Meme Overview

The Return of the King is a reaction image featuring the title shot from the movie of the same name, set against the backdrop of Fangorn Forest and the Misty Mountains. This meme is typically employed to humorously highlight the return of a beloved person, thing, or positive situation.

Where It Started

The image utilized in this meme originates from the extended edition of The Return of the King, released on DVD on December 14, 2004. After Gollum's backstory, the film transitions to a scene where Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli navigate through Fangorn Forest, culminating in a panoramic view that showcases the forest and the Misty Mountains, along with the title 'The Return of the King.' The first known use of this title shot as a meme appeared online when it was uploaded to Imgur by an anonymous user on November 22, 2018.

Internet Reaction

The meme gained traction in traditional formats, with one of the earliest instances occurring on May 12, 2019, by Redditor bodie_nies, which garnered over 16,000 upvotes in r/dankmemes. The meme continued to circulate on Reddit, with a standout post by BuckeyeBrute on August 15, 2019, in r/PrequelMemes, achieving nearly 31,000 upvotes. Furthermore, users on Twitter began to employ the image in response to various tweets. A notable example was by user ThatRookieTV on December 18, 2019, who used the meme to announce their return to Twitter, receiving 46 likes. The meme evolved further on February 22, 2020, when a variant replaced 'King' with 'Queen' in response to YouTube unbanning the 'Lo-fi Hip Hop Study Mix' channel, resulting in a post by Redditor Wedge001 that received over 100,000 upvotes and multiple awards.