diff --git a/packages/flame/lib/src/components/core/component_tree_root.dart b/packages/flame/lib/src/components/core/component_tree_root.dart
index f5b0b44e913..2d5f1c33380 100644
--- a/packages/flame/lib/src/components/core/component_tree_root.dart
+++ b/packages/flame/lib/src/components/core/component_tree_root.dart
@@ -137,10 +137,18 @@ class ComponentTreeRoot extends Component {
   }
 
   void processLifecycleEvents() {
+    if (!hasLifecycleEvents) {
+      assert(
+        _lifecycleEventsCompleter == null,
+        'The completer is only ever created while events are queued, so it '
+        'should never exist while the queue is empty',
+      );
+      return;
+    }
     // reorder events to process later grouped by parent
-    final reorderParents = <Component>{};
+    Set<Component>? reorderParents;
     LifecycleEventStatus handleReorderEvent(Component parent) {
-      reorderParents.add(parent);
+      (reorderParents ??= {}).add(parent);
       return LifecycleEventStatus.done;
     }
 
@@ -151,7 +159,8 @@ class ComponentTreeRoot extends Component {
       for (final event in queue) {
         final child = event.child!;
         final parent = event.parent!;
-        if (_blocked.contains(child) || _blocked.contains(parent)) {
+        if (_blocked.isNotEmpty &&
+            (_blocked.contains(child) || _blocked.contains(parent))) {
           continue;
         }
 
@@ -176,7 +185,7 @@ class ComponentTreeRoot extends Component {
       _blocked.clear();
     }
 
-    for (final parent in reorderParents) {
+    for (final parent in reorderParents ?? const <Component>{}) {
       parent.rebalanceChildren();
     }