At the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sauron finally falls — along with the other villains. But what happened to the legions of orcs? Did these dark creatures find a place in the new world? Let’s turn to the source material.
They Didn’t Vanish Along with the Ring
In the finale of The Return of the King, Peter Jackson shows the ground literally swallowing the orcs. Epic, dramatic — but it’s a cinematic choice, not a faithful rendering of the book. In the novel, things unfold differently: after the Ring is destroyed, many orcs don’t die but flee in panic, hide, or even kill each other. They remain in Middle-earth — disoriented, defeated, but alive. And that raises the real question: who are they now, without their master?
Orcs Aren’t Puppets; They Can Think
Tolkien was ambivalent: sometimes he described orcs as corrupted elves, other times as beast-like men. But one thing is clear — they are not soulless golems. They have will, they speak, they even argue with superiors. Remember the orc dialogue in The Two Towers? One of them dreams of a life outside Sauron’s rule — with loot, shelter, and freedom. It’s not just a joke. It’s characterization: orcs are capable of basic self-organization and independence.
After Sauron — Into the Shadows and Myth
After the Third Age, Tolkien’s narrative goes quiet. We only know that evil didn’t vanish: "The King of the West had to defeat many more foes before the White Tree bloomed in peace again." Who were these foes? Possibly the orcs who didn’t surrender. Hints of 'orcish cults' and 'orc labor' appear in Tolkien’s unfinished drafts. By the Fourth Age, they are nearly myth — like forest spirits feared by children but forgotten by adults.
Could They Have Founded New Kingdoms?
Between the time of Morgoth and Sauron, orcs had already survived on their own. Tolkien wrote that they established 'minor kingdoms' in remote places. Why not again after Sauron’s fall? Retreat into caves, fortify in mountains, form small bands. No grand ambition — just the raw will to survive. Orcs don’t vanish — they melt into the shadows.
Tolkien never gave a definitive end for the orcs — and perhaps deliberately so. But his hints make one thing clear: these aren’t magical beings who disappear without a master. They’re a race, broken and poisoned by evil, yet still alive. After Sauron, they may have hidden, degenerated, become legend. And perhaps that whisper in the dark mine isn’t just the wind — but one of those who once marched beneath the Black Banner.
