The Lord of the Rings franchise is predominantly set in Middle-earth, a fictionalized version of Earth itself, with some of J. R. R. Tolkien's vast collection of works hinting towards an apocalyptic event that would undoubtedly end the planet. Throughout the course of The Lord of the Rings franchise, be it on film, TV, or the original works, there have been many allusions to world-ending events, from Morgoth's plans to Sauron's. However, one specific event alluded to by Tolkien hints at a cataclysmic moment that is unavoidable and would have unquestionably ended Middle-earth no matter the intervention of heroes.
While there have been misgivings over whether the Middle-earth apocalypse is canon to Tolkien's works, there are still allusions toward it in various texts, and refer to the apocalypse as Dagor Dagorath. Unlike the War of the Jewels/the War of Wrath, the War of the Last Alliance, or the War of the Ring, which are staples of Tolkien's mythology in which Morgoth or Sauron threatened Middle-earth, Dagor Dagorath was often referred to as the Battle of all Battles, and a world-ending event. The nature of Dagor Dagorath means that, despite all the heroism on display in Tolkein's works, Middle-earth as most people know it is inevitably doomed. Here is everything about Dagor Dagorath known from Tolkien's works, and how it impacts the Lord of the Rings franchise.
LOTR's Dagor Dagorath Explained (& How It Ends Middle-earth)
Dagor Dagorath, or the Final Battle, is often alluded to as the end of Middle-earth. Dagor Dagorath states that Morgoth, the main antagonist of the War of the Jewels, will rise again and return through the Door of the Night. According to the prophecy, Morgoth will turn the sun black and stop the moon from shining any light, turning Middle-earth eternally dark. The prophecy states that this will be met by a host of Valar and elves from Valinor after which the Last Battle shall be fought.
After the battle, and the defeat of Morgoth by Túrin Turambar reincarnated from the First Age, Middle-earth shall be broken completely before being remade. The remaking apparently comes from the reacquisition of the Silmarils of Fire, Air, and Water. The Silmarils will then be broken, and their fire will rekindle the Two Trees of Valinor destroyed by Morgoth in the First Age. After the mountains of Valinor are leveled, the light of the Two Trees is said to then spread to all of Middle-earth, rebuilding it and allowing the Valar to grow young again and their power reborn.
Is The Dagor Dagorath Tolkien Canon? It's Complicated
The question of whether Dagor Dagorath is canon to Tolkien's works has a complicated answer. Initially, this prophecy was found at the end of The Silmarillion, with Dagor Dagorath being mentioned by Mandos, a prophecy seer. This was present in Tolkien's original The Silmarillion, written by J. R. R. Tolkien himself. However, the first published version of The Silmarillion released in 1977 does not feature the main age of writing mentioning Dagor Dagorath, as Christopher Tolkien, the son of J. R. R. Tolkien, cut it. The Silmarillion instead ends with something else, after the editorial decision by Christopher Tolkien to remove mentions of the prophecy.
However, despite the main age being cut, there are still allusions to Dagor Dagorath in the many published works of Tolkien. One of these allusions still comes in The Silmarillion's fourth entry, Akallabêth. In this entry, it is mentioned that:
"Ar-Pharazôn and his mortal warriors who had set foot in Aman were buried by falling hills, imprisoned in the Caves of the Forgotten until the "Last Battle and Day of Doom"
This is an obvious allusion to Dagor Dagorath, despite the main age outlining the major events of the Final Battle being cut from the original draft of The Silmarillion.
Does The Dagor Dagorath Make Frodo's Victory Pointless?
One main question that raises from Dagor Dagorath is whether it makes Frodo's destruction of the One Ring pointless. As told by Tolkien's most famous Middle-earth story, The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins destroys Sauron's One Ring in the events of the Third Age, seemingly defeating all evil of Middle-earth for good. However, if Dagor Dagorath is in fact canon, Frodo's victory can be argued as pointless due to the eventual reemergence of Morgoth. Despite this, Frodo's victory is made no less important. As Dagor Dagorath was only alluded to in the original Silmarillion, there were no hints from Tolkien of when this could have happened.
Frodo's victory saw the events of the Third Age coming to an end, ushering in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, or the Age of Men. As the events of the Second Age of Middle-earth were about 3000 years long, similar to the Third Age, it can be assumed that the same is true for the Fourth Age. This would mean that Dagor Dagorath does not come for millennia after Frodo's victory over Sauron, meaning the victory was certainly important to Middle-earth's history.
Middle-earth's Destruction Proves Morgoth Is LOTR's True Villain
However, another thing that Dagor Dagorath does change in of the wider Lord of the Rings universe is the revelation of Morgoth being the true antagonist of Middle-earth. Morgoth was the main villain during the First Age, after which Sauron rose up as the main antagonist of both the Second and Third Ages. However, if Dagor Dagorath is indeed canon, Morgoth will eventually rise as the main villain of the Lord of the Rings universe, bringing about the events of the Last Battle due to his return to Middle-earth.
Despite the majority of time in Middle-earth dedicated to fighting Sauron, such as the War of the Last Alliance and the War of the Ring, Morgoth has always been Middle-earth's greatest threat. In the First Age, Morgoth was responsible for the stealing of the Silmarils and the destruction of the Trees of Valinor. While Sauron was certainly a massive threat, he never quite achieved the feats of villainy that Morgoth did, despite crafting the Ring of Power. Because of this, and Morgoth's return to Middle-earth that kickstarts Dagor Dagorath, it would mean that Morgoth is the main villain of Lord of the Rings, bringing about the end and rebirth of Middle-earth.
