LOTR Cyberpunk

This is a fun one. These characters are from my Lord of the Rings Cyberpunk series. I spent a considerable amount of time reviewing various sketches and ideas, aiming to reimagine these classic characters in a cyberpunk setting as effectively as possible. These characters had to look as though they lived in the same world, in this case, a cyberpunk Middle-earth.

For Sauron, I envisioned him as a large, cybernetic force, with his drones, known as “the Eyes of Sauron.” In my interpretation, Sauron would have mechanical eyes everywhere.

Aragorn is a cybernetically enhanced human, as are all of the Dúnedain in my cyberpunk Middle-earth. These enhancements explain their old age. The glowing blue light represents the Evenstar necklace given to him by his love, Arwen. In my interpretation, the Evenstar is what is powering his cybernetic enhancements, a symbolic reference to Arwen’s love keeping him going. The bracer he wears on his wrist is from his fallen comrade Boromir; it gives you an idea of what the cybernetics and devices look like in the White City of Gondor, Minas Tirith.

Frodo was tricky at first, thinking of what a Hobbit in a cyberpunk setting would be like, what would they wear? I looked at some modern fashion trends to find some very big clothes, and the puffer jackets stood out to me. It instantly felt right, having such a small fellow wearing such big clothes; it played into his size, and how small he feels in this big, big world. I put some sharp cybernetics from Sauron’s design spiraling around his arm, as the longer you hold the ring, the more and more Sauron takes over your body and mind. You’ll also notice that Frodo’s sword “Sting” shares similar design elements to that of Aragorn’s chest, as they are both of Elvish technology.

Yes, even cyberpunk Hobbits don’t wear shoes.