Top 10 'The Lord Of The Rings' Characters

TV & Film

Sep 29

One of the best things about J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece The Lord of the Rings is the characters that he created. The vast number of species that exist within Middle-earth allow for incredibly dynamic characters. With the addition of The Hobbit films and The Rings of Power series on Amazon Prime, we have hundreds if not thousands of characters to fall in love with. Another thing that is so great about the characters is how attached to the roles the actors are. They love the characters as much as we do! I am a huge fan of all of Middle-earth, so I have compiled a list of 10 of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings franchise. Warning!! Contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. No spoilers for The Rings of Power!

10. Gollum

I love Gollum, and if we are being honest, he is the most pivotal character in the franchise. Not only does he play a major role in The Hobbit by being the reason Bilbo finds the ring, but he also is one of the main reasons that Sam and Frodo make it as far as they do in The Lord of the Rings. He also kept Sauron from getting the ring for centuries by keeping it hidden in the caves. Andy Serkis is a genius in this role, and I cannot wait to get more of him in the next film!

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9. Merry & Pippin

Merry and Pippin are two of the most underrated characters in the franchise. Most people only think of them as the goofballs that drive Gandalf nuts in the first film, but they are so much more than that! Not only did they choose to help Frodo and Sam before they even knew what they were doing, but they also convinced the Ents to go to war and help stop Saruman, who was creating the orc army. The pair also adds some much-needed comedic relief especially in the later films when things begin to feel completely hopeless.

8. Aragorn

While some of you may be surprised to see Aragorn this high on the list, I just couldn’t move him any lower! Aragon is pivotal to the franchise, and Viggo Mortensen is outstanding in this role. He is so brave and willing to sacrifice his life to protect the Hobbits, but if I am being honest, my favorite thing about his character is his relationship with Arwen.

7. Balin

I feel like Balin is a character that is often overlooked when discussing characters in the franchise. He only appears in person in The Hobbit trilogy, but he does technically appear in The Fellowship of the Ring. He is the dwarf that is entombed in Khazad-dûm that Gimli mourns when they make it into the mines of Moria. Balin is the kindest of the dwarves in The Hobbit, and he is the one who tries to help Bilbo the most. His most important moment, though, is The Battle of the Five Armies, when he encourages Bilbo not to give the Arkenstone to Thorin because he has already been consumed by dragon sickness.

6. Gandalf

Gandalf is one of the most loved characters of the franchise, and it is not without good reason. Not only is he the one who protects the dwarves and the hobbits, but he is also the one who starts all of the journeys. He encourages Thorin to take back the mountain; he is the one who convinces Bilbo to leave his ring to Frodo, and then he is the one who explains to Frodo what he must do with the ring. I always thought that Gandalf was my favorite character until my husband pointed out that he is like the Goku of Middle-earth because he always seems to disappear right when he is needed most. Now I can’t unsee that, so he had to be bumped on the list a little bit.

5. Gimli

The dwarves of Middle-earth are some of the best characters in the franchise. Gimli is easily the bravest character in the franchise. He not only is the first person to attempt to destroy the ring when it is shown in Rivendell, but he always runs straight into danger to protect his friends. One of the best things about his character, though, is his humor. Throughout the trilogy, he never loses his humor, no matter what the danger.

4. Galadriel

Galadriel has also been a favorite character of mine, but it was also because I love Cate Blanchett and the relationship between Galadriel and Gandalf. I never expected to put her in my top 10 list until seeing her character in The Rings of Power. My favorite thing about that series is seeing how her character went from being a hardened warrior to the Lady Galadriel that we know from the films. Without young Galadriel, her character feels very one-dimensional, but getting her back story has completely changed her character and made her one of my favorites.

3. Tauriel

I know that Tauriel was created for The Hobbit films and was not created by Tolkien, but that does not take away how great of a character she is. She literally gets herself banished from her home because she feels that it was the duty of the elves to stop the orcs from hurting the dwarves or anyone else. This is completely different from the way all other elves think, and this is what led to us getting such an amazing version of Legolas in The Lord of the Rings films. Seeing how selfless Tauriel is changed him for the better.

2. Bilbo

I love Bilbo Baggins, but he really shows what a great character he is in The Hobbit trilogy. When we first meet him, he is pretty self-centered, and he still leaves his home to help the Dwarves take back their home. Bilbo’s character development throughout these three films is unmatched by any other film franchise. He has so many great moments, but Bilbo running into flames to save Thorin at the end of An Unexpected Journey is my favorite, and I still get goosebumps when I watch it!

1. Samwise

I have already written a full article on why Sam is one of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings, which you can find here, but I’ll do a quick recap! One of the best things about Sam is his dedication to the promise he made to Gandalf. He promised him that he would not lose Frodo, and he kept that promise beyond all expectations. Sam is willing to give his life to keep Frodo safe, and if it wasn’t for Sam, Frodo would have failed on his journey to Mordor multiple times. He literally carries Frodo just so he can make it to Mount Doom! Sam is the best and sweetest character in the franchise.

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films are available to stream on Max, and new episodes of The Rings of Power are available to stream on Thursday on Amazon Prime.

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