The Nome King is the main antagonist of Return to Oz.
Background[]
Personality[]
The Nome King has a pretty typical personality for an evil tyrant, being sophisticated, cruel, sadistic, and considerably domineering. His power is immense in his own right, but honed through the Ruby Slippers. He hates chickens, as their eggs are poison to his people. He is able to expand and contract his size at will, or appear as a menacing face in any rock, and especially in the walls of his underground kingdom.
Role in the film[]
- “Your majesty! She... has returned to Oz!"
"Good, good. Keep an eye on her. Well, what's the matter? What is it?"
"She has a... chicken with her!"
"A CHICKEN??!!” - ―An unidentified rock spy and the Nome King[src]
The Nome King found Dorothy's ruby slippers after they fell on his mountain. Using them, he conquered the Emerald City, turning its inhabitants into stone, with the exception of the Scarecrow, whom he captured. When Dorothy arrives in Oz, he is informed by one of his minions, who reports that a chicken is accompanying Dorothy, making the Nome King furious.
When Dorothy, Tik-Tok, Jack Pumpkinhead, and the Gump arrive in the Nome Kingdom, the Nome King transforms the Scarecrow into an ornament. He tells Dorothy that the emeralds are originally his and that the Scarecrow stole them from him, but she knows he is lying because the emeralds were there before the Scarecrow became king. The Nome King consoles her and offers to let Dorothy and her companions play a guessing game with each of his ornaments to see which one is the Scarecrow. If they guessed right, he would be restored, but if they guess wrong three times, they would turn into ornaments. Whenever one of them is turned into an ornament, the Nome King becomes more human in appearance. All are turned into ornaments except Dorothy, who is able to get the Scarecrow back and realizes that the Ozians were turned into green ornaments.
Furious at this, the Nome King blames Mombi, who previously had locked Dorothy up in her tower and was unable to prevent her from escaping, so he imprisons her in a cage to punish her later, turns into a giant form, and attempts to swallow the others shortly after they find the Gump and Jack. He tries to eat the former, but only succeeds in eating the sofa part of him, as they are able to save his head. He then tries to eat Jack, but Billina, who has been inside Jack's head since their arrival on the mountain, lays an egg, which falls down his throat. As eggs are poisonous to Nomes, it kills him, leaving only a pile of rocks and the ruby slippers. His followers retreat, and their castle collapses, while Dorothy and her companions escape.
Trivia[]
- Nicol Williamson also played Dr. Worley; both have a ruby ring on their finger and are smoking a pipe, and the Nome King's demise reflects the hospital burning down and Dr. Worley's subsequent death, as with Nurse Wilson and Mombi, who are both imprisoned at the end.
Gallery[]
