- —Tagline
Sauron VS Lich King is the 169th episode of Death Battle, featuring Sauron from the The Lord of the Rings series and The Lich King from the Warcraft series in a battle between corrupted sorcerer kings. Sauron was voiced by Ryan Solis and the Lich King was voiced by Phillip Sacramento.
Interlude
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Wiz & Boomstick by Brandon Yates  
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Wiz: Sauron, the Lord of the Rings.
Boomstick: The Lich King, Warcraft's Lord of the Scourge.
Wiz: Evil has many shapes, but few can match the presence of these kings of blight and shadow.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.
Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.
Sauron
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Into The Woods by Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Jean Gabriel Raynaud and Cédric Baravaglio 
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Wiz: Within the timeless halls, at the dawn of creation, the Supreme God Eru and his angelic Ainur created all of existence through a single harmonious song.
Boomstick: But one of these angels just had to be a rebel. Melkor ruined that harmony, giving the world its many, many imperfections. Like Wiz! Then after messing up God's hit single and goin' rogue, Melkor took up a new name just to be even more metal: Morgoth.
Wiz: Morgoth's power was impressive, daunting. Several Maiar, essentially lower-ranked angels, joined him in his frightening conquest of the world he had helped create.
Boomstick: And the greatest of these followers was one obsessed with destroying all life in the pursuit of bringing about complete order.
Wiz: He used to be Mairon, but under Morgoth's reign, he became the one and only Sauron.
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Troops In Motion by Udi Harpaz & Or Kribos
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Boomstick: As the big wig of Morgoth's forces, Sauron spent thousands of years bringing Middle-earth to its knees.
Wiz: He's almost more a force of nature than anything else, able to create infernos, cause country-spanning earthquakes, and even absorb souls.
Boomstick: And because he's a weird angel spirit man, he can morph his body around his own soul however he wants, or just shed it like clothing and fight as a ghooost~!
Wiz: He can morph far beyond that. He has appeared as something akin to both man and elf, attractive and devious, a werewolf, once thought to be the greatest wolf of all, and even a vampire.
Boomstick: Ah man, Tumblr's gonna go nuts with that.
Wiz: Many of his greatest accomplishments are not due to his powerful magics and weaponry, but his inhuman cunning. Sauron is nothing less than a master of manipulation.
Boomstick: He's like if Loki and Satan did a Fusion Dance. He loves to trick someone with illusions, shadow magic, or just by toying with their sad, predictable, pathetic human emotions. Like when he convinced Saruman to join the evil side, who was basically a super wizard specifically meant to lead the charge against Sauron!
Wiz: In some ways, Sauron is actually wiser than the master he served. In the most epic war to eclipse all other wars, humans, dwarves, elves, and more united to destroy Morgoth, casting what remained of Melkor into the Void.
Boomstick: But Sauron saw it coming and bailed faster than me at a divorce hearing, just to show back up centuries later in the fiery pits of Mordor~.
Wiz: There, the Dark Lord created a plan to conquer everything. He fooled the elven smiths into forging 19 Rings of Power, and planted them among the leaders of elven, men, and dwarven kind. All controlled by another ring he made in secret.
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Final Attack by Udi Harpaz & Or Kribos
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Boomstick: The One Ring to rule them all. One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Oh God, that's so epic! I think I'm into poetry now. Forged in the fires of Mount Doom using part of Sauron's own soul, the One Ring amplified his power and let him control the minds and actions of the other ring bearers.
Wiz: The nine Kings of Men were especially vulnerable, and saw themselves reduced to twisted wraiths bent to Sauron's whims.
Boomstick: It wasn't any better for the less kingly humans, so much so that Sauron mind-controlled most of Númenor. We're talkin' about an island nation that could have had as many as 18 million people, and Sauron had 'em all at his creepy pokey fingertips.
Wiz: This led to retaliation from Eru, who had hardly directly intervened ever before, even against Morgoth. Eru sank Númenor while Sauron was still on it. But the Dark Lord's spirit persevered, indestructible even against the wrath of God.
Boomstick: Sauron used the ring to build himself a new body. It may have cost a lot of power, but he took a biblical event to the face and went right back on to bein' evil.
Wiz: And yet, putting so much power into one object did have drawbacks.
Boomstick: Which hit back hard when Isildur subtracted a digit from his hand.
Wiz: The warrior king did more than just cut off a finger. He took the ring and its power for himself. This act forced Sauron to retreat as a disembodied spirit, threatened by his own power in the hands of another. And should the One Ring be destroyed completely, Sauron's spirit could be rendered impotent beyond repair.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick, the latter glancing at the One Ring in his very hand.
Wiz: It isn't all bad, though. The ring can turn you invisible, create visions of impending doom, and has one hell of a defense mechanism.
As Boomstick speaks, the One Ring's influence begins to affect him, faint ominous whispers being heard as Wiz worryingly snaps his fingers to try and help his friend.
Boomstick: Yeah. Who'd wanna destroy it when it makes ya want it? Has a... will of its own with... promises whispered even the best of us can't refuse. The greatest poultry dinner ever, Boomstick... Bourbon, pecan, parmesan, turducken... It's sooo precious...!
Wiz has a dagger and wooden shield in hand to defend against the Gollum-crazed Boomstick, who then unexpectedly swallows the ring, to Wiz's shock.
Wiz: What did you just do?!
Boomstick: What? It sounded delicious!
We cut back to the analysis.
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Beyond Glory by Gregor F. Narholz & Sonoton Film Orchestra
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Boomstick: Well, ring or no ring, Sauron's a beast. He's swatted away armies of soldiers and erupted Mount Doom through sheer willpower. He has total control over his own being, and can modify his soul at will. So he can definitely resist someone like spooky ghost Celebrimbor tryin' to dominate his spirit.
Wiz: And being among the strongest Maiar, the peak of Sauron's power is beyond that of Ossë, a lesser Maia, which is specifically important because Ossë single-handedly raised the island of Númenor.
Boomstick: Yeah, remember that island that got Noah'd? That place. No wonder everyone wants his ring! Who could turn down that much power?
Wiz: Not Isildur. The hearts of men are easily corrupted, and he kept the ring rather than destroy it. But in the end, the ring destroyed him and waited for its master's return.
Boomstick: Sauron was rebuilding Mordor into a world-conquering force, and after a little bit of good old-fashioned torture, he found out the ring was in the Shire, the chillest, coziest, dopest place imaginable. Ah, man, when I retire, I'm gonna go live in a hobbit-hole and just get lit 24/7.
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Judgment Day by Gregor F. Narholz
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Wiz: And so began the War of the Ring. Sauron's forces covered the land, seeking both the ring and the downfall of man, always shadowed by the symbol of his ever-present influence, the Eye of Sauron.
Boomstick: It was a slaughterfest! Middle-earth stood no chance. Everybody basically accepted death by orcs as inevitable. It was hopeless; the kingdoms of men would finally fall for good.
Wiz: Save for the Dark Lord's truest weakness. Sauron's cunning and stratagems were impressive, sure. But ultimately, he never truly understood the people of Middle-earth. In his mind, absolute power was factually irresistible. He never imagined a mere mortal could ever or would ever seek to actually destroy the One Ring.
Boomstick: Against all odds and a whole lotta walking, Sauron was defeated, not by the sparkly new king or the armies of Middle-earth, but by the most unlikely creature imaginable: Elijah Wood.
Wiz: Yet, even as a formless shadow, Sauron's legacy remains one of domination, treachery, and most of all, fear. Fitting for the being that represents, and I quote, "as near an approach to the wholly evil will as is possible."
The Lich King
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Prophecy by François Rousselot
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Wiz: On the distant planet of Draenor, destruction was imminent. The orc shaman Ner'zhul prepared a spell with his followers to tear the planet asunder, all to escape the fury of the demon lord, Kil'jaeden.
Boomstick: Buuut when Ner'zhul waltzed through the portal, Kil'jaeden was right there waitin' for him.
Wiz: Ner'zhul was forced to serve Kil'jaeden's will to ravage another world, Azeroth. Thus, he was transformed into the first Lich King.
Boomstick: This Lord of the Dead was sent to the continent of Northrend, but Kil'jaeden had one more twist for poor Zhul. His body was gone, leaving just his spirit, which was bound to a set of armor sealed within a prison of magical ice. Man, this guy can't catch a break. Armor looks sick, though. He's gonna possess me if I put that on, huh?
Wiz: From his frozen prison, the Lich King would begin his conquest, conjuring an unstoppable Plague of Undeath. Soon, this would threaten the lives of the kingdom of Lordaeron.
Boomstick: Okay, so that was a lot, but he-here's where our main guy finally shows up; Lordaeron's crowned prince and holy knight, Arthas Menethil.
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Scenes Of War by Marco Andrea Pes
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Boomstick: Yeah, his name does kinda sound like something your doctor would give you for fungus, but hey, no-no-no, Arthas was a badass. At 19 years old, he was considered one of the best swordsmen in the world, and had mastered nearly every weapon he could.
Wiz: Even with such a skilled warrior as its prince, Lordaeron was already severely pressured by a war with an orcish horde, so a zombie plague was the last thing Arthas needed. Compounding this even further, Ner'zhul managed to break free of Kil'jaeden's power and turned his attention toward creating a champion to lead his ever-growing Scourge. Naturally, he chose Arthas.
Boomstick: Who was a stressed-out mess, to the point where he tried to stop the plague by killing everyone in his own city. Holy shit! Yeah, he was totally losin' it. So, hearin' a creepy voice in his head really didn't help.
Wiz: Long story short, in his efforts to protect his realm, Arthas discovered a Runeblade and took it for himself. This was the fearsome Frostmourne.
Boomstick: Surprise! It's the source of the Lich King's power. He was stealing souls and storing them within the blade. With this new ice-cold cleaver in hand, Arthas lost his soul, and got a death knight makeover.
Wiz: And so, the former Hero of Light would lead the very Scourge he previously fought.
Boomstick: And in time, Arthas would don the armor for himself, giving the Lich King a new, ultimate power...
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick, the latter of whom briefly mimics a marching motion.
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The Oath by Gregor F. Narholz, Alexander Okunev & The Bulgarian Film Orchestra
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Boomstick: ...Walking!
Wiz: Remember, everything Lich King had done up until this point had been from his prison within a literal block of ice.
Boomstick: And this new Sauronite armor, wait, no, Saronite armor, is the best! Like, what was it doing stuck in ice all this time when it's made of Old God blood and self repairs? Screw you, blacksmiths! You're never taking my hard-earned gold! I'll never have to get naked and die again!
We cut back to the analysis.
Wiz: By donning this dark helm, Ner'zhul and Arthas fused to become one, a being far more powerful than either had been before.
Boomstick: He could effortlessly cover cities in ice storms, murder hundreds with the power of Shadow, and learn all of your secrets with the Eye of Acherus.
Wiz: Azeroth's fate was sealed. Everyone was doomed.
Boomstick: See this guy? He's Illidan, a 15,000-year-old demon hunter with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. As a death knight, Arthas could take him down, even after fighting through a massive army to get to him. Against this new Lich King, Illidan never stood a chance.
Wiz: This is important because Illidan had absorbed the power of Gul'dan, an orc warlock who, alongside his followers, raised the Broken Isles out of the sea. A massively powerful feat of magic.
Boomstick: The fact that Arthas, a mortal guy, beat him up is a big deal. Just imagine how kickass he'd be in full control of the undying Lich King powers. Oh, wait, we don't have to.
Wiz: Ner'zhul may have pulled Arthas' strings up until this point, but he had made a drastic miscalculation. Within the mind of the Lich King, Arthas battled Ner'zhul for control and won. The power of Frostmourne, of the Scourge, of Undeath itself, was now under the command of Arthas.
Boomstick: And by this point, he was just done. Like, with everything. We've all had one of those days, right? Where you see all of humanity as so pathetic, they can only be saved by just killing 'em all, so, you rip out your own heart. Yeah, relatable...
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You Will Lose by Gregor F. Narholz & Sonoton Film Orchestra
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Wiz: Determined to end all life, Arthas led his Scourge across Azeroth, spreading the Plague to every corner of the world. He slaughtered every contender in his path, including legendary champions like this hero of the Horde, Dranosh Saurfang.
Boomstick: Who the Lich King bitch slapped to death in one hit, then zombified to serve him instead. Man, that didn't go well.
Wiz: The Lich King seemed unstoppable.
Boomstick: Only one thing could take him down: a 25-man raid team of the best nerds World of Warcraft servers had to offer! And that one guy who was just there because he was friends with somebody, but damn, he sucked.
Wiz: With these, uh, heroes triumphant, the paladin Tirion shattered Frostmourne with an equally legendary blade, ending the Lich King's vile reign.
Boomstick: But the Scourge doesn't work on Phantom Menace battle droid rules, so there must always be a Lich King to keep the relentless undead in check.
Wiz: Yet no Lich King before or since ever matched the terror and malice Arthas brought to Azeroth.
Boomstick: Without a doubt, one of the most terrifying kings to ever conquer the world of Warcraft.
Prelude
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. We've run the data through all possibilities.
Boomstick: IT'S TIME FOR AN UNDEATH BATTLEEE!!!
Death Battle
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One King to Rule Them All by Therewolf Media
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At the Icecrown Citadel, Arthas Menethil, the Lich King, sits on his Frozen Throne in silence, a blizzard looming through and his Frostmourne in hand.
He is approached by a heavily armored figure in black, whose shadow looms over him from a distance. Eerie whispers accompany the Lord of the Rings, Sauron, standing before the Lich King with his mighty mace in hand. With his eyes on the king's seat, Sauron challenges Arthas.
Sauron: I shall claim what is mine.
Unintimidated in the slightest, Arthas stands and accepts the battle, pointing his blade of frost toward his adversary and only warning him of the inevitability of what is to come.
Lich King: In this cold north, you will find only death.
The Lich King charges swiftly at his foe, who deflects his attack with his mace. The two briefly clash weapons before Sauron attempts to smash the Lich King into the ground, who teleports to a distance behind him. Using his blade's magic, Menethil calls upon Vile Spirits to restrain Sauron.
Unable to escape their grips, Sauron is forced into using the power of the One Ring on his index finger, releasing an infernal aura that blows away the spirits and blizzard surrounding him.
Before another spirit could attack him through the subsiding inferno, Sauron grabs it and converts it into a flaming thrall. Arthas shoots a snowball at Sauron, who counters by having his converted spirit tackle it head-on.
As the Lich King looks on at the formed fog, he witnesses a wolf charging at him from beyond, leaving him to drop Frostmourne and be pushed back in holding Sauron away from gnawing at his face. Sauron then morphs back into himself and lifts Arthas by the throat, lifting him over the cliff.
Sauron: Now, I'll tear out your heart.
Lich King: You will find nothing there!
The Lich King uses telekinesis to pull his runeblade back to him and knocks Sauron away, getting back into the battle and pushing his foe back with another slash before impaling Frostmourne into the ground, casting Remorseless Winter to conjure a massive snowstorm.
Lich King: Your efforts are for naught!
The snowstorm grows powerful enough to the point where Sauron loses track of his opponent. To counteract this, he responds with his own feat of raw power: using the One Ring to erupt a mountain in the distance behind him, its smoky volcanic ash of which battles against the blizzard fog and allows him to notice his opponent from behind.
Sauron: I see you.
Sauron intercepts the Lich King's sneak attack with his mace and the two return to a clash of weapons in a rainfall of hail and magma. The Lich King manages to disarm Sauron of his mace and goes for an overhead strike, which is caught by Sauron, but his hand begins bleeding black blood through his armor: Sauron fell victim to Arthas' Plague of Undeath, which lowers his stamina.
He summons his mace back to his hand, but is left struggling with striking at the laughing Lich King, who jumps away as a weakened Sauron drops his weapon. Assured of victory, Arthas blasts his foe dead-on with a plague beam before rushing forward to impale him.
Lich King: You serve me now!
Sauron: I serve no one!
Shedding his physical form, Sauron becomes a blazing infernal eye as the Lich King looks on in shocked awe.
Sauron: Witness the prophecy of your doom.
As Sauron sends in a prophetic spectral avatar of the Lich King's successor Bolvar, the latter forms the Eye of Acherus to reveal his enemy's secrets.
Lich King: You speak nothing but lies!
The Lich King punches the ground, summoning a shadow magic attack that travels toward and supposedly consumes the Eye of Sauron. However, Sauron, returning to his own flaming visage, charges through and smashes a defensive Arthas with his mace, shattering Frostmourne to pieces and causing the Eye of Acherus to break apart soon after as the Eye of Sauron flashes on the screen.
Sauron then travels away as a defeated Arthas is surrounded by a swirling vortex of spirits released from Frostmourne.
Lich King: IMPOSSIBLE!!!
He only sees his adversary reappearing at his own throne.
Sauron: There is no life in the void. Only... death.
Using his all-powerful ring, Sauron ignites the vortex to trap Arthas and allow his converted flaming souls to turn against and juggle their former master briefly before absorbing the Lich King's soul, putting an end to his reign and leaving his physical body to drop dead on the ground, his glowing eyes having faded out.
Victorious, Sauron claims the icy throne as his own, steam emitting from both and magma overcoming the hailstorm of the Frostcrown Citadel in a rain of fire as the scene cuts to black.
Results
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One King to Rule Them All by Therewolf Media
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Boomstick: Well, if he wasn't all-powerful before, look out for super-charged Sauron now!
Wiz: Despite the Lich King's impressive power, Sauron's might was absolute.
Boomstick: But not before he got the duel of his life in a crazy close bout. First up, both dark lords could counter pretty much any mind or soul-screwing powers, making a lot of their usual tricks way less noteworthy in this match.
Wiz: To be fair, the Lich King severely debilitated Sauron via his Plague of Undeath. Most physical bodies would not survive such a disease.
Boomstick: So Sauron just got rid of his body! Who needs it? Especially when you can rebuild one or just start fighting as a ghost, both things Sauron could do.
Wiz: After all, the plague is intended for organic, mortal enemies and has never infected a spirit.
Boomstick: Another smaller point for Sauron was his weakness. The Lich King was a clever bastard, but even with the Eye of Acherus, it would've been tough for him to decode and destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile, given enough power, Sauron would naturally end up destroying Frostmourne; he's... kinda got a thing for breakin' swords.
Wiz: So, let's compare their power. While their highest limits are certainly nebulous, interestingly enough, some of the most impressive feats from both worlds involve lifting islands. As Sauron is a more powerful Maia than Ossë, and the Lich King could reliably defeat someone with Gul'dan's magic, it is possible to gauge the difference in power by measuring the islands that were raised.
Boomstick: Keep in mind, Gul'dan had a bunch of help, so we're only givin' him his share. Turns out, Ossë was doing twice the work!
Wiz: By examining official maps to determine to volume of the islands, we found a difference between lifting two quadrillion tons of rock versus four quadrillion tons, among further energy required to actually lift these through the ocean, of course. Both impressive, sure, but Sauron had the edge.
Boomstick: And for the final nail in the coffin, the Lich King might have been super scary, but he really wasn't around for all that long. At least not when compared to the experience Sauron has warring with the world for thousands of years.
We cut to Wiz and Boomstick.
Wiz: The Lich King certainly posed a threat to Sauron, but the ruler of Mordor's awesome might, enduring spirit, and millennia of treachery proved him the superior dark lord.
Boomstick: WoW!
Wiz: ...Is that ...Is that it?
Boomstick: What? Are you Saur-on the pun? I was pretty Tol-keen about it.
We cut to the "Winner" card.
Wiz: The winner is Sauron.
Comparison
Sauron
- + Could fight in physical & spirit form
- + Less obvious weakness
- + More powerful
- + Resisted mental & soul attacks
- + Superior regeneration
Lich King
- + Armor resisted magical attacks
- + Helm could block mental & soul attacks
- + Plague of Undeath affected Sauron's physical body
- - Far less experienced
- - Less powerful
Original Track
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One King to Rule Them All by Therewolf Media
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Composition
The track for this fight is "One King to Rule Them All" by Therewolf Media. It is a dramatic orchestral track with choir vocalizations, with a sped-up version of the One Ring's theme being heard at certain points in the track, most prominently at the end to signify Sauron's victory, while various underlying beats and melodies in the track resemble the Wrath of the Lich King title theme. Likewise with the One Ring's theme, this is most prominent at the end despite the Lich King's death. Therewolf Media would later make a community post revealing the lyrics to the choirs of the song.
Title
The title references "One Ring to rule them all", the first part of the inscription on the One Ring, with "Ring" replaced with "King" to reference either the Lich King or a quote of his: "All must serve the one true king." It also more generally refers to the fact that both combatants are kings who not only seek to rule all, but are also fighting each other in a battle to the death, with the battle determining which one of them will rule in the end.
Cover Art
The cover art done by John Mitchell is split in half by a jagged white line. The left half depicts the Eye of Sauron with flames at the bottom, naturally representing Sauron. The right half depicts the Eye of Acherus with spiky ice at the bottom, representing the Lich King. The One Ring is in the center of the cover, with the right half freezing over.
Lyrics
Naur, he-leg |
Trivia
Production
- The core connections between Sauron and the Lich King are that they are both iconic villains of high fantasy series who are all-powerful, world-threatening tyrants with overwhelming magical power and highly recognizable suits of armor. Both are also skilled necromancers who possess an artifact that grants them near-godlike abilities and corrupts anyone who touches it (the One Ring and Frostmourne, respectively) and had plans to take over their respective worlds with supernatural, mind-bending means (controlling the rulers of various races and, by extension, their people with the Rings of Power and by converting the living to undead thralls with the Plague of Undeath, respectively) which turned living beings into undead servants (the Nine Kings of Men were turned into Ringwraiths and living beings were turned into members of the Scourge, respectively). In addition:
- Both were also formerly highly-regarded heroes who fell from grace due to the machinations of beings of greater evil (Sauron, formerly Mairon, was an angelic Maiar before his fall to darkness by Morgoth, while the Lich King, formerly Arthas Menethil, was once a prince of Lordaeron before he was corrupted by the original Lich King Ner'zhul through Frostmourne) before going on to operate on their own agendas separate from these corruptive masters.
- Both are leaders of immense armies of dark and chaotic creatures, all while presiding over regions of vast, uninhabitable wastelands of darkness (Mordor and Icecrown, respectively).
- Both have a power related to an eye (the Eye of Sauron and the Eye of Acherus, respectively).
- This is also a battle of opposites, as both of them also have a contrasting elemental theme, as do the artifacts that serve as their sources of power (Sauron is associated with fire while the Lich King is associated with ice, and the One Ring was forged in the volcano of Mount Doom while Frostmourne was forged within the Frozen Throne).
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted on September 1, 2022, around two months before the episode's release.
- In a case of the Death Battle Curse striking, the day after the episode was revealed, Hearthstone announced its next expansion titled March of the Lich King, featuring the Lich King's return to the game and a new Death Knight class.
- The episode's release date for FIRST Members is the same as the release date of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, which released exactly 14 years before the episode.
- After the episode released on YouTube, Therewolf Media released an epilogue track for One King to Rule Them All.
- This makes it the third episode to receive an epilogue track, after Hercules VS Sun Wukong and Boba Fett VS Predator.
- The original thumbnail for this episode used an uncredited fan edit of an official Sauron figure by Andrey Pankov. As a result, it was changed years later.
- This makes it the 21st episode where at least one of its thumbnails uses fan art, after Zitz VS Leonardo, Kratos VS Spawn, Bomberman VS Dig Dug, Vegeta VS Shadow, Chun-Li VS Mai Shiranui, Ivy VS Orchid, Fulgore VS Sektor, Godzilla VS Gamera, Deadpool VS Pinkie Pie, Metal Sonic VS Zero, Lucario VS Renamon, Raven VS Twilight Sparkle, Leon Kennedy VS Frank West, Nightwing VS Daredevil, All Might VS Might Guy, Black Canary VS Sindel, Beerus VS Sailor Galaxia, Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki, Blake VS Mikasa, and Steven Universe VS Star Butterfly, and with the next two being Frieza VS Megatron and Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor.
Easter Eggs
- Sauron's lines of "I see you," and "There is no life in the void. Only... death," are references to his speech to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
- Sauron's response to the Lich King of "I serve no one!" is a nod to his final boss battle in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, where he says the same thing to Celebrimbor after resisting the latter's attempt to dominate his spirit.
- In the scene where Sauron shatters Frostmourne, the Eye of Sauron briefly appears on the screen. However, in the Eye's pupil, a heavily darkened and opaque image of Columbo is hidden. Although barely visible in the actual episode, a behind-the-scenes look on Twitter revealed this.[1] This is a reference to how Liam Swan wanted Light VS Columbo to become an episode.[2]
- This is the second episode to hide Columbo in it as an easter egg in some form, after SpongeBob VS Aquaman, and with the next six being Gogeta VS Vegito, Bill Cipher VS Discord, Gojo VS Makima, Scooby-Doo VS Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rick Sanchez VS The Doctor, and Galactus VS Unicron.
- Arthas being distracted by the spirits of his slain victims assailing him after Frostmourne shatters is a reference to how he's ultimately defeated in World of Warcraft.
- Boomstick's first post-analysis pun of "WoW!" is a nod to how the World of Warcraft series is referred to as such by players in and out of the community.
Errors
- In the Lich King's analysis preview, Boomstick states Arthas was "a stressed-out mess, to the point where he tried to stop the plague by killing everyone in his own capital city," referring to the Culling of Stratholme. However, Stratholme is not the capital of Lordaeron. This was fixed in the episode's official release, where the word "capital" was edited out.
Other
- Despite the Lich King being more well-known as a video game character, this is technically the second Novel VS Novel episode due to Arthas first appearing in the 2001 book Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor, after Luke Skywalker VS Harry Potter.
- This is the fourth episode to feature a character from a book series, after Luke Skywalker VS Harry Potter, Hercules VS Sun Wukong, and James Bond VS John Wick.
- This is the second Novel VS Video Game-themed episode, after Master Chief VS Doomguy, and with the next one being Master Chief VS Doom Slayer.
- This is the third Fire VS Ice-themed episode, after Danny Phantom VS American Dragon Jake Long and Zuko VS Shoto Todoroki.
- It is the first episode where the fire-themed combatant wins.
- This is the 23rd episode where Boomstick yells a variation of his pre-fight catchphrase (via saying "IT'S TIME FOR AN UNDEATH BATTLE!!!"), after Akuma VS Shang Tsung, Rogue VS Wonder Woman, Felicia VS Taokaka, Eggman VS Wily, Terminator VS RoboCop, Pokémon Battle Royale, Fulgore VS Sektor, Tigerzord VS Gundam Epyon, Boba Fett VS Samus Aran (2015), Guts VS Nightmare, Solid Snake VS Sam Fisher, Hercule Satan VS Dan Hibiki, Bowser VS Ganon, Joker VS Sweet Tooth, Meta VS Carolina, Mega Man Battle Royale, Dragonzord VS Mechagodzilla, Scarlet Witch VS Zatanna, James Bond VS John Wick, Trunks VS Silver, SpongeBob VS Aquaman, and Jason Voorhees VS Michael Myers, and with the next six being Gogeta VS Vegito, Phoenix VS Raven, Scooby-Doo VS Courage the Cowardly Dog, Galactus VS Unicron, Kratos VS Asura, and Ghost Rider VS Spawn.
- This is the fifth episode to feature an original track with lyrics by Therewolf Media that isn't a collaboration with Brandon Yates, after Ryu VS Jin, Optimus Prime VS Gundam, Ben 10 VS Green Lantern, and Hulk VS Broly, and with the next three being Stitch VS Rocket Raccoon, Gojo VS Makima, and Scooby-Doo VS Courage the Cowardly Dog.
- This is the first episode to feature an original track with lyrics in choral orchestra vocalizations, with the next one being Skyrim VS Dark Souls.
- This is the second episode in which the track's lyrics play during the post-analysis, after Thor VS Vegeta, and with the next one being Skyrim VS Dark Souls.
- This episode reached #3 on YouTube's Trending page.
- This is the sixth 3D fight to directly follow another 3D fight, after Dante VS Bayonetta, Batgirl VS Spider-Gwen, Yoda VS King Mickey, Excalibur VS Raiden, and James Bond VS John Wick, and with the next one being Frieza VS Megatron.
- This is the fourth 3D fight to directly follow another 3D fight in the same season, after Batgirl VS Spider-Gwen, Excalibur VS Raiden, and James Bond VS John Wick, and with the next one being Frieza VS Megatron.
- On September 1st, 2024, the DEATH BATTLE! YouTube channel uploaded the full fight animation of this episode on its own, likely to commemorate the release of Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which came out three days earlier.