My favorite detail of the Lord of the Rings is that the Black Riders were their disguises to try to walk among humans get information about the ring. Like...that was them trying to NOT seem like agents of evil. That was them trying to be normal.
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Facts. Canonically, their presence is more terrifying when they’re invisible, this getup is their only other option I guess. Though to be fair, Gandalf is mistaken for them, so they’re both probably supposed to be wearing similar cloaks somewhere in the middle.
In the book, it is a somewhat better disguise. They appear as creepy men in black cloak, but still just men. At least long enough for them to have quiet conversations with hobbits, asking for directions. In the movie, they just scream at the hobbits while riding their hellsteeds.
I think in the book, it's helped by the fact that hobbits automatically find humans to be weird and creepy, so the hobbits that the Nazgul are talking to assume that some of the freaky vibes they're getting from these guys is because that's just how humans are.
The really wild part is they did a better job than most of our real-life villains. Like, does Elon Musk not realize that if you showed his picture to someone who had no idea who he is, their first guess would probably be "latest Bond film baddie?"
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This was their how do you do fellow kids?
Inn Keeper: oh of course