🏀 Middle-earth March Madness 2026 Round 4 — The Four of Power
Just four remain: who has made it this far, and who will move on?
Characters from all across Middle-earth have faced off in the first few rounds of Middle-earth March Madness. And what was once a group of 32 contestants has narrowed to the Company of 16 and then again to the Fellowship of the 8!
At long last our journey approaches its final chapter, and the first three ages of Middle-earth Madness have given way to The Four of Power.
Just four pairs remain. The winners of today’s matchups go on to the championship!
Before the recap and matchups, here’s a reminder of our schedule for this tournament:
The Round of 32 began on 3/17
The Company of 16 was 3/20
On Tolkien Reading Day, Tuesday 3/25, I announced another giveaway!
The Fellowship of the of 8 was on 3/26
The Four of Power is today, 4/2
The Championship matchup will occur on Monday, 4/6
The WINNER will be officially announced Thursday, 4/9
Before we go on, special shout-out and thank you to Elinor S and Karen, who upgraded to a paid subscription to the Jokien with Tolkien: Extended Edition this week! This newsletter is possible because of supporters like you: thank you!
Want to join the Extended Edition yourself and get bonus content while supporting this newsletter? Consider upgrading your subscription today:
ALSO, the Tolkien Reading Day giveaway is closed and I am contacting the winners! Thank you for all who entered: good luck!
“Middle-earth March Madness” — Round 4: The Four of Power
Here is our updated bracket for the fourth round:
Each of the following pairs has triumphed over their region. But now they go head-to-head against the other champions. Who will emerge as the One Champion Team to Rule them all?
Frodo and Sam vs. Merry and Pippin
Partners vs. Brothers (-in Arms)
It is perhaps fitting that the first four to embark on the quest to destroy the Ring are the last four standing in their respective regions. Frodo and Sam defeated Bilbo and Gandalf with a resounding 84 to 16 win, and Merry and Pippin had a convincing win over Aragorn and Éomer, 69 to 31. And now we face the almost impossible choice between Sam and Frodo and Merry and Pippin. Which pair deserves to advance to the final round?
Legolas and Gimli vs Beren and Lúthien
Unlikely Friendships vs. Destined Duos
Legolas and Gimli put a stop to Elrond and Durin’s Cinderella run, 90 to 10, while Beren and Lúthien triumphed over their descendants Aragorn and Arwen in a gem of a contest 59 to 51. This leaves six of our final eight total contestants as members of the Fellowship of the Ring and Beren and Lúthien as the only representatives of the First Age, The Silmarillion, and…well anything outside LOTR! Now the champions of the Unlikely Friends face the winners of the Destined Duos: who advances to the Championship round?
The only thing left following today’s vote is the Middle-earth March Madness Championship!! Look for the results of today’s matchup to hit your inboxes this coming Tuesday, April 1st!
Appendices
This week Jokien with Tolkien passed 16,000 subscribers! I’m humbled and amazed: THANK YOU! And onward!
📚 You can read more of my writing by reading my books! My latest is a collection of essays on The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and more of Tolkien’s works (and their adaptations). You can also find it and more of my books on Amazon or Gumroad
⚔️ If someone forwarded this email to you or you found it through social media or Google, I’d like to invite you to join 16,000+ subscribers in the Jokien with Tolkien community: Subscribe here and get a free gift just for joining!
🏹 Chosen as a Substack Featured Publication in 2023
🪓 Official merch available in the Jokien with Tolkien store
❌ All typos are precisely as intended
🔗 Links may be affiliate, which is a free-to-you way to support this newsletter where I earn a small commission on items you purchase
🗃️ Can’t wait till next week for more content? View the archive
🎯 Interested in writing a guest piece? Check out my submission guidelines.
🤝 Want to sponsor a future issue of Jokien with Tolkien? View my rates and packages
I know Frodo and Sam should win, but the part in the movie where Pippin is leaving for Gondor and says "we'll see each other again won't we?" And merry says "I don't know what's going to happen" breaks my heart in a thousand pieces. And then when Pippin finds Merry on Pellenor Fields, "Are you going to leave me?" "No Merry, I'm going to look after you" my favorites. I wish we had a spinoff of just Billy and Dom hanging out in the shire, getting high and causing mayhem
The second one is pretty easy…but I am stumped on the first one 😭 This is gonna be tough.