The 'One Does Not Simply' meme originated from the 2001 film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. During the Council of Elrond, the character Boromir, played by Sean Bean, warns the group that 'One does not simply walk into Mordor,' emphasizing the extreme danger of the quest. The meme's popularity exploded on sites like Something Awful and Reddit, usually featuring a specific frame of Boromir making a circular gesture with his hand. It has since evolved into a versatile template used to highlight any task that is significantly more complex or perilous than it initially appears.