The Lord of the Rings is a movie trilogy made by Peter Jackson, adapted from the beloved fantasy, adventure book trilogy written by J. R. R. Tolkien. The movies were made all at once, over the course of two years. When released, the world first saw the films in their theatrical cut, but there are extended editions that came out when the films were first released to DVD.

In the extended cut of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, there is a character called the Mouth of Sauron that appears in a scene cut from the theatrical version. This character is blind and wears armor to cover it’s highly disfigured face. It also has a very large mouth with disgusting, yellow teeth and gums as black as death. In the scene, the viewers will be able to hear Sauron quietly whispering instructions to the Mouth of Sauron—which explains how the character is able to move about, even without its sight.

RELATED: LOTR: How Did Sméagol Become Gollum?

Sauron whispers to the Mouth and tells it to show Gandalf, along with the other members of the Fellowship, Frodo’s Mithril. It also says that Frodo suffered greatly. If viewers watch the creature’s mouth, they will notice that when it starts speaking the words Sauron is telling it to say, black ooze starts pouring from its gums. This scene played out a little differently than it did in the books. In the scene, Aragorn took out his sword and decapitated the creature when it started mocking him. In the book, Aragorn stared down the creature and made it cower in fear. The movie also didn’t take advantage of this really awesome character, because the scene was very short—only a minute or two.

So, if fans are looking for a bit more of an explanation, then they’ve come to the right place. This character was not like a Ringwraith—which were once Men, but became ghostly spirits and servants of Sauron who were neither living nor dead. The Mouth of Sauron was a living Man, though his name was “remembered in the no tale, for he himself had forgotten it.” During the War of the Ring, the Mouth of Sauron (who was one of Sauron’s most devoted servants) served as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dûr. He was also Sauron’s messenger, sometimes called the Messenger of Mordor.

The Mouth of Sauron was one of the Black Númenóreans. In this context, the color does not refer to a skin color, but rather to a group of Men who were fallen Númenóreans that opposed the Valar and were corrupted by Sauron. It is said the Mouth of Sauron was thousands of years old by the time of the War of the Ring, as the character entered Sauron’s service when the Dark Tower first rose. The character learned sorcery, and it is implied this is the reason for his long life.

Though Aragorn kills him in the movies, in the Return of the King novel, it is assumed he died sometime before the Battle of the Black Gate, or that he went on to become a leader in the retreat of Sauron’s servants after the Dark Tower fell. The Mouth of Sauron was one of the few evil servants who spoke directly to Sauron. When the Mouth of Sauron confronted Aragorn and the Fellowship right before the Battle of the Morranon, he taunted them saying how no Man from the west could treat with him, after he rejected Aragorn as king.

After dismissing Aragorn’s claim as king, the Mouth cowered in fear under Aragorn’s gaze and begged not to be attacked, for he was only an ambassador. When Gandalf assured him he would be safe, the Mouth took him to be the leader. The Messenger of Mordor was sent to persuade the West to give up the War, and it said if Gandalf and the others did not surrender, Sam and Frodo would be tortured for many years. In return for freeing Frodo and Sam, the Mouth of Sauron gave a lengthy list of demands and terms for their surrender, such as having Gondor withdraw anywhere past Anduin River, and they were to “never again assail Sauron the Great in arms, open or secret.” East of Anduin River was also to belong to Sauron, and any living in the land between the Gap of Rohan and the West were to be disarmed and praise Mordor.

Gandalf rightfully dismissed the terms, saying it was too big a ransom and doubted Sauron would even keep his word. Gandalf sent the Mouth of Sauron away as they had not come to bargain with a servant of the Dark Lord. The Mouth of Sauron then sent the forces of Mordor out to begin the battle seen in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

MORE: LOTR: Where Do The Characters Go When They Put On The Ring?