Foo - Favorite LOTR "bad guy"?

Time for the "bad guys"...who's your fave?

No idea who any are except smeagal and the orcs.

Witch King!

Frodo!

Legolas...stupid fairy!

Grima Wormtongue!

The ringwraiths. They're, like, dark and heavy metal and ****!

Smeagol/Gollum. He plays such an important part of the story and the success of it. You really get a good look inside his mind to see how tortured and wretched he is. He's the most humanistic bad guy in the story. :)

Grnma the Wormtongue was a much better advisary in liturature than on screen.
Out of your choices I'd have to chose the balrog, that race has intrigued me since I first read the book when I was a kid.

But as anyone who has read The Silmarillion knows, the foes in the Lord of the Rings weren't **** copared to the older evils of Middle Earth; Morgoth, Gorthaur the Cruel (Sauron when he was a Lt. for Morgoth, Ungoliant (Shelobs mother)... oh man, I've gotta read that again.

But as anyone who has read The Silmarillion knows, the foes in the Lord of the Rings weren't **** copared to the older evils of Middle Earth; Morgoth, Gorthaur the Cruel (Sauron when he was a Lt. for Morgoth, Ungoliant (Shelobs mother)... oh man, I've gotta read that again.

Yes and no. I've read the Silmarillion too and that is one of my very few complaints about Tolkien's work. I think his goal was to make LOTR look like a small story in the annals of Middle Earth, however what they faced was really not much less than the BIG stories. He makes it look like LOTR is almost a "footnote" in the big picture of things....but it did seem as big an event as many of the other big stories when you read them.

I voted for the very general category of "Orcs" because, come on, they've dress like Oakland Raiders fans.

I've never read it, but I should pick up the Silmarillion when I go back home (in 2 days, yay!).

I've never read it, but I should pick up the Silmarillion when I go back home (in 2 days, yay!).
Prepare yourself....it's not a "light" read. It's written like some old books of mythology are....it skips around a lot, references characters from 150 pages ago that were barely introduced then, etc..

Prepare yourself....it's not a "light" read. It's written like some old books of mythology are....it skips around a lot, references characters from 150 pages ago that were barely introduced then, etc..


That's the reason I never picked it up at home...but now that you've piqued (sp?) my interest with this poll I may have to grind my way through it after I finish King Lear.

That's the reason I never picked it up at home...but now that you've piqued (sp?) my interest with this poll I may have to grind my way through it after I finish King Lear.
Just because I say its not a "light" read, doesn't mean its not worth it. It really gives depth to an already deep story. It completes the "background" so much that you do truly feel like this world and all its characters are real people who existed at one time. I'd say with the Silmarillion, it makes Tolkien's work probably the deepest and most thorough piece of fiction ever written.

You may be right about it being the most thorough work of fiction, but I have to give props to Mahabharata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharata) as being one of the most thorough epics ever written (it's historical accuracy is questionable, so I didn't label it strictly as fiction).

Just thought I'd throw that in there. :D

I voted for the very general category of "Orcs" because, come on, they've dress like Oakland Raiders fans.

I've never read it, but I should pick up the Silmarillion when I go back home (in 2 days, yay!).
They look (and act) more like Capital One!

Prepare yourself....it's not a "light" read. It's written like some old books of mythology are....it skips around a lot, references characters from 150 pages ago that were barely introduced then, etc..
Agreed, reads a lot like "Bullfinches Mythology", but definitely worth it!:D

My favorite bad guy of all time is Iaress. I have a preliminary manuscript from JRR Tolkien, and this guy completely wreaks havok in the fourth month of the year.

Too bad they took him out of the final edit of the book.

My favorite bad guy of all time is Iaress. I have a preliminary manuscript from JRR Tolkien, and this guy completely wreaks havok in the fourth month of the year.

Too bad they took him out of the final edit of the book.
I try to start a serious thread for once.......and this is what I get. :rolleyes:

:roflmao: oh no your getting confused you must be looking for the bad 'acting' thread...:p
He has hairy feet, I just assumed he was a bad guy. His acting is superb. Like a fine soda. Mhhm cane sugar.

Old Man Willow. duh.

Wormtongue. I picked him because he's probably the closest to my personality.:D

Old Man Willow. duh.
Yeah....cut out with poor Tom. :(

Legolas...stupid fairy!


TAKE THAT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this one was easy for me to answer.... smeagol/gollum, of course!

In the book, it was actually Legolas (not Gandalf) that told the Fellowship that the thing in Moria confronting them was a Balrog.

It was also the only time he (or any of the elves) ever showed a sense of fear in the entire series.

I vote for The Balrog, a giant badass winged and horned demon made of fire and smoke with skin of hard lava that carried a flaming sword and a whip, and could only be destroyed by powerful majick. No negotiations, no speeches.

Now that's a villan.

(How in the hell did the orcs win this poll? They are ten a penny!)

Morgoth was a badass too. I remember in the Simarillion when he corrupted the water (and the elves). Now that's an evil influence!

In the book, it was actually Legolas (not Gandalf) that told the Fellowship that the thing in Moria confronting them was a Balrog.

It was also the only time he (or any of the elves) ever showed a sense of fear in the entire series.

I vote for The Balrog, a giant badass winged and horned demon made of fire and smoke with skin of hard lava that carried a flaming sword and a whip, and could only be destroyed by powerful majick. No negotiations, no speeches.

Now that's a villan.

(How in the hell did the orcs win this poll? They are ten a penny!)

Morgoth was a badass too. I remember in the Simarillion when he corrupted the water (and the elves). Now that's an evil influence!

Actually, I went back and read LOTR the last time right after the movies and there were LOTS of "big quotes" in the movie that were correct, but said by other characters in the movie vs. the book.

You are right that the elves didn't show fear to anybody else besides the Balrog in the story, but no elves in the story ever stood in front of Shelob either. ;) In the Silmarillion, even Sauron himself was not confident going against Shelob. But still..as you said, even Sauron pales in comparison to Morgoth (Sauron's master). The Morgoth character kind of made me think of Satan...as he was the Creator's fallen child so to speak.

Oh...and I agree...what's up with orcs winning the poll? Dime a dozen...completely.

You know what, The Orc commander at the crossing at Osgiliath and during the later scene outside Gondors gates where he watches the gigantic stone coming at him and just stepped to the side before it smashed him without batting an eye WAS pretty cool!

In the book, it was actually Legolas (not Gandalf) that told the Fellowship that the thing in Moria confronting them was a Balrog.

It was also the only time he (or any of the elves) ever showed a sense of fear in the entire series.

I vote for The Balrog, a giant badass winged and horned demon made of fire and smoke with skin of hard lava that carried a flaming sword and a whip, and could only be destroyed by powerful majick. No negotiations, no speeches.

Now that's a villan.

(How in the hell did the orcs win this poll? They are ten a penny!)

Morgoth was a badass too. I remember in the Simarillion when he corrupted the water (and the elves). Now that's an evil influence!

Yeah in a lot of ways the movie deviated from the book. At the gates of Moria I think it was actually Merry who solved the riddle. And the whole Arwen saga? That only plays a tiny part in the appendices.

And the whole Arwen saga? That only plays a tiny part in the appendices.
True, but they skipped the Eowyn/Faramir love story. So, I'd call it a wash!

True, but they skipped the Eowyn/Faramir love story. So, I'd call it a wash!

True...they slightly hinted at it in the end when they kind of smile at each other. ;)

True...they slightly hinted at it in the end when they kind of smile at each other. ;)
Actually, it was slightly more than that. They were standing together at Aragorn's cornonation.

True, but they skipped the Eowyn/Faramir love story. So, I'd call it a wash!


Such an important part of the book, but at least they were together at the end of the movie. I doubt anyone "got it" though.

I also missed the part when the Shire was taken over by Sharky (Sauramon), and taken back by the post-Mordor hobbit heroes. I especially liked how they stood out in Gondorian armour when they first returned to the shire.

Yeah, that Sharky was a cool unexpected bad guy.

Another cool "bad guy" was the battering ram used to break the fortress. I forget it's name, but it was actually enchanted by dark majick, and was semi-sentient! (like the ring)

Actually, it was slightly more than that. They were standing together at Aragorn's cornonation.


We both hit enter at 10:53. Now that's what I call a "double post".:D