The Rings of Power showrunners say their nod to Lord of the Rings’ most infamous plot hole was unintentional

Why couldn’t Frodo just fly to Mount Doom on a giant eagle? That question has long been the cry of nitpicking Lord of the Rings viewers ever since the Fellowship set about on their journey to rid Middle-earth of the One Ring.

However, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power may have put the series’ most infamous ‘plot hole’ to bed in its opening minutes. In the prologue to the Amazon Prime Video series, Galadriel narrates the First Era war between Morgoth and an army of elves. During one moment, we see a creature called a fellbeast swiftly kill a giant eagle. In theory, then, Sauron and his forces would always have had the means to stop a one-way trip to Mordor via giant eagle.

Sadly for those who want a quick retort to the neverending eagle debates, The Rings of Power showrunner JD Payne has revealed to Insider that the nod was completely unintentional. "I wish we were that smart," Payne joked.

"I love that, and I don't want to say anything that disagrees with it. But…" co-showrunner Patrick McKay said with a laugh. Payne added, "It was absolutely intentional from moment one!"

Expanding on the battle itself, McKay explained that the conflict was designed to be more "mythic."

"That's a battle set in the First Age, and the incredible battles of that earlier era are more mythic and strange. And I think we wanted something that made you feel that this is a battle between gods," McKay revealed.

For more unresolved Middle-earth mysteries, check out our speculation on Adar, plus more on The Rings of Power’s biggest question: who is Sauron?