The Best Lord Of The Rings Villains

Key Takeaways

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• The Lord of the Rings
  features some of the best villains in pop culture, from terrifying creatures to wayward souls led astray.
• These villains, such as Saruman and Shelob, pose significant threats to our heroes and their mission to destroy the One Ring.
• Sauron, the ultimate villain, controls a legion of orcs and evil men and is determined to rule Middle-earth.

The Lord of the Rings is a story with large-scale battles, great character moments, and epic feats of heroism. However, many of these deeds would mean nothing without some great villains standing in the way of our heroes, and Tolkien has given us some intimidating figures that seem unbeatable.

The villains in The Lord of the Rings could be some of the most terrifying creatures imaginable or some wayward soul who has been led astray. Either way, the series contains some of the best villains in pop culture history which is why their defeat resonates with so many.

Updated October 2nd, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: Beyond the lore of the Peter Jackson movies, which includes both the LotR and The Hobbit trilogies, there are even more powerful antagonists to be found in the expansive lore of the whole universe of Arda. The Rings of Power, a famously expensive show on Amazon, includes some of the more obscure figures in Tolkien’s lore. These include some new villains that haven’t appeared yet in any adaptations, along with some familiar faces that have been featured in both animated and live-action versions of the books.

12 The Mouth Of Sauron

A Terrifying Presence Despite Limited Screen Time

• Appeared In: The Return of the King (2003).

The Mouth of Sauron is a man who was once corrupted by the dark lord. He is in direct contact with Sauron in the tower of Barad Dur, and is responsible for relaying his master’s plans to the lower servants of Mordor. Such a role has left the Mouth of Sauron scarred and disfigured. He is a menacing presence but rarely sees the field of battle.

The Mouth of Sauron is the lone figure who rides out to meet Aragorn and his followers at the Black Gate after the siege of Minas Tirith. His attempt to dismay the king with ill rumors of Frodo’s death is short-lived as the Mouth is beheaded on the spot and never seen again.

11 Shelob

A Hungry Monster Who Nearly Ends Frodo’s Quest

• Appeared In: The Return of the King, (2003).

Shelob is one of the last children of the wicked Ungoliant from the First Age. She is a giant spider left alone to guard the narrow passages of Cirith Ungol. Sauron has no direct control over the spider, but he has no issue with her feeding on wayward orcs or trespassers who try to sneak into Mordor.

Frodo is unfortunate enough to come into contact with this monster on his journey to destroy the Ring. Shelob is stealthy enough to ensnare the hobbit, but her plans to eat the ring-bearer are interrupted by Sam at the last minute. If the gardener had not arrived on time, then Shelob may well have devoured Middle-earth’s only chance to destroy Sauron for good.

10 Lurtz

Successfully Kills One Of The Fellowship

• Appeared In:The Fellowship Of The Ring, (2001).

Lurtz is a character who was created exclusively for the movies to give the Uruk-Hai a face. He is one of the first Uruks to be created by Saruman in Isengard and is tasked with hunting down the fellowship of the ring and bringing the halflings to Saruman’s tower for torture and torment.

This mission brings Lurtz and his Uruk-Hai followers into direct contact with the main heroes at the seat of Amon Hen. Although Frodo escapes combat, Lurtz is able to slay Boromir with three arrows, as the warrior valiantly tries to defend Merry and Pippin. Lurtz is ultimately defeated by Aragorn, but his actions manage to break the fellowship and make the ring-bearer more vulnerable than ever.

9 Gothmog

The Brutal Leader Of The Siege Of Minas Tirith

• Appeared In: The Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

Sauron wasn’t going to have much success in taking over Minas Tirith with a leaderless rabble of orcs. That is why Gothmog was sent to lead his troops during the last stand of the free people in the West. Gothmog’s hatred of men is what drives his cunning mind to successfully breach the walls of Gondor’s primary city, and even serves him well when the Rohirim arrive as reinforcements on the Pelennor.

If it wasn’t for Aragorn siding with the dead, Gothmog may have wiped out a good chunk of Gondor and Rohan with his forces. Unfortunately, the orc leader was cut down by the dead in his attempt to slay Eowyn.

8 Grima Wormtongue

A Wicked Man Who Does Saruman’s Bidding

• Appeared In: The Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

Grima Wormtonuge is not an evil warrior brandishing a mighty weapon. Instead, this man of Rohan uses his words and powers of persuasion to get what he wants and to manipulate those in power to his will.

Wormtongue is the chief advisor of King Theoden in Rohan but, little do the people know, Grima is actually in league with Saruman. At the behest of his master, Wormtongue is slowly able to poison Theoden’s mind, so the king is apathetic to the destruction of his kingdom. It is only due to the fortunate arrival of Gandalf the White that Grima is expelled, and the king freed of his venomous words.

7 Denethor

A Paranoid And Stubborn Ruler

• Appeared In:The Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

The literary version of Denethor is a more sympathetic figure than his film adaptation, who might not be a villain, but is definitely an antagonist. In the books, he made the mistake of looking into a Palantir and misunderstood what he saw. In both versions, however, it is his poor choices, along with a stubborn insistence on being the smartest guy in the room, that almost dooms Minas Tirith to destruction.

Denethor’s indifference and cruelty are put in stark relief by his treatment of his sons, Boromir and Faramir, and nobody likes a parent who favors one kid over the other. Despite Denethor’s change of heart when Faramir is dying, he still wants to soak him in oil and light him on fire, refusing to believe his son still lives. On top of all this, he’s also rude to Pippin, which is totally unforgivable.

6 Gollum

The Evil Side Of A Warped Mind

• Appeared In: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

Gollum started his life as a river-dwelling hobbit called Smeagol. It was only when he found the One Ring that he was driven to commit murder and flee into the mountains to hide with his precious. Gollum lived an unnaturally long life until a chance meeting with Bilbo Baggins caused him to lose the Ring.

He did not see his precious again until he met Frodo on his journey to destroy the Ring for good. During his time with the hobbit, some of Smeagol was redeemed and the evil within the creature subsided. Unfortunately, Gollum soon returned to try and kill Frodo by leading him directly into the path of Shelob. Luckily, Gollum’s evil is what drove him to bite off the ring-bearer’s finger, causing the object and Gollum to fall into the fires of Mount Doom.

5 The Watcher In The Water

It Reached For The Ringbearer

• Appeared In: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

An otherwise nameless monster who might have been taken for just another cave troll or oversized orc, the creature known as The Watcher in the Water isn’t just soaking in a pool in front of the Gates of Moria by happy accident. After they manage to fight the creature off, it traps the Fellowship in the mines, forcing them to continue further on despite the danger ahead of them.

Gandalf guesses that this is also not a mere coincidence. Not only did the Watcher choose to reach for Frodo despite the fact that several others were also within easy reach of the creature’s tentacles, but trapping them in Moria seemed like a calculated move to drive them towards the goblins, and eventually, the Balrog.

4 The Balrog

An Ancient Monster Too Powerful For Gandalf The Gray

• Appeared In:The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

The Balrog that the fellowship runs into in Moria is an ancient creature in Middle-earth that once served Sauron’s master, Morgoth, in the First Age. Luckily for the Fellowship, and everyone in Midle-earth, its kind had all been wiped out or lost to time except for the one still slept in the depths of Moria.

It is only drawn from the darkness when the Fellowship tries to journey under the mountain as they continue east. Everything flees before this unholy monster, and it is only due to a stand-off with Gandalf that the rest of his companions escape the mines unharmed. The Balrog is too powerful for the wizard, and Gandalf the Gray also falls in Moria.

3 The Witch King

Sauron’s Chief Servant

• Appeared In: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

The Witch King of Angmar is the leader of the Nazgul, the deadly spirits of corrupted men drawn to the power of the One Ring. He is an undead creature, but more like a wraith or lich than a ghost, and his mere presence is enough to strike fear into the hearts of any living creature.

The Witch King has two major victories in the Lord of the Rings. The first is when he stabs Frodo at Weathertop and nearly takes the Ring back for his master. If not for the interception of Aragorn and Arwen, the quest would have ended.

The second is when the Witch King kills the king of Rohan, Theoden, at the battle of Pelennor Fields. He deliberately draws the king’s death out as long as possible, which draws out Eowyn to defend her fallen uncle. The grief of such a loss is what leads to his eventual demise at the hands of Merry and Eowyn.

2 Saruman

Swayed By The Power Of The Ring

• Appeared In: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

When viewers first meet Saruman, he is the head of the White Council; a wizard who Gandalf trusts implicitly. Sadly, it isn’t long until the former Maia sides with Sauron. He even imprisons Gandalf in Isengard, which forces Frodo to act alone at the start of his quest.

The betrayer is hell-bent on retrieving the One Ring and destroying the world of men, Saruman builds his army of Uruk-Hai and sets about destroying his old allies in Rohan. It is only his lack of awareness about the surrounding forest that leads to Saruman’s downfall at the hands of the Ents.

1 Sauron

The End Boss Of Every LotR Story

• Appeared In: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), Two Towers (2002), Return of the King, (2003).

Every other villain in Middle-earth only performs their evil deeds at the behest of one person: Sauron. This fallen Maia is responsible for the creation of the Rings of Power and all the destruction they have caused. His one and only goal is to rule Middle-earth, even if that involves wiping out anyone or anything who dares oppose him.

He controls a legion of Orcs and evil men willing to die for Sauron’s victory, or just to show their loyalty. Every corrupted force in the Third Age can be traced back to Sauron, including several villains on this list. Saruman is seduced by his deadly lies and monsters like the Balrog and the Watcher were under his command as part of Melkor’s forces. It is only by luck, and the power of Hobbits, which enabled the free people of Middle-earth to get rid of the tyrant once and for all.