According to BoundingIntoComics:
In the latest example of Western entertainment’s seeming obsession with reimagining J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal fantasy work in accordance with modern day identity politics, Wizards of the Coast has revealed that their upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth set for Magic: The Gathering will depict Aragorn as a black man.
Previously announced during the company’s Magic Showcase 2021, the upcoming The Lord of the Rings-themed set was teased as allowing players to team-up with such established characters as “Gandalf, Gollum, Frodo, Aragorn” to “battle for The One Ring, scheme with Saruman, or journey to the heights of Mount Doom.”
While some fans anticipated the worst possible handling of the IP given Wizards’ reputation in recent years, their fears were partially quelled by a combination of a source material accurate piece of artwork depicting Gandalf entertaining the Shire at Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party being put forth as the set’s main preview image and a belief that no other interpretation of the series could stoop to the level of Amazon’s The Rings of Power.
At least, they were until a further preview of the set was given at the opening of this year’s Wizards Presents, a similar livestream presentation which touches upon the company’s entire catalog of offerings rather than just their popular trading card game.
Taking to the stage on August 18th, freelance host Sydnee Goodman began her tease of the set’s 2023 release with the assurance that Wizards’ design team had “worked closely with Middle-earth enterprises and dove deep into the source material to make sure to get it just right” and that “the cards and art in the series will have all the flavor and history of the trilogy”.
Goodman then proceeded to preview some of this art, unveiling to players their first look at Magic: The Gathering’s depictions of Frodo, the Balrog, and the sets’ new borderless scene cards, which “when brought together will form amazing recognizable scene from the books, like the climactic battle of Pelennor Fields outside of Gondor”.
