Isildur

Isildur is the posthumous overarching anti-hero in The Lord Of The Rings book series and the many adaptations. He was the noble prince of Gondor, the older brother of King Anarion, and a direct ancestor of Aragorn. He bested Sauron in combat, and without realizing the Dark Lord's survival, took the one Ring himself. His choice of keeping the Ring rather than destroying it caused Sauron to thrive and caused complications for the heroes of Middle-earth 2500 years later
== Background ==
Isildur was born during the Second Age of Middle-Earth as the oldest son of Elendil the king of Gondor. During his young adulthood, Isildur joined his father in leading Gondor’s armies against the Orc forces of the Dark Lord Sauron, who sought to conquer all of Middle-Earth. During the war’s final battle at Sauron’s domain of Mordor, Isildur fought alongside his father as their army, along with the legions of elves, bravely sought to defeat Sauron once and for all. At the climax of battle however, Sauron himself appeared and made short work of the army of men before him. King Elendil was among those slain that day, swatted away like an insect by Sauron’s might mace. After witnessing his father’s death, Isildur took up the fallen king’s sword and with one swipe sliced off several of Sauron’s right fingers, including the one bearing the One Ring. Since his life force was tied to the ring, Sauron’s physical body was destroyed and his armored body reduced to ashes and smoke. Having avenged his father, Isildur was praised a hero for supposedly destroying the Dark Lord and bringing peace to Middle-Earth. 
However, the One Ring survived and rather than destroy it, Isildur gave into greed and took it for himself. Corrupted by a subconscious desire for power, Isildur would bare the Ring himself and sought to use its power to expand his realm across Middle-Earth. This would never come to be. While journeying through a swamp, Isildur and his royal guards were ambushed by surviving Orcs from Sauron’s army. During the ambush, Isildur’s obsession with the ring would result in his slaying and his body was stolen by his assassins. 
== Personality ==
In his youth, Isildur was a prince of tremendous honour, compassion, and bravery. He had a firm sense of justice and the triumph of good over evil, bravely risking his life without hesitation to stop Sauron’s armies from conquering and engulfing Middle-Earth in darkness and tyranny. He was also shown to be close to his father, as he was devastated by his death. Instead, Isildur sought to avenge his falling by Sauron. His bravery was put to the test when he stood up to Sauron himself and actually managed to defeat him: both feats were considered to be beyond any that man could normally accomplish. Deep down however, Isildur had a subconscious greed and desire for power over others. The One Ring would reveal this in him, turning the once noble prince into a selfish, greedy, power-mad tyrant, who only cared about himself and increasing his own power; the very thing he once fought against. Isildur also developed an unhealthy attachment to the One Ring that he had taken, as he obsessively kept it with him all the time. When he was separated from it during the ambush, he frantically tried to retrieve it, completely ignoring the orcs assails that were attempting to murder him. It was this obsession that caused his own demise at the hand of orcs.
==Other Continuities==
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