Boomstick: The Lich King, Warcraft's Lord of the Scourge.
Wiz: Evil has many forms, but few can match the presence of these kings of blight and shadow.
The fourteenth episode of DEATH BATTLE! season nine brings two of the greatest evils of high fantasy to the battlefield. With their godlike power, chaotically destructive armies and Artifacts of Doom in hand, each Sorcerous Overlord has brought destruction and corruption on their worlds in ways unmatched before or since. Now fire and ice collide as the Lord of Mordor and the King of the Dead strive to conquer the other in a death battle.
First, the hosts go back in time to the dawn of creation. Many eons ago, the universe was brought into being by the Supreme God Eru and his angel-like Ainur. However, one of these angels, Melkor, chose to rebel against his Creator, wreaking havoc across the world. Several of the lower-ranked angels, the Maiar, joined him and among their number, the one who would become the most feared and powerful, was the blacksmith Mairon better known as Sauron. A being dedicated to order, he joined the fallen Morgoth in a bid to bring his vision of a perfect world to fruition, regardless of how many lives needed to be destroyed. Serving Morgoth for millennia allowed Sauron to wield his vast array of god-like powers with impunity. More akin to a force of nature, he's capable of creating infernos and earthquakes, absorbing souls and even shapeshifting into anything from vampires and werewolves to a spiritual version of his corporeal body that can fight just as well as his physical self. His true greatest asset though, is his devilish intelligence and penchant for manipulation of both the mind and emotions. This intellect led him to abandoning his master when he realized that the armies of Middle-Earth would be able to topple the tyrannical Vala, allowing him to take his place centuries later as the new Dark Lord.
From his seat of power within Mordor, Sauron concocted a new plan for conquest. He tricked the Elven blacksmiths into forging Rings of Power and distributing them to the leaders of the strongest races of Middle-Earth, all the while secretly crafting one of his own that could control the others: the One Ring to rule them all. Imbued with part of Sauron's soul and tempered by the fires of Mount Doom, the One Ring amplifies his already considerable power and allows him to control the bearers of the other Rings. This mental manipulation was so great, it even allowed him to dominate the minds of the Númenóreans, who numbered among the millions. This transgression finally invited divine intervention from Eru, who sank Númenor while Sauron was on it. Yet even the wrath of God was not enough to kill the Dark Lord who persisted in spirit before eventually reconstructing his body. Despite all of this immense power, creating the One Ring required much of Sauron's own essence and that power could be stolen away from him, as was the case when Isildur severed his finger and took the Ring for himself. If destroyed, Sauron could end up being crippled and unable to recover.
Even still, the powers afforded by the One Ring, including invisibility and future sight, are invaluable and most would be hard-pressed to destroy it, especially when the Ring tempts its user with promises of its wearer's desires. Without the ring, Sauron is still nigh unstoppable, able to destroy armies, erupt volcanoes through sheer will and having complete control over his body and soul. Of course, his power is also far in excess of most other Maiar, including the island raising Ossë. Sauron's hunt for the One Ring saw him raise an orcish army to complete his quest for order. No army in the world could stop him and many had resigned themselves to certain doom. However, the Dark Lord ultimately overestimated the temptation of his Ring's absolute power and suffered the consequences when it was destroyed thanks to the efforts of Frodo Baggins. Though even with his downfall, the dark legacy of domination and fear left behind by the Lord of the Rings remains absolute.
One ad from Bespoke Post later and the hosts journey from Middle-Earth to the World of Warcraft. On the orcish home world of Draenor, the shaman Ner'zhul's scheme to escape the demon Kil'jaedan failed and the orc was forced into service as the first Lich King. Turned into a disembodied spirit inhabiting a set of magical armor, Ner'zhul was sent to the world of Azeroth to raise an undead army and sow chaos. This Scourge would eventually come into contact with the Kingdom of Lordaeron and its prince, Arthas Menethil. A master with nearly all weapons, the prince was nonetheless unable to quell the undead and the mounting pressure from both the Scourge and the Horde drove him into a perfect position to be manipulated by Ner'zhul into becoming the leader of his undead. Tricked into claiming the cursed, soul stealing Runeblade, Frostmourne, the prince was transformed into a Death Knight and led the Undead against the people he once wanted to save.
Eventually, the former hero would claim Ner'zhul's self-repairing Saronite armor for himself, truly becoming the Lich King in body, mind and soul. Now liberated from his frozen imprisonment, the Lord of the Dead was free to unleash his cursed power on Azeroth personally. The Lich King's power is immense, able to summon ice storms, Shadow magic and even conjure the Eye of Acherus with its ability to discern secrets. His might is such that even the demon hunter Illidan, who could best the orc Gul'dan and claimed enough power to magically raise islands, could not defeat Arthas even when was a mere Death Knight. Now as the Lich King, his power far exceeded even that feat. Moreover, within the mind of the Lich King, Arthas had finally managed to silence and dominate Ner'zhul granting him sole control of the full might of Undeath.
Having finally shed the last remnants of his humanity, Arthas turned his attention to completing his destruction of all life on Azeroth. He led his Scourge and spread the Plague of Undeath throughout the world, killing many legendary heroes on both sides of war. It was only when a group of twenty-five unlikely champions banded together were they able to raid the Icecrown Citadel and put an end to the Lich King's reign by shattering Frostmourne with the equally legendary Ashbringer. Though Arthas was defeated, the Scourge could not truly be stopped, only controlled by another willing to don the Helm of Domination. In the end, Arthas the Lich King remains one of the greatest threats Azeroth has ever faced, with a reign darker and more horrific than any other could hope to achieve.
After an advertisement for the episode's second sponsor Shady Rays, the two evil emperors have been completely evaluated, and it's time for an undeath battle!
In the snowy, frozen wastes of the Icecrown Citadel, the Lich King Arthas Menethil sits upon his Frozen Throne. Before him appears the figure in black armor known as Sauron, his shadow looming over the Lich King as he declares that he shall take what is his. Undaunted, Arthas rises from his throne with his blade Frostmourne in hand, proclaiming that in these unforgiving lands, the Lord of the Rings shall find only death.
FIGHT!
With those words, the Lich King lunges from his icy throne towards Sauron, Frostmourne at the ready. Mordor's ruler dodges the initial thrust and counters with a blow from his mace. The battle is joined as the two rulers' weapons collide, and they parry blows for a few seconds before Arthas uses his powers to teleport to a safe distance and holds Frostmourne aloft. There is a hissing wail as several of the sould of the runeblade's unlucky victims are called forth, and they hurl themselves upon Sauron. Even as the ghosts seize him, however, Sauron closes his fist, and the One Ring emits a searing wave of flame that banishes his captors, while Sauron seizes and corrupts the remainder with his own power over souls.
Displeased with this turn of events, Arthas calls upon his cryomancy to hurl a jagged blast of ice at Sauron, who sets one of his recently-claimed souls aflame and uses it as a shield. As fire and ice collide and detonate, Sauron turns himself into a massive wolf and pounces upon the Lich King, snapping his jaws at the latter's armored throat as the impact sends Frostmourne flying from his grasp. Though Arthas keeps the beast's fangs at bay, Sauron quickly returns to his armored form and closes his fingers around his throat, lifting him off the ground and threatening to tear out his heart. But the choice of wording makes this an empty threat...
- Lich King: "You will find nothing there!
As he snarls his, Arthas extends his hand, and Frostmourne returns to his grasp. A blow from the flat of the blade drives Sauron back, and the Lich King presses his advantage by using the runeblade to call up a massive blizzard. Howling wind and a torrent of snow and ice leave Sauron blinded and staggered, with Arthas sneering at his supposed helplessness...that is, until Sauron calls upon the One Ring once more. In the distance, there is a massive explosion as one of the frozen mountains erupts into a raging volcano, bringing forth a wave of hellish heat to drive the blizzard back. Both dark rulers behold one another once more, and icy claymore and cruel mace clash over and over with enough force to make the air tremble as the fire rages in the snowy distance.
And so it goes, until Arthas finally scores a hit that results in Sauron having to catch Frostmourne's blade with his armored hand. As the Dark Lord's black blood patters onto the ice, a ghastly green nimbus flows over him — the Plague of Undeath! Even as the foul disease ravages his body, Sauron swings wildly at Arthas, but his speed and strength are soon sapped away by the unearthly sickness. With an evil laugh, the Lich King drives Frostmourne through his foe's chest, declaring that the latter will soon become his deathly servant. But even as Sauron's body starts to go limp, the former general of Morgoth has a declaration to make...
- Sauron: "I...serve...no one! "
Fire engulfs Sauron's armored shell until it vanishes completely, and the hellfire pulls back and transforms into a massive, lidless, fiery sphere with a single slit pupil of pitch-black...the Eye of Sauron! As Sauron himself re-manifests before his symbol and declares that the Lich King's doom has been foretold, Arthas summons the Eye of Acherus, a ghastly blue eye that meets the gaze of the Eye of Sauron. Slamming his fist into the ground, the Lich King unleashes a stream of darkness across the ice, engulfing Sauron in a wave of pitch blackness. But the Lord of Mordor will not be dissauded, and powers through it with his mace held high. Arthas brings Frostmourne down in a mighty swing as the two dark rulers meet, mace and claymore connecting with a resounding clash...
...And Frostmourne shatters beneath the might of Sauron's mace!
The effect is immediate — with the source of his might broken, the Lich King's Eye of Acherus is dispelled, and the countless souls trapped within Frostmourne are set loose in a wailing cacophony. Even as Arthas screams that such a thing cannot be, Sauron teleports to the Frozen Throne. Conjuring a vortex of hellfire that lifts the Lich King into the air, Sauron claims his vanquished foe's tormented soul, and all the souls he had taken. All the while, his nightmarish voice rises above it all, delivering a chilling Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
- Sauron: "There is no life...in the void. Only... death. "
It is done. The Lich King's empy husk crashes to the icy ground, leaving Sauron to settle upon the Frozen Throne. A rain of fire descends upon Northrend's snowy landscape as the Dark Lord of Mordor, he who embodies "as near an approach to the wholly evil will as is possible," surveys his new domain.
KO!
As Boomstick remarks on Sauron's newfound power, the hosts begin to break down how the Lord of the Rings emerged victorious against the Lich King. Despite proving superior to Arthas, their similarities in power would ensure an uphill battle for Sauron; both could reliably counter any mind- or soul-based attacks, rendering their usual tactics a moot point. While Arthas could weaken Sauron's physical form with the Plague of Undeath, the Lord of Mordor could simply shed his physical form and continue fighting as a ghost or rebuild said physical form no worse for wear, as the Plague is intended for mortal entities and has never infected spirits, rendering the Lich King's closest chance at victory useless. Another point in Sauron's favor is their respective weak points; even with the Eye of Acherus, the Lich King would have difficulty realizing the One Ring to be Sauron's power source and subsequently destroying it, while Sauron's power could naturally end up destroying Arthas's sword Frostmourne, as he had broken Elendil's blade Narsil. Scaling Sauron and the Lich King's strength to island-lifting feats performed by Ossë and Gul'dan respectively, by comparing official maps and bearing in mind that Gul'dan required assistance, it is determined that Ossë lifting the island of Númenor used at least 3.9 quadrillion tons of force compared to Gul'dan's 1.9 quadrillion tons raising the Broken Shore, putting Sauron's power at almost twice that of Arthas's. Finally, while Arthas was certainly a fearsome foe, his experience paled in comparison to that of the Lord of Mordor, who waged war against the land of Middle-earth for thousands of years. All in all, while the Lich King was a worthy foe for Sauron and certainly gave him a challenging battle, the evil will of the Lord of the Rings was simply indomitable.
Wiz: ...Is that... is that it?
Boomstick: What, are you Sauron the pun? I was pretty Tolkien on it!
Wiz: The winner is Sauron!
"Sauron VS The Lich King" contains examples of:
- Attack Its Weak Point: Both villains have an artifact that contains most of their power and will lead to a defeat if destroyed. However, Sauron's One Ring is a less conspicuous and less vulnerable target (it can in fact only be destroyed in one very specific way which Arthas will neither know about nor have any realistic method of achieving) than the Lich King's Frostmourne, meaning that the latter is likely to go down first.
- Barehanded Blade Block: Downplayed. When the Lich King manages to disarm him, Sauron caught his opponent's sword strike with his own (armored) hand. However, this causes his hand to bleed soon after.
- Elemental Rivalry: Both of these villains utilize contrasting elements — Sauron can conjure flames and the Lich King has various ice techniques alongside his Frostmourne. Their battle winds up talking place in the middle of a blizzard with pyroclastic projectiles from a volcanic eruption also raining down.
- Evil Versus Evil: The battle is between an evil Fallen Angel vs an undead Fallen Hero.
- Evil Versus Oblivion: While both are undeniably evil, Sauron's desire for lordship extends to him ruling over life on the world as he believes order can only come under his dominion. Arthas' goal as the Lich King however, entails him eradicating all life on the planet.
- Foreshadowing: Early in the fight, Sauron steals one of Arthas' stolen spirits to his side. Guess what happens to Arthas himself by the end.
- Mythology Gag: Sauron's choice of Pre-Mortem One-Liner before finishing off the Lich King is lifted straight from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.Sauron: There is no life in the void. Only... death.
- Neck Lift: Sauron manages to hold and lift the Lich King by the throat at the edge of a cliff after disarming him. Lich King breaks free by telekinetically grabbing his sword, striking Sauron back and floating back to the fighting ground.
- Motive Decay: Both combatants suffered from this. Arthas set out to save his kingdom from the Undead Scourge only to be corrupted by his desire for revenge and becoming part of the Scourge himself. Sauron initially wanted to bring order to the world before repeated failures caused him to lose his intentions in bitterness and start wanting to ravage the world more or less out of spite.
- No-Sell: The Lich King attempts to infect Sauron with the plague so as to dominate and control him. This sort of works in that Sauron is affected by the plague, but only until he gets rid of his current meat suit. On a wider scale, the Lich King's usual shtick of domination via souls falls flat against Sauron thanks to the One Ring, his shapeshifting abilities and ability to fight on even as a ghost.
- The Older Immortal: Sauron is this by far; Arthas has only been the Lich King for a few years while Sauron is aeons old. This is mentioned as being a significant factor, as Sauron has thousands of years of experience in both fighting and using magic over his opponent.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Sauron spent some time as a werewolf and can still transform into a giant wolf if he feels it might help. The wolf takes the Lich King by surprise somewhat but achieves little so Sauron returns to his Tin Tyrant form.
- This Cannot Be!: The Lich King is in disbelief when Sauron manages to shatter Frostmourne, causing the souls trapped in there to encircle him.Lich King: IMPOSSIBLE!
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Sauron's victory here is one of the very few fights where he's won outright against an opponent of roughly equal level.
- Tin Tyrant: One of the connections between both Sauron and the Lich King is they're both evil overlords wearing sinister armor.
