Highlights
- The Master of Laketown is a greedy man who prioritizes his own wealth over the well-being of his town's people.
- The three trolls pose an initial challenge for Bilbo and the dwarves, but their low intelligence prevents them from being a major threat.
- Bolg, though a physical threat, lacks the calculating leadership to become a bigger villain, leaving that role to Azog instead.
The Hobbit Trilogy is a series of films that are prequels to the Lord of the Rings movies. Set sixty years before Frodo is given the One Ring, Bilbo Baggins is set on a task to help thirteen dwarves as they trek across Middle Earth to reclaim their kingdom from the dragon, Smaug. While a dragon is an intimidating villain for the heroes to contend with, there are plenty more obstacles on their journey in this fantasy tale.
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On the way to Erebor, Bilbo must face trolls, find the One Ring, and take part in the Battle of the Five Armies. All of these objectives mean that some villains are lying in wait to make their presence known in The Hobbit. Also, some old faces show up to help Gandalf in his side story to decipher the identity of a mysterious Necromancer.
8 The Master of Laketown
A Greedy Man Who Makes Life Difficult For Laketown's Citizens
Before Bibo and the dwarves can venture on toward the lone mountain and face Smaug, they must first rest up and find some weapons with the aid of Bard the Bowman in Laketown. Bard is a good man with a family, but his goal to make a living as a fisherman for the town is constantly made more difficult by the Master of Laketown. Played excellently by Stephen Fry, the Master is shown to be a greedy man who only cares for the acquisition of more gold, even if that means his town's people go hungry.
While the Master of Laketown is indeed evil, he is more of a villain to Bard and the rest of his town rather than Bilbo and company. He does try and briefly impede Thorin's quest; however, he quickly reverses this decision when he finds out the dwarf may return with more gold.
7 The Three Trolls
Tom, Will, and Bert Try To Cook The Company In Search Of Food
The first obstacle facing Bilbo on his adventure are the three trolls; Tom, Will, and Bert. These clumsy beasts steal some of the company's ponies, and it is up to Bilbo to try and rescue them. However, this rescue mission fails and results in the trolls capturing and trying to cook Bilbo and the dwarves. It is only by some quick thinking from the hobbit that the trolls are distracted enough to not notice the arrival of Gandalf and the rising of the sun, which turns them into stone.
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The three trolls are cartoonish in nature, and they only seem to be interested in filling their bellies, rather than engaging in any nefarious plots. As such, these villains are not some of the best the series has to offer. Plus, their low intelligence stops them from being a true threat to the group.
6 Bolg
Azog's Right-hand Man
In the novel, Bolg is actually the leader of the Gundabad troops who try to lay siege to Erebor at the Battle of the FIve Armies. In the movies, he is brought in as second in command to his father, Azog, and continues the pursuit of the dwarves when the pale orc is called back to Dol Guldur to meet with Sauron. Bolg is ruthless in this pursuit, and even manages to poison Kili with an arrow, so the dwarf has to miss out on the rest of the adventure to Erebor.
As a villain, Bolg does a great job of being a physical threat. He even has a thrilling stand-off with Legolas during the trilogy. However, there is not much else the character gets to achieve. All the calculating and leadership decisions a villain like this needs to become a bigger threat are handled by Azog instead.
5 Goblin King
Nearly Succeeds In Ending The Journey
After a brief rest in a cave on their journey from Rivendell, the company is captured and brought underground by a pack of goblins. The leader of this mad rabble is the large and intimidating Goblin King. This creature is clearly only in charge of the goblins because of his large stature, but that does not mean that he does not have any real power. The king sentences the dwarves to death, and the group only escape due to the timely arrival of Gandalf.
The Goblin King may not have a big role in the trilogy, but he is certainly memorable. Also, he is the villain who comes the closest to killing Thorin and the rest of the dwarves before they even enter a real battle.
4 Gollum
A Familiar Face Who Is More Than Happy To Eat Bilbo
While the dwarves have been captured by the goblins, Bilbo is lost in the mountains alone, where he finds the One Ring and its former owner, Gollum. Fans of Middle Earth will recognize Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, and remember that the character played the role of a villain in that series too. For Bilbo to escape the mountains, he must win a game of riddles with Gollum or be eaten by the creature. Even though Bilbo wins the game, it becomes clear that Gollum was not so keen on holding up his end of the bargain.
The sneaky villain tries to put on the ring to try and catch Bilbo by surprise, but soon realizes it is missing. It is then that he finds out Bilbo has his precious ring and vows to hunt him down to retrieve it once more. It is a vow that leads Golum to find Frodo and become a villain in the rest of the series.
3 The Necromancer
The Secret Identity Of Sauron
When Gandlaf leaves the main group, he does so in an attempt to investigate The Necromancer and his domain in Dol Guldur. Unfortunately, this quest reveals that The Necromancer is in fact Sauron, who plans to rebuild his strength here in secret. Gandalf and the rest of the White Council are able to route Sauron from the fortress, but that just leads to his quest of retrieving the One Ring and laying siege to the free people of Middle Earth as he does in the Lord of the Rings.
Sauron may be the big bad of Middle Earth, and he does a good job of threatening some of the most powerful heroes in The Hobbit movies. However, he never comes into contact with Bilbo or his quest, so his villainous presence isn't felt as much in the main narrative.
2 Azog
The Main Threat To The Dwarves
The goal of Azog the Defiler is laid out early on in the first Hobbit movie. He is one of the chief lieutenants of Sauron with a simple goal: he wants to erase the line of Durin after Thorin cuts off his arm in a battle at the gates of Moria. Once viewers are introduced to Azog, they see him stop at nothing to kill Thorin and the rest of the company, and it is only by some luck that Thorin and the others manage to escape the pale orc for so long and make it to Erebor unscathed.
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Sadly, Azog does accomplish his goal and takes out Thorin at the Battle of the Five Armies. However, this act also claims his own life, which is just as well. Azog is too ferocious a villain to be left in Middle Earth unchecked.
1 Smaug
The Ultimate Test For The Company
The humongous Dragon is what stands between the dwarves and their long-forgotten gold. He is the one who took over Erebor in the first place, and Smaug has remained guarding the gold in the mountain ever since. He is an egotistical monster who seems to enjoy crushing the innocent with his immense power. It is only thanks to Bilbo having access to the One Ring that the boastful dragon is coerced into leaving Erebor and the gold to lay waste to Laketown.
It is here that the mighty dragon is slain. Smaug lets his ego and vanity prevent him from noticing Bard preparing an arrow to be fired at his only weak spot. The dragon falls, but that does not stop Smaug from being the ultimate test for the hobbit and one of the greatest villains in all fiction.