LOTR: Eomer Should Have Never Been King

gamerant.com:

One of the key themes in theLord of the Rings trilogy is the question surrounding fate, and whether it is the choices of the characters that lead them down certain paths, or whether it was always destined to turn out that way. There are definitely arguments for and against both sides of this debate. For example, Frodo chooses, right at the last moment, not to throw the ring into the fires of Mount Doom to destroy it, a choice that jeopardizes the fate of all of Middle Earth. But, Gollum chooses to pursue Frodo and Sam right up to the very last, and it is actually Gollum who ends up in the lava, taking the ring in with him.

It could be suggested that these were both conscious decisions that led to certain outcomes, but it could also be argued that it was fate that led them all to this place, and fate that spared Frodo’s life and took Gollum’s instead. Gandalf does say much earlier on in the trilogy “something tells me that he still has some part to play in all of this” which sounds a lot like there is already a pre-determined path before each of them.

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This is a burden that many of the characters are very aware of, and seem to carry heavily. Galadriel for example, sees visions in her magic mirror, which helps her pass the test when she is presented with the ring of power right in front of her. Denethor, on the other hand, is shown visions of the future in a Palantir, which leads him instead to hopelessness and futility, as he believes that the disastrous outcomes of Sauron gaining dominion over the world is inevitable, and therefore there is no point in even trying to overcome this terrible fate.

And of all the characters, Bilbo and Frodo are of course, the most obvious