I wanna talk about the kinda genius (?) way Aragorn is introduced in FOTR and why it’s even more iconic than most people think it is
When we first see Aragorn it’s the famous shot of him in a dark cloak, his face hidden in shadow
But what other characters wear dark cloaks and have their faces hidden in shadow?
It’s not just that Aragorn is Shifty-Looking™, the film is drawing a clear visual parallel between Aragorn and the Ringwraiths. They’re shadowy figures in hooded cloaks that conceal their faces, who seem to be looking for Frodo. After the innkeeper tells Frodo about “Strider,” Frodo even begins fidgeting with the Ring like he did when hiding from the Ringwaiths. At this point in the movie neither Frodo or the audience have any idea what the The Black Riders are, (I mean you do if you’ve watched the films a million times but teCHNICALLY–) and Aragorn is framed as if he might as well be one of them.
Frodo denies knowing anything about the Ring until Aragorn pulls off his hood and shows his face, something the Black Riders never did:
At which point both the characters and the audience start to realize he might be trustworthy.
When Frodo asks Aragorn what the Black Riders are, Aragorn responds:
“They were once men, great kings of men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power….”
“Woah Strider, are you telling me that Great Kings of Men are secretly hiding out in Bree under new names/identities while disguised in dramatic dark cloaks???? Well I’ll be on the lookout for these secret kings, Mr Strider, tell you if I see any.”
But seriously tho– the Black Riders are introduced as mysterious hooded figures, then revealed to be Great Kings of Men who fell to the dark side. Aragorn is introduced as a mysterious hooded figure who might be a Black Rider, then revealed to be a Great King of Men who might fall to the dark side.
This is also why that last moment between Frodo and Aragorn in Amon Hen is so great: Frodo (and the audience’s) first impression of Aragorn in Bree was: could this person be a Black Rider? And at the climax of the film, after we’ve learned all about who “Strider” really is, and how the Black Riders were men just like him who were corrupted by Rings of Power, ……in a way, we’re still asking the exact same question.
And it’s only there, when Aragorn refuses the Ring, that we finally find out the answer is no.