Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy has become an influential part of pop culture in the decades since it was first released, and it looks like it may have inspired one of the creepiest boss fights in Resident Evil Requiem. Whether it’s an accidental homage or a deliberate nod to 2003’s Return of the King, the similarities are uncanny, but no one at Capcom is talking… yet.
If you haven’t played the game yet, consider this a spoiler warning–and if you’re an arachnophobe, you’ll want to click away as well.
You were warned
Spotted by Best Cine Moments on X, it looks like a few seconds of Resident Evil Requiem mirrors the scene where Frodo encounters the giant spider Shelob in Return of the King. Those few seconds are remade almost shot-for-shot in Resident Evil Requiem, mirroring the stealthy appearance of Shelob above Frodo with an eight-legged bioweapon that briefly stalks Leon S. Kennedy when he returns to Raccoon City.
This Leon scene felt so familiar because it mirrors a scene from The Lord of the Rings film series. pic.twitter.com/Xpx0nlABk9
— Best Cine Moments 🍿 (@SceneinCinema) April 8, 2026
In Return of the King, that meeting goes poorly for Frodo after he gets an abdomen full of paralytic poison from Shelob. In Requiem? That clash goes badly for the giant mutant spider, because it’s no match for a resourceful operative armed with guns and one-liners. Would The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been much shorter if it swapped out Frodo for Kennedy? Probably, because we doubt that the Balrog would have lasted long against an operative who can parry missiles with a hatchet.
In related news, Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics is reportedly working on a new The Lord of the Rings game alongside developer Revenge. Several games based on the IP have been made over the years, ranging from Monolith’s well-received Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to the infamous 2023 title The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
In 2024, Embracer Group–who owns the gaming rights to The Lord of the Rings–said that it was prototyping ideas for several new LOTR games. Meanwhile, Resident Evil Requiem has emerged as one of this year’s biggest hits, selling millions of units and adding a photo mode recently.