over and he is brought before the Living Tribunal, and asked to become the new Evening Star until the end of time.
• For the Evulz: In Methteilien, Morgoth intends to 'enjoy' his first chance to talk with another sentient being for millennia just by emotionally torturing Wanda.
• Foreshadowing: After the Avengers first meet the Fellowship, Gandalf muses that he finds the reference to Asgard vaguely familiar but can't recall the context, which is explained in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves as the Valar erased all conscious memory of the Avengers' 'earlier' visit to Middle-Earth in order to preserve history.
• Foregone Conclusion: In Methteilien, Gandalf notes that things will inevitably come down to a fight between Morgoth and Thanos on equal terms as both try to claim the Infinity Stones, so it’s up to the heroes to ensure that it doesn’t end with the universe being destroyed in the crossfire or by either party defeating the other.
• Fountain of Youth: In Dagor Arnediad, Doctor Strange uses the Time Stone to regress Bilbo back to the age he was at during the Hobbit films, simultaneously restoring his sanity from his prior senility.
• Frying Pan of Doom: When Sam starts using his pan and other cooking utensils as weapons in Moria, Thor observes that Sam has invented a new martial art.
• Go Out with a Smile: When Radagast is informed that his task in Middle-Earth is completed, he is clearly happy to be allowed to return to the Undying Lands.
• God Save Us from the Queen!: At the conclusion of the War of the Ring, Galadriel destroys Dol Guldur with only Thor as back-up.
• Great Offscreen War: While the scale of the conflict between the dwarves of Erebor and the forces of Sauron is not fully depicted, it briefly features at the conclusion of the storyline when Gimli and the Hulk travel to Erebor to help destroy the last of Sauron's forces.
• Gunboat Diplomacy: In Methteilien, when the Avengers are assured that the Sokovia Accords have been dissolved, Black Widow expresses concern that this could just be a trick to trap the Avengers, but they are soon reminded that the return of the Hulk gives the Avengers a suitably big stick to deter such plans.
• Gut Punch:
  • While there are probably many across the stories like the film it is based on, Dagor Arnediad contains many, particularly in Chapter 17 where the Snap is enacted. But even before the Snap the seemingly permanent deaths of Thranduil, Dwalin, Boromir, Sif, Loki and Vision are just as heart wrenching as the Snapped victims..
• Has a Type: The sons of Denethor. Faramir falls for and marries Eowyn, a shieldmaiden of Rohan. Boromir falls for and marries Sif, a shieldmaiden of Asgard.
• Heel–Face Turn: Thanos's newest daughter, Ela Reaper a.k.a. Elanor Gamgee, switches sides once her real father Sam shows her who was really responsible for the Snap that killed her family. Not only does she land a critical blow on Thanos that leads to his death, she later joins the Avengers to make amends as Sentry.
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • In Methteilien, Faramir is willing to commit one to stop the ‘Winter Wights’ and destroy the runestone on Earth, but ultimately survives the attack even if the Hulkbuster armor he was using is rendered too badly damaged to be useful in the upcoming battle with Morgoth and Thanos.
  • Steve uses the Infinity Gauntlet to bring everyone killed in the Snap back, even though he gives his life in the process.
• Hidden Depths: The best description of Stark's use of mithril in upgrading his armour, as he has discovered it has interesting properties in terms of upgrading his support systems as well as just making it stronger.
• Hoist by His Own Petard:
  • In Avengers of the Ring, Saruman's forces bring napalm to Helm's Deep. Thor detonates it in the catapults, destroying them and killing many Uruk-hai, including the commander.
  • A brief example occurs in Return, when Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye and Pippin infiltrate an enemy stronghold using cloaking devices taken from their defeated foes, but the devices are destroyed during the raid.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Gandalf and Wanda manage to turn Ultron’s augmented bat forces against his other minions by using their heightened senses against them, Gandalf triggering a small sonic burst that is so loud the bats are distracted long enough for Wanda to plant her own commands in their minds.
• Holy Water: In Methteilien, when Gandalf and Danvers confront Morgoth in his armoury, Gandalf is able to temporarily bless the lava in the room to use as a weapon against Morgoth.
• Honorary True Companion: In Methteilien, Gandalf is treated as an honorary member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Justified by her young age; Methteilien reveals that Thanos has made Eleanor Gamgee his new 'daughter', convincing her that he acts against Morgoth without telling her that he was responsible for the Snap.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: The Blue Wizards delight when their fight against Wanda, Gandalf and Strange is taken to the Mirror Dimension, as they are empowered by it. However, in this dimension, Gandalf no longer needs to hold back, and overwhelms his opponents with his true power as a Maiar.
• I Am Not Weasel: In Methteilien, Groot is mistaken for an Entling when he first visits Middle-Earth, although he speculates that the Ents and his own species may be distant "relatives".
• I Choose to Stay: At the end of Return of the Avengers, Sif decides to stay in Middle-Earth to be with Boromir rather than go back to Asgard.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Invoked and rejected by Rogers in Methteilien when he witnesses Gamora's body, leaving him resolved that they will never approach Thanos for help against Morgoth after seeing what the Mad Titan did to his own daughter in the name of his agenda.
• I Gave My Word: The Avengers take note that the people of Middle-Earth take very seriously any oaths they have sworn to upheld, which is very much in-line with the canon belief that oathbreaking is the wrost offense anyone can do in the name of Illúvatar.
• Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: When Wanda arrives in Middle-Earth, she is completely unaware of the other Avengers’ history in the future of this world, and therefore has no idea of the potential implications of her presence at this time.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice:
  • In Return of the Avengers, after Sam stops Malekith from telekinetically crushing Stark in his own armour by stabbing him in the back, Stark magnetizes the armour to draw in all weapons and armour lying around the battlefield so that it flies towards Iron Man and impales Malekith, including Haldir's sword going straight through Malekith's head.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Corvus Glaive is distracted by an illusion of Loki long enough for the real Loki to stab him in the back, followed by Arwen and Ayo delivering similar blows, while Midnight is stabbed by Nebula after Black Widow provides a distraction long enough for Nebula to get the upper hand in their bout.
  • In Methteilien, Groot helps start a fight by impaling two trolls in the head with his limbs.
• In Spite of a Nail: Despite the presence of the Avengers in both quests, most of the key events play out as in canon, including Bard killing Smaug and Gandalf leading Eomer's forces to aid Helm's Deep. In Avengers of the Ring, since Frodo and Sam have no Avenger accompanying them, their story happens exactly as in canon and isn't even shown.
• Inevitable Mutual Betrayal: Applies in Return of the Avengers as Malekith confirms that Thor was right that he and Saruman were always going to betray each other when he sacrifices the palantir containing Saruman to use it as a weapon against the Avengers.
• Internal Reveal: In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Gandalf only learns of Ultron’s presence in Middle-Earth when he attempts to rescue Thrain, but the reader has known about Ultron for a while.
• It Can Think: Invoked in Methteilien when Schmidt explains how the Soul Stone limits others' opportunities to claim it by demanding sacrifice.
• It May Help You on Your Quest: As with the canon Fellowship, Galadriel's gifts to the three Avengers also prove helpful; a razor so that Steve can shave, a helmet made of mithril for Thor, and a braise for Bruce that will adjust its size so that the Hulk won't destroy all his clothes whenever he transforms.
• It's All About Me: In Methteilien, Thanos continues to consider himself the "hero" when he contacts Earth and identifies himself as the only hope for salvation for the universe.
• It's All My Fault: In Methteilien, Stark and Gandalf briefly blame themselves for Thanos learning about Loki's continued survival, but Thor reminds them to focus on the task at hand as only evil considers itself to be perfect and they must just accept that they made mistakes. Later, Sam Gamgee blames himself for how his daughter has been corrupted to become the Reaper, but all his allies affirm that Thanos alone is responsible for what has happened to Eleanor.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In Methteilien, characters all observe that while Rocket might appear self-serving, he is capable of dedicating himself to a higher calling when appropriate.
• Jerkass Realization:
  • In Dagor Arnediad, during a mental talk with the Hulk, Banner is shaken to realise that his dynamic with the Hulk basically reflects his history with his father, with Brian Banner never seeing Bruce as anything but a threat.
  • Faramir realizes what his desire for revenge is driving him to once Thanos mocks him to his face that his rage has made him selfish. In a talk with Clint where they both try to unburden themselves of the loss of their families, he compares himself to his father Denethor succumbing to despair when he could not obtain the One Ring.
• Karmic Death:
  • In Return of the Avengers, Malekith kills Haldir in the final battle. When Tony activates the magnetism in his suit, he makes a deliberate point to ensure the death blow comes from Haldir's sword piercing Malekith's head.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Alfrid gets an even more Undignified Death than in canon; rather than inadvertently killing a troll when he fell onto a catapult, here he's killed by a blast from Ultron, who muses that he has no idea why Alfrid was wearing a dress and offering him gold.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, General Ross is killed during Morgoth's attack on Washington, which the author affirms is intended to be a reflection of the MCU's theme that the desire for control is not only destructive, but can blind others to the greater danger.
• Kirk Summation: In Dagor Arnediad, Aragorn informs the Black Order that they will lose because they all serve Thanos out of fear, and Aragorn has faith that any tyrants who rule in such a manner will fall before a united front of those who oppose tyranny because they believe in their own cause.
• Kleptomaniac Hero: Rocket demonstrates this in Dagor Arnediad, expressing an interest in Bucky’s arm and Aragorn’s sword, and hints that he would be willing to rob Erebor to get the necessary resources to buy Anduril.
• Klingon Promotion: A heroic variant. After killing the Mustarman Brothers/ the corrupted Blue Wizards, Wanda Maximoff replaces them as president of Sokovia.
• Last of His Kind:
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Gimli and Eitri speculate that they may be this for each other's breed of dwarf, but vow to consider each other kin in their quest to defeat Thanos. It is later confirmed that at least some of the dwarves of Erebor have survived, and during Methteilien many of them move to join Eitri in his forge, Eitri expressing gratitude for their help and approving of their skills.
  • In the same storyline, Ori is the last member of the Company of Thorin Oakenshield available to fight, as he takes up Orcrist to join the Guardians of the Galaxy after Thanos kills Dori and Gloin; Bombur is naturally not in a fit shape to fight and Dwalin, Bifur and Bofur were away when Thanos attacked.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Gordath and his Nameless hammer the defenses of Bree and their Asgardian and Avenger defenders, until Old Tom Bombadil steps up and sings the monster to death.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!:
  • In Dagor Arnediad, the heroes have to divide their resources between Sokovia and Wakanda to defend the Reality and Mind Stones from Thanos's forces.
  • In Methteilien, the Avengers and their allies have to split up to complete three significant tasks- rescue Wanda, confront Thanos and defend Earth- because they can't afford to leave any one task for later when they'll be at full strength.
• Like a Son to Me: Gandalf finds himself comparing his bond with Thor to the regard a father would have for a son, to the point that he actually calls Thor 'son' during the final battle outside the Black Gate, with Thor making it clear that he reciprocates this regard.
  • Is also a nice callback to the fact that Gandalf is partially based off of mythological Odin the father of Thor.
• Magic Pants: Galadriel's gift to Banner is a magic braise (silk boxer shorts) that will retain its size even when he transforms.
• Magic Mirror: After the one-year jump in Methteilien, Galadriel has created a new version of her mirror on Earth, which allows her to make contact with Scott Lang in the Quantum Realm.
• Magnetic Hero: Gandalf doesn't just possess powerful magic, but also a knack for making himself likable to others through his natural humility and charisma. Aside from the first three Avengers (Thor in particular views him as a second father figure), Wanda quickly develops a liking for the old guardian as well, and Maria Hill and even Fury quickly warm up to him. Fury goes so far as to consider asking him to become an Avenger. Even Nebula, who's severely traumatised courtesy of Thanos and paranoid at the best of times, soon shows a rather protective affection for the White Wizard.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: In Methteilien, Tony drinks a serum made from the White Tree that has been grown in the former Garden of the Heart-Shaped Herb, which leads to him briefly talking with Howard Stark in a 'vision' that could be genuine or just a standard hallucination.
• Medieval Stasis: Defied in Dagor Arnediad, which confirms that the dwarves have begun to develop internal combustion engines based on Tony's advice during his time in Middle-Earth, although they have focused on using these designs for construction rather than military purposes.
• Mêlée à Trois: Methteilien concludes with the Allies, the forces of Thanos and the forces of Morgoth all basically fighting each other at once.
• Metaphorically True: In Methteilien, Thanos presents himself to Elanor Gamgee as wanting to stop Morgoth from claiming the Infinity Gauntlet as Morgoth would use it to destroy everything, simply not telling Elanor of his own plans to use the completed Gauntlet to eliminate half of everything.
• Monumental Damage: In Dagor Arnediad, Morgoth and his draconic flagship Ancalagon attack Washington D.C., destroying the White House, the Capitol Building and much more besides.
• Mook Carryover: In Methteilien, Arnim Zola is discovered by Morgoth, choosing to become his servant.
• Mundane Utility: Comparatively; in Methteilien, the Avengers speculate that they can use the Quantum Realm to teleport past the barriers erected by Morgoth and Thanos, as time travel isn’t an option given Thanos’s control of the Time Stone.
• My God, What Have I Done?: In Methteilien, both Clint and Faramir are briefly ashamed when they stop to reflect on their brutality of the past year, but they are able to remind each other that they have been subject to great loss and what matters is that they be better from here on.
• Mythology Gag: During Return of the Avengers, there is an instant where Tony has to fly Legolas somewhere, and Tony does indeed tell the elf prince to clench up before take-off.
• Named by the Adaptation: In The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, Gandalf reveals that the Ancient One’s name was Joanna (the author states that this name was chosen in homage to Joan Lee, the then-recently-deceased wife of Stan Lee).
  • Later in the story, Barry Aird's character, only credited in Avengers: Age of Ultron as "Sokovian Police Captain", is given the name "Captain Goranic".
• Never My Fault:
  • Saruman is incapable of acknowledging that his own attitude put Wanda off the idea of accompanying him to Orthanc to talk more about the Infinity Stones, instead just criticizing Gandalf for bringing a mortal to such a gathering.
  • Invoked in Methtelien- along with It's All My Fault- when the Valar muse that a paradox of the mortal world is that evil beings refuse to accept responsibility for their own sins while the good feel the guilt of even their minor mistakes.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: A minor example; in Methteilien, Wanda's time as Morgoth's prisoner has given her more opportunities to explore her powers, which leads to her being a more devastating opponent in battle. On a more specific note, in the final confrontation Morgoth attempts to taunt Wanda with the idea that everyone will fear her if she kills him with her full power, but Wanda's time as his prisoner helps her reject his attempt to put her off-balance by quoting Vision and she steps aside to let Aragorn deliver the "killing" blow to Morgoth.
• No MacGuffin, No Winner: In Methteilien, Aragorn has Shuri work on means of destroying the Stones, as he has concluded that they are too dangerous to remain intact in case someone tries to repeat Thanos's actions.
• No-Sell: In Methteilien, Gimli is shot while assisting Rogers, Rhodes and Legolas in a hostage situation, but his new vibranium armour makes such an attack pointless.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • A more positive example of this, as Thor notes that he and Aragorn each believe that they are not ready to become kings, with the difference being that Aragorn does not have enough pride in himself where Thor originally had too much.
  • A disturbing example of this that causes a Jerkass Realization occurs in Dagor Arnediad, when the Hulk’s reactions to him prompt Banner to realise that he is treating the Hulk like his father treated him, focusing on the ‘evidence’ that the Hulk is a threat rather than working to reconcile with his other side.
  • Thanos makes another parallel in Dagor Arnedied, initially comparing himself to Iron Man, but also comparing Frodo's struggle with the Ring to his when confronting him on Mount Bashenga. Frodo obviously isn't happy and denies the comparison.
• Not Quite Dead:
  • Return of the Avengers reveals Malekith survived his death in Thor: The Dark World but took time to heal from his wounds, and ultimately serves as the main villain of the story alongside Saruman, who also managed to return despite his death in Avengers of the Ring after his spirit transferred into the Palantir. Both are later Killed Off for Real, the former thanks to the efforts of Iron Man and Sam while Hulk smashes the Palantir containing Saruman to pieces with the remainder of his spirit dispersing into nothing. A more positive version of this comes up in Avengers of the Ring when Thor survives a deadly attack from the Witch King which baffles and angers his enemy, with the Witch-King being finally defeated by Thor, Eowyn and Merry.
  • In addition Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves reveals that Ultron survived his apparent death in Avengers Ageof Ultron when his last drone body escaped to Middle-Earth, but he is ultimately Killed Off for Real by Wanda.
  • Morgoth retrieves a fragment of Arnim Zola's programmed consciousness and uses him as one of his minions against humanity, until it is wiped out by an EMP.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Methteilien features a minor but significant moment; witnessing the Quantum Realm in full is the first time Galadriel has been truly surprised at anything for centuries.
• One-Steve Limit: Defied in Dagor Arnediad; with Spider-Man and Star-Lord both participating in the battle in Sokovia, at one point Quill calls Parker with the introduction “Hey Peter, it’s the other one”, acknowledging how they are the only two heroes to share a first name.
• One-Woman Army: Downplayed for Wanda as she doesn't have fine enough control of her powers to really let rip without risking hurting her allies, but when she gets the chance, she manages to hold her own against Smaug single-handedly.
• Opponent Switch: Comes up in the final battle of Return of the Avengers; despite Thor’s personal history with Malekith, he recognises that letting the iron-wearing Tony Stark battle the Dark Elf with the weakness to iron is the better choice, while he is better-suited to battling the Balrog Malekith has unleashed.
• Orcus on His Throne: Subverted as Sauron confronts the three Avengers directly during the final battle outside the Black Gate.
• Orifice Invasion: In Methteilien, Rhodes destroys a Leviathan by repeating Tony's 'trick' of flying inside its mouth and blasting it from the inside.
• Original Character: Kasun is introduced in The Witch, The Wizard and the Sorcerer as a member of the Sokovian Armed Forces.
• Outliving One's Offspring: In Methteilin, Queen Ramonda and Bilbo are both devastated to learn that T'Challa and Frodo were killed by the Snap. Faramir's children are also Snap casualties along with Eowyn, and he really doesn't take their loss well.
• Outside-Genre Foe: Malekith arguably fits in fairly well with Middle-Earth in Return of the Avengers if he hadn’t brought his advanced weaponry, but the dwarves, elves, men and Gandalf would have been completely unprepared to deal with Ultron if Wanda and the Vision hadn’t been there to help in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves.
• Parental Substitute: Gandalf becomes a fatherly figure to Thor and Wanda when the Avengers initially arrive in Middle-Earth, and it is acknowledged that Wanda has a similar bond to Clint Barton in the main Avengers.
• Parents Know Their Children: In Methteilien, Sam observes that the Reaper looks like what he imagined his daughter would like when she grows up before the heroes learn the Reaper's true identity.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure:
  • After hearing Saruman’s rant about the crowns of the kingdoms and rods of the five wizards, Bruce muses to himself that he’d make a Dungeons & Dragons analogy but Steve’s the only other person present from Earth and he’s sure the man wouldn’t get it.
  • Iron Man refers to one of the leaders of a group of travelers as ‘Ali Baba’, but decides not to bother clearing up the related confusion.
  • After watching some cartoons that were downloaded onto portable computers, Treebard assumes that Bugs Bunny is real and mentions that he would be welcome to hide from the hunters in Treebeard's woods.
• Posthumous Character: Pietro is basically this in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, with the Company toasting Pietro's memory after Wanda tells them of his sacrifice and Tauriel citing his heroism based on Wanda's tales of the other Avengers when discussing how the elves have become too afraid to take action.
• Power Limiter: In Methteilien, it turns out that Thor's artificial eye unwittingly served as this, restricting Thor's ability to access the full wisdom of the Odinforce until he removed it.
• The Power of Hate: Morgoth utilizes this sort of Black Magic, channeling humanity's hatred into the Ultimate Negator, a deterrent to prevent Thanos from using the Infinity Stones. To aid this, he also starts up cults and conspiracies amongst humanity to foment this hatred.
• Powered by a Forsaken Child: In Methteilien, Wanda is forced to act as a power booster for Morgoth's own control of the Mind Stone, unwillingly helping him shield the planet he is using as a base of operations.
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Thor mocks Sauron (who is also mimicking Iron Man's armor) with a borrowed from Stark before he hits him with a blast.
  Thor: Doth mother know her bucket covers thy head?
• Private Detective: By the time of Return of the Avengers, Merry and Pippin have become Middle-Earth's first private investigators, inspired by Bruce complimenting their observational skills during their time in Fangorn.
• Put on the Bus: After Return of the Avengers, Sif stays in Middle-Earth rather than returning to Asgard, and experiences dreams of Ragnarok.
• Rebuilt Pedestal: By the time of the final battle in Methteilien, the Avengers have overcome any remaining issues from the Sokovia Accords, Stark affirming that the Avengers follow Rogers because he's always right.
• Red Is Heroic: When Wanda becomes 'Wanda the Scarlet' to many of those she meets in Middle-Earth, it's hard to deny that this Trope is in effect.
• Red Herring:
  • In Return of the Avengers, when Thor, Tony, Gimli and Legolas find reference to a prisoner in Barad-ur known as "Naurhir", which Legolas translates as "Fire-Lord", Tony wonders if it could be an alias for Aldrich Killian, but Naurhir is soon revealed to be a dragon.
  • Later in the fic, various clues lead the Free Peoples to speculate that the villains are using a Silmaril as the power source for their weapons, but the power source turns out to be a trapped Balrog.
• Redemption Earns Life: Due to the Avenger's aid, Boromir survives the Battle of Amon Hen. Aragon assures him he has made up for trying to take the ring.
• Redemption Equals Death: In Return of the Avengers, after spending the last few years in exile in Saruman's tower doing research, Grima is killed when Malekith's forces torture him, but he avoids giving them anything useful, and in acknowledgement of his actions, Eomer assures Grima as he dies that he can consider himself a man of Rohan once again.
• Related in the Adaptation: Distantly, anyway; Jim Paxton's grandfather was liberated from Krieschberg by Captain America.
• Religion of Evil: Suggested in Methteilien when it is mentioned that there is now a religion dedicated to Morgoth on Earth.
• Reset Button: In Methteilien, Morgoth uses the Mind Stone to undo the mind-wipe of Wanda's visit to Middle-Earth during the Quest for the Lonely Mountain.
• Retired Badass: After Methteilien, Tony affirms that he is now retired as Iron Man, but he will continue to fund the Avengers and keep himself available if the other Avengers need him in the field in future.
• Retired Badass Roundup: A good description of the situation in Dagor Arnediad, when the residents of the Undying Lands, such as Elrond, Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf, return to the fold to assist in the campaign against Thanos.
• Riddle for the Ages: A few.
  • In Avengers of the Ring. Banner asks how Isildur was able to curse the people of the mountain. Legolas admits that no one knows how he did it, only that he did.
  • In Methteilien, even Galadriel doesn't know how Goose knew that Carol Danvers had returned to Earth in time to join her at the Avengers facility.
• Rightful King Returns: Chapter 20 of Methteilien has various kings and leaders of Middle-Earth, like Aragorn and Eomer (and Thor once he finds that the New Asgardians had landed in Bree), who had been stranded on Earth following the Snap, rejoining their people.
• Rousing Speech:
  • As in canon, Aragorn delivers one before the Black Gates before the final stand.
  • In Return of the Avengers, Aragorn delivers another such speech that clearly inspires Steve's later words when rallying SHIELD against HYDRA.
  • In The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, Wanda delivers such a speech to explain the nature of their current threat to the citizens of Sokovia.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • As in the original tales, Galadriel, Elrond, Aragorn, Theoden, Eomer, Thranduil and Thorin demonstrate this trait, while Thor also proves himself as such even if he never really uses his title of 'Prince' beyond when introducing himself.
  • Could also apply to Wanda, although she becomes a political leader in Sokovia after The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer rather than a royal one.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, T'Challa joins this group when he and Aragorn act as joint leaders of their armies against Thanos's forces.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • Discussed in Methteilien when President Ellis declares that the Sokovia Accords are now revoked, as he considers it more important for the world to see the Avengers reunited as a symbol of hope.
  • While it was an unintended example, Word of God has noted a certain symbolism in the number of Avengers involved in key plots; Avengers of the Ring saw three Avengers visit Middle-Earth, Return of the Avengers had seven (the original six plus Sif) return to aid Gondor, and Methteilien sees a group of nine- Rogers, Stark, Thor, Natasha, Scott, Gandalf, Galadriel, Legolas and Aragorn- assemble in secret to make plans for dealing with Thanos.
  • As a more literal example, while preparing for the final battle, Legolas and Gimli allow Wanda to wear the White Gems that were once a gift from Erebor to Thranduril, reflecting how Wanda is an ally to both peoples.
• Secret Weapon: In Methteilien, it is suggested that the Avengers keep Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel's appearance on Earth a secret so that they can basically use her as this in future conflicts.
• Ship Sinking: Return sees Thor apologize to Sif that he can never see her as anything more intimate than a sister.
• Ship Tease:
  • Some residents of Rohan initially assume that a relationship is being encouraged between Steve Rogers and Eowyn, but it is soon revealed that Steve is just giving Eowyn lessons in hand-to-hand combat and sketching.
  • In Return of the Avengers, Sif forms a strong bond with Boromir that is implied to go further than friendship; Dagor Arnediad confirms that she and Boromir married after the other Avengers left.
  • In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Wanda becomes particularly close to Bard, but acknowledges that she must return to Earth even before she learns about the Avengers’ past/future history in Middle-Earth.
• Shout-Out:
  • In Return of the Avengers, as well as comparing the Mumakil to Dumbo, at one point Stark refers to one of the Mumakil as 'Stampy'.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Bilbo mentions that Wanda stated that the best film was Return to Oz (doubles as an Actor Allusion as that is Elizabeth Olsen's favorite movie.
  • In Methteilien, Steve compares Gandalf's efforts to find the Soul Stone's location on Voromir to the map room in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
    • Later, Scott Lang compares Radagast to Doctor Dolittle (Radagast noting that others have made that comparision) and proclaims "Thunderbirds are Go!" when launching probes into the quantum realm.
    • As the heroes prepare for their assault on the villains, Tony's description of Thanos's plans for Wanda as "World War Wanda" deliberately evokes another famous Marvel storyline for a different Avenger.
    • When James Rhodes is introduced to the people of Rohan and overhears a comment about "a black Iron Man", he quotes Blazing Saddles.
    • When facing Gordath, Tony compares the monster to "Little Shop of Horrors".
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • In Avengers of the Ring, Steve Rogers and Aragorn arrive in time to save Boromir from what would have been his death. He later dies fighting against Thanos in Dagor Arnediad.
    • Later, Grima's life is saved when Thor stops Legolas shooting him as Théoden had just offered him forgiveness, although he later dies in Return of the Avengers. In addition Haldir is also saved by Thor in Avengers of the Ring but later is killed in by Malekith Return of the Avengers.
  • Due to the differing circumstances behind the Scouring of the Shire, Lotho Sackville-Baggins is never killed by Grima Wormtongue as per the books.
  • In Dagor Arnediad, Gandalf is able to save Loki by teleporting him to safety before Thanos kills him, and it is confirmed that subconscious memories of Wanda led to Ori taking a new path that led to him not accompanying Balin and Oin to Moria.
    • Following the Snap, Loki and Ori are killed in the final confrontation, but Groot and Shuri are spared death.
  • Methteilien confirms that unlike in canon, Wanda is spared from the Snap; a later chapter also reveals that Arnim Zola has been hiding in the dark web since the destruction of his old databanks until he is discovered by Morgoth. Back on Middle-Earth, Beorn is revealed to still be alive rather than having died of old age before the War of the Ring, albeit still very old. In the final battle, Tony and Natasha both survive, Tony going into semi-retirement and Natasha becoming the new leader of the Avengers after Steve's "death".
• Soul Jar: In Return of the Avengers, the Palantirs essentially become this for Saruman; at the moment of his death, he transferred his essence into the Palantir in his hand, allowing him to essentially ‘hide’ in the network created by them even after his palantir is destroyed, until he is awoken by Malekith.
• Stating the Simple Solution: In Methteilien, Thanos observes that he can't disrupt Morgoth's plan to collect power from Earth by destroying it as that would generate the very human sacrifice Morgoth gets empowered on.
• Summon Bigger Fish: A positive example of this in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves; during the Battle of Six Armies, on Gandalf's advice, Wanda waits to summon the Vision until she's certain Ultron has deployed all of his own resources, allowing the Vision to turn the tide of battle as Ultron didn't know his former creation was also in Middle-Earth.
• Take Up My Sword:
  • In Dagor Arnediad, as the last member of Thorin's company in Erebor in fighting shape, Ori takes up Orcist to join the Guardians of the Galaxy in hunting down Thanos, believing that him seeing Orcrist at that moment was a sign from Thorin as to what he should do next.
  • In Methteilien, as preparation for the next assault, Rhodey begins training Faramir in the use of Mark 49 'Hulkbuster' armor. Later, several people afterward acknowledge him as Gondor's next Steward.
  • Thor is able to retrieve a legendary Elven weapon (Ringil, Fingolfin's sword) from the bottom of the sea to pass on to Legolas.
• Taking Up the Mantle: After Steve gives his life to use the Infinity Gauntlet and help stop Morgoth, the Living Tribunal asks him if he will replace Earendil as captain of the Viniglot, flying across the night sky as the Evening Star, watching over the Void. Steve doesn't hesitate to agree.
• Taught by Experience: In Methteilien, a Chitauri force start their attack on Earth by sending the control ship first, preventing the Avengers from destroying the ship with a nuke like they did in the Battle of New York.
• There Is No Kill Like Overkill: In Methteilien, the allies realize that Morgoth’s final intention it to end existence by triggering the Big Rip, when dark energy becomes stronger than the forces holding it together and everything is ripped apart at the sub-atomic level.
• The Stars Are Going Out: Dagor Arnediad begins with the folks in Middle-Earth being alarmed that the Star of Earendil has disappeared from the night sky, on account of Thanos attacking the Vingolit, killing its captain, stealing the silmaril, and freeing Morgoth.
• This Cannot Be!: Morgoth exclaims "Impossible" after the Hulk absorbs the remaining power of the Ultimate Negator and returns it in one massive thunderclap.
• Time Skip: Events in Methteilien jump forward a year after the first major attempted offensive against Thanos and Morgoth.
• Token Girl: Wanda is essentially this for the Company of Thorin Oakenshield in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, although Tauriel helps to offset this later on.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • Thought Iron Man couldn't get any stronger? In Return of the Avengers and Dagor Arnediad, Tony forges a new armor enhanced with mithril.
  • In Methteilien, Faramir begins training in the use of the Hulkbuster armour so that he can join the Avengers in the hunt for Thanos and Morgoth. Later, Wanda ascends to the level of Scarlet Witch after Bilbo, Galadriel and Radagast manage to release her from Morgoth.
  • Later, Banner/Hulk realizes that, after absorbing extra energy on Sakaar, he is now capable of releasing energy blasts once he has reached a certain critical mass of power.
  • After the Time Skip, Gimli and Legolas are shown wearing vibranium armour while assisting the Avengers, while Thanos has used the Gauntlet to turn Eleanor Gamgee into his newest soldier.
  • As for the Guardians, while the Benetar does not have new weapons, it is provided with Wakandan cloaking technology, and following the skip Bilbo has also gained a degree of experience in hacking computers, piloting spaceships, and using an aero-rig and laser blaster.
• Trapped in Another World: Methteilien confirms that Scott Lang was trapped in the Quantum Realm when Thanos triggered the Snap, just as he was in canon, until Galadriel witnesses him while using her new Mirror and is able to lead a team of Avengers to release him.
• Tricked Out Time:
  • At the conclusion of Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, after the conclusion of the Battle of Five Armies, the Vision has erased Sauron’s memory of Wanda and Ultron, and later is able to appeal to the Valar to erase all recollection of himself, Wanda and Ultron from the minds of those who have met them in Middle-Earth, ensuring that the War of the Ring will unfold as it should without anyone getting advance notice/warning of what Captain America, Thor and the Hulk are capable of, creating the impression that none of the three were ever present.
    • Could also be a case of Stable Time Loop, as Ori was alive in the time of the War of the Ring even before Wanda went back in time and Gandalf expressed a vague recollection of having heard of Asgard before Thor told him of it.
• Truer to the Text:
  • Attributes from the comics, such as Thor's ability to manipulate gravity, Malekith's vulnerability to Cold Iron and his hounds from The Wild Hunt, and Steve's ability to survive jumping great heights In a Single Bound, are kept in here.
  • Also applies to the Tolkien books. Boromir brings up the Oath of Eorl when trying to convince Theoden to help Gondor (though it doesn't work), Gandalf doesn't get his staff broken by the Witch-King, and Bolg dies at the hands of bear-form Beorn instead of Legolas, albeit after the Elf has fought him to a standstill.
• Tyke Bomb: After the one-year jump in Methteilien, it is revealed that Thanos has used the Gauntlet to turn Eleanor Gamgee into his newest soldier, Ela Reaper, which includes physically aging her even if she retains her memories.
• Underestimating Badassery:
  • In Return of the Avengers:
    • Lotho Sackville-Baggins tells Natasha that they should have sent the Hulk to try and interrogate him rather than 'some quim'; Natasha counters that he'll wish Aragorn had sent the Hulk once she's done with him, and Lotho apparently spent the better part of an hour sobbing before he clearly told her anything.
    • Later, Saruman attempts to possess the Hulk as his new body, but is swiftly expelled with the Hulk when the Avenger only had minor aid from Galadriel.
  • In Methteilien, Thanos and Morgoth each attempt to lure the Avengers into a trap to cripple the team while they're divided, but Thanos only succeeds in killing a few minor soldiers rather than any of the Avengers or their key allies, and Morgoth's attempt to kill Thor and Danvers (the two most powerful Avengers) just forces Thor into the Odinsleep.
• Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Suggested in Methteilien when a group of characters meet to make plans to take control of the Gauntlet from Thanos; while the plan involves Lang planting something on the Soul Stone, the chapter doesn't directly discuss how they intend to plant Lang on the Gauntlet in the first place. Later Thor makes a plan with Ulmo of the Vala without the details being revealed to the reader at first. After Wanda is rescued, she "overhears" the plan among the original group, but agrees that they should keep it secret.
• Villain Decay: Once Ultron appears in Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Azog the Defiler becomes less threatening and competent compared to him.
• Villain Respect: In Methteilien, just as he did in the original films, Thanos expresses his respect for Stark, and even suggests he will leave Tony alive when he initiates the full Snap so that Tony can help Earth rebuild.
• Villain with Good Publicity: In Methteilien, Morgoth attempts to become this by using Zola to tell the world that he can defeat Thanos where the Avengers failed and will reward those on Earth loyal to him, naturally omitting the truth about Morgoth’s final agenda. Fortunately, not enough people believe the broadcast to make it worthwhile.
• Villainous Breakdown: In Scarlet Witch and the Thirteen Dwarves, Wanda drives Ultron to one when she compares him to Iron Man and then shows him a vision of his greatest fear; the other Avengers standing over Ultron's grave with no idea who he was and dismissing the very concept of him as a foolish mistake.
• War Is Hell: Even with the presence of the Avengers, most battles across the stories are gruesome and hard earned, and the heroes are constantly pained at all the deaths that happen on the battlefield.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: In The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, the Blue Wizards at least believe that their plan will allow Dormammu to take only the truly corrupt souls from Earth and leave the purer souls for the Blues to rebuild into a new society.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy:
  • Avengers of the Ring naturally gives us Faramir to Denethor. Unlike canon, Denethor assures Faramir he loves him and is proud of him.
  • In Methteilien, Gimli and Tony Stark briefly bond over how they both wanted to make their fathers proud, which prompts Tony to help the others oppose Morgoth and Thanos because he wants Morgan to be proud of him once she’s old enough.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Radagast's fate by the time of the War of the Ring was unrevealed in the films; in The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer it is revealed that Radagast was basically collateral damage in a confrontation between Dormammu and the Ancient One when Dormammu tried to attack Middle-Earth, Radagast falling into a dimensional rift.
• Worf Had the Flu: Mainly for Thor and Bruce Banner/the Hulk in the earlier chapters of Avengers of the Ring, as the energy drain they have experienced is the only reason Thor and the Hulk didn’t just tear through their early opposition such as the troll and the Uruk-Hai army and cut a path to Mount Doom single-handedly.
• Worthy Opponent: In Methteilien, there are echoes of this in Steve and Schmidt's final meeting, as Schmidt acknowledges why Erskine chose Steve to receive the serum at last.
• You Shall Not Pass!: To be expected in any work of Tolkein:
  • Gandalf vs the Balrog, of course.
  • At the Battle of Helm's Deep, Steve and Thor hold the ramp to main gate for several hours.
• You Can't Go Home Again: In Methteilien, those who left Valinor are unable to return to Middle-Earth themselves, prompting them to volunteer for the mission to rescue Wanda from Morgoth instead.
• You Killed My Father: In literal cases, Ultron kills Thrain, and Thanos and Morgoth kills Earendil, Gloin, Thranduil and Elrond himself. Needless to say, Gimli, Legolas and Arwen will be out for their blood after the last three.
• You Remind Me of X: Invoked, as Beorn muses in his private thoughts that Wanda reminds him of his own lost daughter.
• You're Not My Father: In Methteilien, Ela/the Reaper rejects Sam when the two meet in Bag End due to having been brainwashed by Thanos.
• Zerg Rush: In The Witch, the Wizard and the Sorcerer, Wanda, Gandalf and Strange are attacked en masse by Sokovia's army of robotic drones.

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