In The Lord of the Rings, Gondor has long fallen into ruin and disrepair under the rule of the Stewards. A once noble, but too proud line, full of all the follies displayed by Denethor himself, the Stewards lacked the necessary substance to govern such a mighty city of men. Minas Tirith was one of the greatest stronghold of the Numenorians after all, and the Numenorians were the finest of men to have ever lived in Middle Earth. It is their blood, their fire, their spirit, that is needed to keep Minas Tirith alive to its fullest extent, and the further from the Numenorians it fell, the more doomed the city became.
That is until Aragorn, the last in the long line of descendants of those original legendary peoples, rose to claim his rightful place on the throne of Gondor. By using the ancient healing arts of the kings to save those wounded who lay in the houses of healing, by wielding the sword that cut the ring from Sauron’s finger, and most of all by being loyal and true in the War of the Ring, Aragorn proved himself to be a worthy ruler. And he then ushered in an unheard-of era of peace for all the surrounding kingdoms as well as his own, by working in alliance with Eomer of Rohan, and the hobbits of The Shire.
But if Aragorn had never risen to claim the throne, or if he had tragically fallen in battle before he was able to lift Minas Tirith back to the heights of greatness, is there another who could have ruled in his stead, and been the great leader that the people so desperately needed? In theory, if the throne had never come to Aragorn, then it would have gone to Faramir, the last remaining heir of Denethor the Steward, after his older brother Boromir dies whilst on his quest with the Fellowship of the Ring. As the house charged with the rule of the kingdom until the true king returns, the responsibility would have fallen to Faramir after the death of all of his closest relatives. And many people believe that he would have been able to do a fantastic job, despite lacking the true blood of the throne, and the ancient link to the Numenorians that Aragorn clearly possesses.
Faramir proves himself worthy over and over again across the course of the trilogy. For a start, he set up the band of Ithilien rangers who he leads in the patrols around the borders of Gondor, because he wanted a way to protect his kingdom without his domineering father constantly breathing down his neck. This shows that he is loyal and passionate about the important things, and also that he is perfectly capable of commanding a strong team of men. They are able to single-handedly take down a battalion of raiders, with olephaunts in tow, and they run as a well oiled machine under Faramir’s skillful leadership. But not only does he lead them; he also cares about each of them deeply. Faramir leads with love, respect, and compassion, rather than fear and intimidation like his father Denethor.
When Faramir discovers Frodo and Sam out in the wild with the One Ring in their possession, Faramir demonstrates wisdom far beyond his years, which is one of the things that makes Aragorn such a strong king. Faramir shows that he is capable of doing what is best for the world, despite it landing him in a lot of personal trouble with his father. He shows that he can resist great temptation, that he isn’t proud or power-hungry like his brother. He doesn’t need glory; he doesn’t seek approval from those who don’t deserve it. He doesn’t need to be the hero or the savior — just to quietly do the right thing is enough for him.
Faramir also shows unbelievable compassion towards Gollum in letting him live, despite him trespassing in the forbidden pool, which holds the penalty of death. He hears Frodo’s pleas for the creature, and he listens instead of acting rashly, which is another important skill that a king must have in order to help his people thrive and prosper.
All in all, Faramir is one of the best characters in the trilogy because of his selflessness. He may not have the healing power of the ancient line of kings, like Aragorn does; nor half the years of experience; nor the re-forged shards of Narsil to strike fear into the heart of enemies that come his way. Yet, may fans believe that in terms of the ruler of Gondor, if Aragorn had never made it to the throne, then Faramir certainly would have been the next best thing.