One of the biggest additions to the extended edition of Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers film was a flashback to the moment before Boromir set out for Rivendell. Denethor learned about the upcoming Council of Elrond and wanted to send a representative to ensure that the One Ring was used for the benefit of Gondor. Faramir offered to travel to Rivendell, but Denethor had no faith in his younger son and dispatched Boromir instead. This led to the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, in which Boromir joined the Fellowship and accompanied Frodo on the early stages of his quest to destroy the One Ring.

Of all the Fellowship’s m embers, the One Ring tempted Boromir the most. This was first evident at the Pass of Caradhras, where Boromir picked up the One Ring after Frodo dropped it in the snow. But it truly came to a head at Amon Hen, where Boromir attacked Frodo in an attempt to claim the One Ring. This led to the breaking of the Fellowship; Frodo and Sam carried on the mission to Mordor alone, Uruk-hai captured Merry and Pippin, Lurtz killed Boromir, and the rest of the Fellowship chased down the Uruk-hai. This was a pivotal moment that drastically changed the trajectory of The Lord of the Rings, so how might the film’s events have differed if Faramir joined the Fellowship in his brother’s place?

Faramir Could Resist the One Ring’s Influence

Name
Boromir
Faramir

Title
High Warden of the White Tower
Captain of Gondor

Birthdate (Third Age)

Actor in Jackson’s Films
Sean Bean
David Wenham

At first, Faramir’s presence would not have had much of an impact on the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring. By his admission, Faramir was a worse soldier than Boromir, but he was still a capable fighter, as he proved at the Battle of Osgiliath in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. As a Ranger of Ithilien, he also possessed some skills that his brother lacked, including archery. He would have been able to hold his own against the Watcher in the Water as well as the Orcs and Cave-troll in the Mines of Moria. Gandalf would still have died fighting the Balrog, and the Fellowship would still have gone to Lothlórien. The major changes to the story would have begun at Amon Hen.

The One Ring seemed to sway Faramir less than it did Boromir. Faramir brought Frodo and Sam to Osgiliath to hand the One Ring over to Denethor, but this stemmed from his desire to please his father more so than the One Ring’s temptation, and he eventually chose to let Frodo go free. In J. R. R. Tolkien‘s The Lord of the Rings novel, Faramir showed an even greater resilience against the One Ring’s power. In the chapter “The Window On the West” from The Two Towers, he tells Frodo,

If [the One Ring] were a thing that gave advantage in battle, I can well believe that Boromir, the proud and fearless, often rash, ever anxious for the victory of Minas Tirith (and his own glory therein), might desire such a thing and be allured by it… But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs.

Granted, in both the novel and the film trilogy, Faramir had far less exposure to the One Ring than his brother. If he had accompanied Frodo for two months like Boromir instead of mere days, the One Ring might have worn him down.

Boromir’s Survival Could Have Doomed Minas Tirith

According to “The Window On the West,” Boromir chose to go to Rivendell since he was “the older and the hardier” brother, so it was not solely Denethor’s decision.
Faramir was not part of Tolkien’s original plans for The Lord of the Rings; the character came to him spontaneously while writing The Two Towers.
In a letter, Tolkien stated that Faramir was the character most similar to himself, though Tolkien did not think that he was as brave as Faramir.

Between his resistance to the One Ring and his more level-headed personality, Faramir probably would not have attacked Frodo at Amon Hen. The Fellowship would therefore have remained whole, at least for the time being, giving the heroes a major advantage during the ensuing battle. The main reason that the Uruk-hai were able to kill Boromir and capture the hobbits was that they were separated from the rest of the Fellowship, a direct result of Boromir’s confrontation with Frodo. With help from Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, Faramir could have survived the encounter that claimed his brother’s life, and the Fellowship would have continued to Gondor as originally planned.

On the surface, it seems Faramir’s presence at Amon Hen would have been beneficial. However, the Fellowship’s failures at the Battle of Amon Hen in The Lord of the Rings had consequences that were instrumental to Sauron’s eventual defeat. Merry and Pippin only met the Ents because they ran into Fangorn Forest after escaping their Uruk-hai captors. Likewise, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli only met Éomer because they crossed paths with him while chasing after the Uruk-hai. Without these chance occurrences, Saruman would have had free rein over Rohan, leaving Gondor without help from its neighboring kingdom in the Siege of Minas Tirith.

Boromir Could Have Staved Off the Forces of Sauron

Boromir’s name meant “Steadfast Jewel” or “Faithful Jewel.”
Tolkien did not provide a translation of Faramir’s name, but based on similar words in the Elvish languages, it likely meant “Hunting Jewel.”
Faramir shared his name with a Gondorian prince who lived over a thousand years earlier.

The Fellowship’s quest is not the only story that would have changed if Faramir attended the Council of Elrond. Boromir likely would have taken charge at the Battle of Osgiliath, and since he was a better soldier, he might have held the city longer. Further, Denethor’s mental state would have been improved during the Siege of Minas Tirith if Boromir was still alive, so he could have led his people more effectively. Instead of sending his son to certain doom in Osgiliath, telling his soldiers to abandon their posts, and burning himself alive, he could have organized a strategic defense of Gondor. Of course, holding out would not have done much good if there was no help coming from Rohan.

Some events in The Lord of the Rings were fated to happen, so perhaps Faramir’s inclusion in the Fellowship would not have changed anything. After Amon Hen, the One Ring’s influence might have caused one of Frodo’s other companions to attack him just as Boromir did. Alternatively, Frodo could have left the Fellowship even without such an incident simply to keep his friends out of harm’s way. The other members of the Fellowship could have randomly crossed paths with the Rohirrim and entered Fangorn for a different reason, facilitating Rohan’s victory against Saruman. This version of events could even have made Frodo’s quest easier, as without Gollum‘s capture by the Rangers of Ithilien and the incident at the Forbidden Pool, he might not have betrayed Frodo. In the novel version of The Lord of the Rings, Faramir and Boromir both received divine messages in their dreams that urged them to go to Rivendell, but Faramir’s dreams came first and more frequently. This implied that some higher power in Middle-earth wanted Faramir to join the Fellowship and intervened when Boromir did instead.