Most fantasy fans and avid movie buffs are familiar with the main cast of Lord of the Rings. The cast features some of the most powerful and well-known heroes and villains of our time. There were two categories, of course: enslaved and free. The enslaved worked for the “Lord of the Ring” himself and Saruman the White. Some of the enslaved creatures were orcs (manufactured in a kind of magical lab in huge numbers to serve as disposable fighters).
I am leaving out most of the main cast for this article, and am ignoring most of the wizards, elves, and dwarves. Everyone knows what Hobbits, Elves, and Wizards are, but there are whole armies of the dead and other fantastical beasts that help out the main cast. Here is a break down of the most powerful (and weakest) creatures that help and serve the main cast.
11. Weakest: Hobbits
Although there are five well-known hobbits in the movie, the Hobbit race themselves are weak. They are humans, only smaller. With no special powers and limited fighting skills, they are a peaceful race highly into socializing, partying, and eating. The race, as a whole, stays away from getting involved in the battles of the other races. They prefer living peaceful lives free of conflict.
10. Men
There aren’t too many humans in the movies. There were a couple of notable humans but the rest were normal size and similar to hobbits. There were two categories of men: free and enslaved. The enslaved men were normal humans who turned to the dark side and joined in worshiping Sauron. The free men were very diverse but they had no magic abilities outside of items gifted to them. Some of the major cast members had half human blood, but full blood humans could develop some major fighting skills. That’s what put them on this list, they were capable of fighting.
9. Trolls
Most Trolls couldn’t deal with the sun; some even turned into stone with exposure. They had brute strength and were giant in size, so they were a danger to people and creatures passing by at night. You’d never want to run into these guys at night or in a cave, but if you can get most out and into the sun, you’re good to go. That’s why they are so low on the list; they eat humans, hobbits, dwarves, and other races. They’re huge but they aren’t too bright.
8. Orcs
The reason Orcs scored low is because their high numbers are what made them powerful. There were a few Orcs that were able to hold their own, but most were simply slaves. The main cast could run through a large group of Orcs and slay several in a run. They were manufactured slaves, so the majority were disposable fighters.
7. Spiders
Some of the spiders in Lord of the Rings were huge. They set up traps that could easily trap passersby (just like smaller spiders do for insects). The webs weren’t always in plain sight, so if you walked through any cave, you could end up being a victim. That’s what makes them powerful.
6. Eagles
Led by Radagast the Brown, the eagles helped save the fellowship by coming in just at the nick of time. These eagles could have possibly been Maia in bird form, so that makes them especially strong. They were spies and messengers, as well, and would swoop in at the last second to save the main cast.
5. Fellbeasts
This ancient race was bred by Sauron. They were said to stink and possibly be from another world. They were the giant, flying horned beasts the Nazgul rode after being unhorsed. These giant-winged creatures had no feathers were described as a “monstrous” bird.
4. Nazgul
The Nazgul are ring keepers. They are the undead. The Nazgul were able to sense and injure Frodo while wearing the One Ring, which is what makes them powerful. They even spend their entire “afterlives” traveling to find and return the One Ring to Sauron. The corruption rendered them invisible to most commoners, but in the movie, everyone could hear them shriek.
They were originally powerful kings and rulers that Sauron gave the nine rings to. They gained power, wealth, and anything they wanted; he was able to corrupt them with the power and the rings bound them to him. They died due to the ring being cast into Mt. Doom.
3. Restless Dead Army (Army Of The Dead)
There was no real way to defeat this army. They once worshiped Sauron while living, but made a pledge to Isildur that they would fight with him. However, they backed out. He placed a curse on them that their king would be the last and they would not rest after death until they fulfilled their promise. They helped Aragorn and the other members of the Fellowship defeat a group of Orcs, and that fulfilled their promise and helped lift the curse.
The whole gang could wipe out an army and barely be touched.
2. Balrog
Imagine a giant ball of flames coming at you, striking you with a fiery whip. That’s a Balrog.
Famous Balrog, Durin’s Bane, successfully “killed” Gandalf (as much as someone can try to kill a Maia). They are giant, have a large stature, and are said to have a body in flames as well as carrying a whip. It’s not clear how they are truly killed but it is said that a dragon is one of the only beings of a correct stature to take on a Balrog.
1. Strongest: Dragons
There were two well-known dragons. The most powerful in the movie was Smaug, but he wasn’t the most powerful in the whole world. They were giant, most could fly, and they had magical abilities to boot. The first was created by Morgoth, Glaurung, who was much bigger and more powerful than Smaug.
Smaug took over Erebor and was awakened while Bilbo Baggins was trying to steal back the Golden Cup for the dwarfs. Bilbo discovers a weakness while talking back and forth, and when he tells others about it, Bard overhears who later manages to shoot him in the one weak spot, finally killing him while he was attacking their village. They don’t show other dragons in the movie, but dragons land the most powerful on this list because of Smaug and his predecessor, Glaurung.
Who would you add? Would you change the order? Let us know in the comment section below!
