A furious dispute has erupted among fans of The Lord of the Rings over a decision to make the fictional character Aragorn black in a new collectible card game.

The new Aragorn will feature on a collectible card which will make up part of a series of Lord of the Rings-themed cards by Magic: The Gathering.

Artwork featuring the character was unveiled in a tweet on Monday from an account run by the franchise, which was released in 1993 and is now a subsidiary of Hasbro.

Switching the identity of characters in adaptations of classic works is controversial. Advocates say it’s important to improve the representation of underrepresented groups but critics say it’s a violation of the original material.