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In this article:
- Lord of the Rings characters are some of the most iconic figures in fiction and their backstories and tropes have served as inspiration for everything from fantasy movies, books, and games.
- When it comes to which characters are the most powerful, the great heroes and legendary beings of Lord of the Rings are the first to come to mind.
- However, each LOTR character has their own unique strengths which makes it hard to place them in a strict power ranking without ignoring what makes them powerful in their own way.
Lord of the Rings characters are known for their heroism just as much as their powers. Couple this with a massive fanbase and you get fan forums that are inundated with power rankings where everyone is replying with who they think is the most powerful Lord of the Rings character.
But aside from the usual fandom one-upmanship, part of why it’s so hard to organize these beloved Lord of the Rings characters into definitive rankings is because they are each powerful in their own way.
Many of them, however, including the most conventionally powerful ones, are shown in the books and movies to still be vulnerable to “weaker” characters.
That’s why this list of powerful Lord of the Rings characters is all about what makes each character impressive in their own way without ranking them in any particular order.
1. Aragorn
Aragorn or, if you want to be fancy, Aragorn II Elessar was one of the few human Lord of the Rings characters in the movies.
Unlike most fantasy media that depict humans as the weakest in their cast, Aragorn is shown as a courageous king with fighting skills to compliment his strength of character.
Aragorn grew up in the court of Rivendell where he was raised by Elrond as part of a plan to keep him safe from enemies who wanted to destroy the ancient line of the Heirs of Isildur that had a claim on kingship over both Arnor and Gondor.
As the son of a king with a birthright to rule two kingdoms, Aragorn was always destined to have unprecedented political power.
Before he became king, Aragorn ruled as Chieftain of the Dunedain and lived and fought as a ranger in the northern reaches of Eriador. Now when it comes to whether Aragorn can beat Jaime Lannister in a sword fight, Aragorn would definitely hand Jaime’s incestuous ass to him.
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Let’s not forget that Aragorn is a Dunedain ranger trained by Elves to fight. The guy could take on Captain America if he wanted to.
2. Saruman the White
Saruman the White is an auto-include for most lists involving Lord of the Rings characters because of his deep involvement in the lore, complex sense of morality (compared to the traditionally good vs. evil stance of other characters), and awe-inspiring powers.
While most of us remember Saruman as little more than the antagonist of Lord of the Rings, he wasn’t always a bad guy.
Saruman was once one of the Maiar, primordial spirits created by the Valar to embody the natural world and help shape it. Because of this Saruman was sent to Middle-earth, along with other Maiar, to vanquish Sauron.
But as we already know, he ends up serving Sauron or, in the wise words of that Obi-Wan Kenobi meme, becomes the very thing he swore to destroy. He takes his extensive knowledge of magic and his inherent powers as a Maiar to side with Mordor during the War of the Ring.
Just how much power does he bring over to the side of evil? Saruman was once the chief of the wizards and head of the White Council.
He’s shown to be able to cast spells that make the Orcs stronger in fights in addition to having the ability to control people’s minds with only his words.
3. Elrond
Elrond is a fan favorite because of his wisdom, a result of both his half-elven lifespan and ability to see into the future. He uses his knowledge and experience to provide counsel to other characters such as his daughter, Arwen, who later goes on to marry Aragorn and live as a mortal.
Like several other Lord of the Rings characters, Elrond comes from a powerful lineage of heroes.
His father, Earendil, is a descendant of Finwë, the First High King of the Noldor, while his mother, Elwing, is descended from the line of Elu Thingol which is LOTR-speak for “Elrond is pretty important.”
Elrond is known to have fought in the war against Sauron in the Second Age and was a member of the White Council.
Aside from his influence, he also had considerable magical powers which he demonstrated when he was able to cure a Morgul wound. Oh, and he owns Vilya, one of the rings of power, which he used to wash away the Nazgul forces on the River Bruinen.
4. Galadriel
Lord of the Rings generally operates, and this is a gross oversimplification, on the premise that older things (and people) are more powerful because of how close they are to the dawn of creation.
This couldn’t be more true for Galadriel, one of the greatest Elves to reside in Middle-earth. To get an idea of how powerful Galadriel is, consider this: She was the student of a Maia and two Aratar and was one of the few living Elves born in Valinor.
Though she isn’t known for her skills in combat, Galadriel is renowned for her nearly peerless knowledge of magic that she was able to hone under the tutelage of other, greater beings.
She was also the wielder of Nenya, a ring of power also known as the Ring of Adamant.
Galadriel was also a ruler hence she was called the Lady of the woods of Lothlorien, a title she held by virtue of her marriage to Celeborn, the Lord of Lothlorien.
5. Gandalf the Grey
Another fan favorite Lord of the Rings character, Gandalf the Grey is one of the Maiar sent to Middle-earth to fight Sauron. In his younger years, Gandalf was known as Olórin and had a habit of helping Men and Elves alike.
While it isn’t said outright, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to speculate that his natural kindness protected him from the temptations of the One Ring that his fellow Maia, Saruman, couldn’t.
Ironically, Olórin never wanted to go to Middle-earth in the first place because he was too afraid of Sauron and believed himself to be too weak to be useful in the fight against him. However, Manwë convinced him to go.
The immense courage that it took to overcome his fear was one of his first acts of heroism and true personal power in Lord of the Rings.
Gandalf the Grey becomes even more powerful when returns as Gandalf the White after being healed by Galadriel following his death while fighting against the Balrog.
This time around, not only does he have his abilities as Gandalf the Grey and years of experience but also his powers as a Maia.
Though he isn’t as powerful as Sauron when it comes to magic, his great gift is his ability to inspire and lead people toward a good cause. He’s often depicted handing out good advice while reprimanding ill-intentioned behavior.
6. Witch-king of Angmar
The Witch-king of Angmar served as Sauron’s second-in-command, leading the Ringwraiths under his banner as the Lord of the Nazgul. If you can’t already guess from his name, he’s a pretty terrifying guy.
Not much is known about the king who became this Lord of the Rings character but we do know he came from the race of Men and ruled for centuries before succumbing to the dark influence of the Nine Rings that Sauron handed out to power greedy kings.
After becoming an undead general, the Witch-king of Angmar exuded an aura that terrified enemy warriors, and his body held a magic that shattered any weapon that struck him and poisoned the enemy that wielded it.
It’s speculated that he may also have been a sorcerer when he was still alive given that he could control ice, conjure lightning, and break objects with his mind.
But since the story is a classic tale where good eventually conquers evil, the Witch-king of Angmar is vanquished by Eowyn, one of the few female Lord of the Rings characters.
7. Eowyn
Eowyn doesn’t get a lot of attention compared to the other Lord of the Rings characters on this list and that’s mostly because she doesn’t get as much screentime and is eclipsed by another blonde lady in the movies.
But we people of culture remember Eowyn for having one of the most iconic lines in the Lord of the Rings films.
Eowyn doesn’t have magical abilities or a fancy Elven heritage like other Lord of the Rings characters in both the films and books, but she makes up for it with tremendous bravery and a willingness to fight for the people she cares about.
She’s depicted as strong-willed, going as far as to complain to Aragorn about being forced to “mind the house while they win renown” whenever the Riders leave without her.
Angered that she was once again being forced to the sidelines, Eowyn disguises herself as a man named Dernhelm and rides with Merry Brandybuck to fight against the Witch-king of Angmar.
In doing so, she and Merry unwittingly fulfill a prophecy that proclaimed he could not be killed by a man.
8. Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit with a love for food and friendship so it’s no surprise that he isn’t exactly the first person to come to mind when it comes to powerful Lord of the Rings characters.
But like Eowyn, his true power comes not from his fighting skills or ability to wield magic but from his inner self.
Why do we know this? Because Bilbo was able to resist the One Ring — something even Galadriel struggled with when Frodo offered it to her.
What’s even more impressive is that Bilbo Baggins held the One Ring for decades before passing the responsibility over to Frodo Baggins.
While we know he had a bit of trouble resisting the One Ring from time to time, immortalized in the “Why shouldn’t I keep it?” meme, he was still able to stay true to himself even after years of exposure to it.
9. Smaug
As one of the last great dragons of Middle-earth, Smaug was a powerful dragon who slew the great heroes of old even as a young, inexperienced fire-drake. He grew even more powerful over the years as he grew into an enormous monster.
And as he grew, so, too, did his collection of treasures stolen from Erebor.
Smaug’s horde of treasure wasn’t the only golden thing he had: the dragon’s golden scales protected him from most weapons since they were so hard, they couldn’t be pierced easily. His armor wasn’t complete, though: His underbelly wasn’t covered in golden scales which is why he started lying atop gems and gold, hoping they would stick to his skin.
He lacks any strength beyond the physical kind.
Though Smaug can breathe fire and crush enemies between his claws, his arrogance, hot-headedness, and lack of foresight eventually lead to his death.
10. Treebeard
Treebeard was one of the last Ents on Middle-earth. He and his fellow Ents would have been content with an isolated life of tending trees while all the other characters tried to stop Sauron.
He only steps in when he learns that Sauron has started cutting down forests, making him a threat to the Ents and their way of life.
So how strong can an old tree be? Treebeard was able to destroy Isengard’s walls while the other Ents wrecked the dam wall and released water into the Wizards Vale so the answer is likely pretty damn strong.