Highlights
- 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 an epic fantasy tale that sees all manner of heroes band together to destroy the One Ring of Power and prevent the dark lord Sauron from returning to enslave the free peoples of Middle Earth. It is a story with large 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.
The villains in The Lord of the Rings can be some of the most terrifying creatures imaginable or some wayward soul who has been led astray. Either way, the series is full of some of the best villains in all of pop culture.
10 The Mouth of Sauron
A Terrifying Presence With Limited Screen Time
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.
9 Shelob
A Hungry Monster Who Nearly Ends Frodo's Quest
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.
LOTR: Who Was Ungoliant?
Assuming the shape of “a spider of monstrous form”, Ungoliant served as a servant of Melkor before becoming a “mistress of her own lust” eventually.
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.
8 Lurtz
Successfully Kills One Of The Fellowship
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.
7 Gothmog
Brutal Leader Of The Siege of Minas Tirith
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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 well 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.
6 Grima Wormtongue
A Wicked Man Who Does Saruman's Bidding
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.
5 Gollum
The Evil Side Of A Warped Mind
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.
4 Balrog
An Ancient Monster Too Powerful For Gandalf The Gray
The Balrog that the fellowship runs into in Moria is an ancient creature in Middle Earth, one that once served Sauron's master, Morgoth, in the First Age. Thankfully, its kind had all been wiped out or lost to time, but one still slept in the depths of Moria.
It is only awoken when the fellowship tries to journey under the mountain on their quest. Everything flees before this beast, and it is only due to a stand-off with Gandalf that the fellowship escapes the mines unharmed. Sadly, the Balrog is too powerful for the wizard, and Gandalf the Gray falls in Moria.
3 The Witch King
Sauron's Chief Servant
The Witch King of Angmar is the leader of the Nazgul, the deadly spirits of corrupted men who are drawn to the power of the Ring. He is a magical specter whose mere presence is enough to strike fear into the hearts of any living creature.
LOTR: Could A Nazgul Defeat Gandalf?
Gandalf was the wisest and eventually the most powerful wizard in all of Middle-Earth, but could he have stood up to the might of the Nazgûl?
The Witch King has two major victories in the Lord of the Rings. 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 there. Second is when the Witch King is able to kill the king of Rohan, Theoden, at the battle of Pelennor Fields. The grief of such a loss is what leads to his eventual demise at the hands of Merry and Eowyn.
2 Saruman
A Betrayal On The Side Of Good
When viewers first meet Saruman, he is the head of the White Council; a wizard who Gandalf trusts. Sadly, it isn't long until fans find out that the white wizard has forsaken the free people and sided 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 Ring and destroying the world of men. As such, Saruman builds his own 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 Biggest Bad
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 any who dare oppose him.
LOTR: Why Is Sauron Afraid Of Aragorn?
As one of the mightiest villains in fictional history, Sauron should have nothing to fear from a mortal man. However, Aragorn was a special case.
He controls a legion of orcs and evil men who are 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, and it is only luck that enabled the free people to get rid of the tyrant once and for all.
