In The Lord of the Rings, a group of characters must overcome every obstacle to defeat the ultimate evil. The team consists of the three main inhabitants of Middle Earth as well as shorter and some more powerful friends working together to destroy the One Ring. But not every decision made during The Lord of the Rings was a good one.
The villains made blunders that ultimately led to their downfall. The heroes made blunders that made their journey to Mount Doom even more treacherous. Every step of the way, decisions both good and bad shaped the journey and helped bring one of the most epic stories to life.
10 Merry: Cooked Bacon
In the grand scheme of decision in The Lord of the Rings, this may seem small and innocent, but Merry's decision to cook a meal for Sam and Pippin over a campfire causes far too much trouble. The light from the fire gives away their positions to the Nazgûl. Frodo ends up being stabbed with a poison blade in the attack.
This basic mistake is completely understandable. At this point in their lives and their journey, the Hobbits have never seen real peril. Still, this decision almost costs Frodo his life if not for the quick actions of Aragorn and Arwen.
9 Pippin: Touched An Arrow
While trying to make their way through Moria, the Fellowship is shocked to learn an unknown an enemy has killed all the dwarves. It's here where Pippin makes the mistake of touching an arrow sticking out of a corpse. The body falls loudly down a well alerting the orcs to their positions.
This leads to Frodo being stabbed for the second time on this journey, and he was only protected by wearing a coat mithril chain mail. While it was unlikely the Fellowship would never be detected, this decision ensured they would be in danger quicker than they should have been.
8 Saruman: Cutting Down Fanghorn Forest
Saruman is Sauron's greatest ally during The Lord of the Rings, but he makes a bad decision that ends his power. Perceived to be the greatest of the wizards, Saruman was wise and strategic, but he failed when he chopped down the trees around Isengard. The Ents saw the deforestation and joined the War on the side of Merry and Pippin.
The Ents wouldn't have gotten involved if the trees were still there. Had he not cut down the forest, he wouldn't have had to worry about this new threat who neutralized him before the survivors of Helm's Deep approached Isengard.
7 Pippin: Looking At the Seeing Stone
This is one of the bad decisions that could've been a lot worse but actually helped the heroes. After the fall of Isengard, Gandalf, Merry and Pippin found the Palantir, but Pippin became too enamored with it and decided to sneak a peak. This put him in direct contact with Sauron who tortured the Hobbit for information, although Pippin stayed strong.
While it was certainly troublesome for everyone involved, Pippin did get a look into Sauron's plan. This allowed Gandalf and Pippin to ride to Gondor and warn them about the plan to attack Minas Tirith. Yes, the heroes were able to win because of this action, but if Pippin's will wasn't as strong as it was, it could've led to Sauron's ultimate victory.
6 Aragorn: Let Grima Live
Nobility is a wonderful trait, but it can come back to hurt during times of war. Grima Wormtongue had gained influence over King Théoden. Once Gandalf the White arrives with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas, they are able to free Théoden from Grima's influence. However, when Théoden tries to execute Grima, Aragorn stops him.
This allows Grima to flee right to Saruman and provide vital information about Théoden's plans. Saruman knew about the weakness of Helm's Deep, costing people their lives and weakening the forces of good. It's a costly mistake by Aragorn.
5 Denethor: Tries To Burn Son Alive
While some parents may play favorites with their children, few have taken it to the level of Denethor. The Steward of Gondor adored Boromir while always looking down upon Faramir. After Boromir's death, Denethor devolves into madness and sends Faramir into a battle he can't win.
When Faramir returns nearly dead, Denethor decides to take his own life and burn with his dead son. Of course, Faramir was still alive and while Pippin and Gandalf was able to save the son, Denethor had already set himself on fire. He died by himself while his son lived on.
4 Frodo: Sending Sam Away
Sam has chosen to be by Frodo's side from the beginning of the journey. Frodo tried to keep Samwise Gamgee out of the fray, but his loyal gardener wouldn't leave his side. Sam was there every step of the way through the lands of men, elves and dwarves. By the time Frodo and Sam are climbing the Stairs of Cirith Ungol, Sam's loyalty should be unquestioned.
Still, Gollum has framed Sam for eating too much food on their journey. This sets up an argument between Sam and Gollum, but Frodo chooses to send Sam away. It's a poor decision on many fronts, but the most obvious is the person who has proven him the most deserves better treatment. Plus, it sets up Frodo's next bad decision.
3 Frodo: Trusting Gollum
While it makes sense that Frodo would need more than just Sam's help to get to Mount Doom, and Gollum played a pivotal part in the ring's destruction; trusting Gollum still came with dire consequences. The main issue is when Frodo follows Gollum into Shelob's lair almost derailing the entire mission.
Frodo has believed Gollum to be redeemed, because the hobbit has been trying to build a relationship with Sméagol, however, it's a ploy for Gollum to steal back the ring. Frodo follows Gollum at the worst possible time, and he's lucky Sam proved to be the true hero of the series.
2 Boromir: Tried To Take Ring
Boromir never hid his desire to see the Ring delivered to Gondor. He wanted to harness the Ring's power, which was always a bad decision. Still, Boromir willingly joined the Fellowship on their mission to destroy the ring. In a moment of weakness, he tried to take the Ring which fractured the Fellowship sending them all in different directions.
Boromir would immediately try to undo the attempt, but he never could. He eventually gave his own life to ensure Frodo and Sam got away from orcs, but the Hobbits no longer had the Fellowship's protection. Merry and Pippin were taken away by orcs, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli were now hunters rather than protectors.
1 Frodo: Decided To Keep The Ring
Frodo's worst decisions come from the corruption brought by the Ring. Given his proximity to it, it's understandable that an object that powerful would start to influence his decisions. But Frodo ends up in the same place as Ilsildur when it comes to destroying the Ring.
Frodo allows the Ring to persuade him to not destroy it. It would've allowed Sauron to continue his rise to power and is the ultimate betrayal for their journey. Gollum's greed ends up being Frodo's salvation as the creature bites off Frodo's finger to get the ring but accidentally destroys it and himself.