10 Strongest Characters In The Lord Of The Rings Franchise, Ranked

Author J.R.R. Tolkien’s landmark work is creating the high fantasy realm of Middle-earth, the setting of his novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” An enormously influential saga, Tolkien’s writings, including the Middle-earth history book “The Silmarillion,” have inspired countless other stories. The novels themselves have been adapted into various film, television, and video game projects, culminating in “The Lord of the Rings” becoming the fantasy franchise to rule them all. Populating Middle-earth are loads of iconic heroes and villains, including some of the most powerful figures in medieval fantasy literature.

We’re highlighting the strongest characters to appear in canonical Middle-earth stories, from ancient entities in the formation of the world to the pivotal figures in “The Lord of the Rings.” We’ll look at how several characters are depicted in adaptations, as well as how they appear in Tolkien’s texts. This list also includes people who have yet to be seen on-screen, including several of the best “Lord of the Rings” characters who weren’t in the movies. 

Here are the 10 strongest characters in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, ranked from the least to most powerful.

Middle-earth’s dragons are a formidable presence, though appear somewhat rarely compared to other classic fantasy bestiary in Tolkien’s work. The most notable dragon in the universe is Smaug, the primary antagonist in “The Hobbit,” who drives the dwarves from their subterranean home of Erebor. With a virtually impenetrable scaly hide, Smaug was impervious to most conventional weapons in Middle-earth, making him nearly unstoppable as he ravaged Erebor and the human settlement of Laketown. It’s only thanks to a missing scale in Smaug’s underbelly that the human warrior Bard was able to kill the beast.

Towering above most human-sized characters in Middle-earth, Smaug is an absolute wrecking machine, demolishing anything in his way. Smaug’s fire breath is described as being hotter than even the great dwarven forges, and completely incinerates Laketown in a matter of minutes. Dragons are also described as possessing a particularly long lifespan and having a sharp intelligence rather than being feral beasts. This makes Smaug both devastating and cunning — a monster that’s aware of and relishes the destruction he causes.

Middle-earth’s Third Age is marked by the arrival of the Istari, or Maiar, magical beings who are more colloquially known as wizards. The first Istari to arrive on Middle-earth is Saruman, a powerful white wizard serving the godlike Valar. After establishing his base of operations in Isengard, settling in the Tower of Orthanc, Saruman initially serves as the head of the White Council. This coalition of Maiar and elves is created to drive Sauron out of the seemingly abandoned fortress of Dol Guldur.

Saruman’s authoritative voice helps him bend and command lesser beings to his will, and he is a master of enchantments. After Saruman turns evil in “The Lord of the Rings,” these magical abilities and his dangerous intelligence makes him an enormous threat to the Fellowship of the Ring and its allies. Saruman eventually leads a multifaceted army, including a variety of orcs, the formidable Uruk-hai, wild men, and crow-like birds known as crebain. Ultimately, Saruman’s hubris proves to be his downfall; he underestimates his enemies, including his former ally and friend, Gandalf.

The most powerful elf in Middle-earth is Galadriel, arriving in the continent sometime in the First Age from her homeland of Valinor. By the Third Age, Galadriel and her husband Celeborn jointly rule the forested elven kingdom of Lothlórien, which temporarily provides a safe haven to the Fellowship. While speaking with Frodo Baggins, the bearer of the One Ring of Power, Galadriel is able to resist the corruptive temptation of the Ring, a temptation Saruman decidedly failed. Like Saruman, Galadriel co-founds the White Council and the movie “The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies” depicts her as being a key figure in driving Sauron from Dol Guldur.

Having been active since the First Age, Galadriel brings more experience than the Maiar, something “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” illustrates in all the right ways. Saruman might possess more raw magical power than Galadriel, but unlike the white wizard, the Elven Queen also wears one of the Rings of Power. This ring, known as Nenya, gives its wearer immense protective and concealing powers, which helps Galadriel when facing the forces of Sauron. Embodying the grace, wisdom, and potential of the elves, Galadriel more than earns her leadership role and unparalleled respect among her people.

The first character on this list that filmmaker Peter Jackson cut from “The Lord of the Rings” is Tom Bombabil. Also referred to as the Eldest, Bombadil lives in the Old Forest with his wife and claims to have existed before the rivers and forest. This makes Bombadil an incredibly ancient figure, with the full extent of his powers never clearly articulated in Tolkien’s text. Similarly, it’s anyone’s guess what race Bombadil belongs to, but he certainly isn’t a human or elf, nor is he one of the Maiar. He seems to be his own unique entity.

Tom Bombadil is admittedly the weirdest character in “The Lord of the Rings,” more representing an underlying whimsical innocence to the world than playing a pivotal role in that saga’s events. Bombadil is completely unaffected by the One Ring’s corruptive qualities and can even see those who are invisible while wearing it just fine. This suggests Bombadil is a personification of the forest, almost a benevolent force of nature, but potentially vulnerable if his woodland home is destroyed. A figure still shrouded in mystery, Bombadil’s brief appearance in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” only underscores what an enigma he is.

For much of his history in Middle-earth, he is known as Gandalf the Grey, after the name of his cloak, like Saruman the White and Radagast the Brown. As one of the Maiar, he is blessed with long life and is knowledgeable in an extensive amount of spells and enchantments. Gandalf is particularly known for his prowess with fire and light spells, including pyrokinesis, but also demonstrates use of telekinesis and telepathy. Gandalf possesses a long history with halflings and strong love of nature, the latter making him an ally to moths and birds, specifically great eagles.

However, what puts Gandalf so high on this list is when he is reborn as Gandalf the White. After sacrificing his life smiting a fiery balrog (a corrupted Maiar), Gandalf is resurrected by Middle-earth’s supreme deity, Eru Ilúvatar, and effectively magically upgraded. Augmenting Gandalf’s base power further is the elven Ring of Power known as Narya, which grants him magical protection from the forces of evil. With these enhancements, Gandalf is the strongest wizard, surpassing Saruman and, despite what the movies would have viewers believe, the Witch-king of Angmar.

The primary antagonist of “The Lord of the Rings” is Sauron, a fallen Maiar, albeit described as one far stronger than the wizardly Maiar who came after him. Detesting the disorder stemming from free will, Sauron joins the villainous Valar Melkor after he rebelled against Eru Ilúvatar. After Melkor destroyed the Valar’s home realm, Sauron accompanies him to Middle-earth, where their war of conquest continues and escalates. Sauron succeeds Melkor as the supreme evil entity in Middle-earth, powering his life energy into the One Ring to channel his potential and prevent his physical form from being completely destroyed.

Immensely powerful when he does take physical form, Sauron can also shape-shift, which he uses both in battle and as a master deceiver. Also a master of magic, Sauron possesses a fiery touch and holds dominion over the environment and the dead, which he uses to shape Mordor and its population to his will. Like other Maiar, Sauron has telepathic abilities, which he uses to deceive and corrupt those around him and increase his pervasive influence throughout Middle-earth. With Sauron more of an ethereal presence in Jackson’s films, “The Rings of Power” features the perfect Sauron with Charlie Vickers’ nuanced performance as the Dark Lord.

Angelic beings within the cosmology of Middle-earth are known as the Ainur, and the most powerful among them are referred to as the Valar. The Maiar and the elves both operate in service to the Valar in recognition of their holy power. The eldest of the Ainur is Manwë, who worked in direct council with his creator, Eru Ilúvatar, and was respected as the leader of Arda, the world which contains Middle-earth. The Valar maintain dominion over the physical world, including the elements and their own corporeal forms, with Manwë particularly powerful in that regard. (He’s said to have “devised” the Great Eagles, who play a key role much later on the timeline.)

Perhaps due to his age and his proximity to Eru Ilúvatar, Manwë does have a naiveté that makes him vulnerable among the Valar. Manwë’s evil brother Melkor is able to deceive him and allow his wicked sibling to bring darkness into Arda. “The Silmarillion” depicts the inevitable conflict between the heavenly brothers, with even the noble Manwë unable to defeat Melkor on his own. The most revered among the Valar, Manwë is unfortunately not the strongest or wisest.

The last of the Valar to come to Arda is Tulkas, who arrives to aid Manwë in his war against Melkor. While perhaps not as wise and reserved as the other Valar, Tulkas is the most proactive and has a fondness for battle and competition. These qualities make him perfectly suited to be the one to tip the scales in the battle with Melkor, eventually restoring peace to Arda. As one of the Valar, Tulkas possesses similar powers as Manwë and Melkor, though he is especially renowned for his sheer physical might.

Whereas Manwë is a more wise and reserved Valar, Tulkas is a master warrior, and this isn’t a list based on which Tolkien characters are the smartest. Tulkas is the type of fighter to charge into battle without a mount and without wielding any weapons, but still come out on top. Though Melkor was the most powerful being in Valinor, Tulkas was heartened by the challenge and is a prominent presence in the coalition that defeated him. This places Tulkas above the other heroic Valar, though not quite above his nemesis in terms of overall power rankings.

Before there was Sauron, there was Melkor, the fallen Valar who first defied the will of Eru Ilúvatar in the First Age. More readily referred to in “The Lord of the Rings” as the villain Morgoth, Melkor grows jealous of his creator’s power and legacy. This leads to an open rebellion against the other Valar once Melkor reaches Arda, deceives his older brother Manwë, and stages his uprising. Through his darkness, Melkor creates the orcs, dragons, and other malevolent monsters of Middle-earth to carry out his will and form his armies.

Melkor/Morgoth has the usual powers of the Valar, but a pronounced viciousness given his corruption and descent into evil. Arda still bears the scars of his corrosive influence, which was carried on by his acolyte Sauron and other corrupted Maiar. As an unintended consequence of pouring his insidious power into Arda, Morgoth is weakened but still able to confront a host of formidable Valar (and inspire a cult, a member of which can be seen in the photo above). For his actions, the character is banished to the Timeless Void, but the possibility of his return to Middle-earth remains an open one.

If Morgoth is the theological equivalent to Satan in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, then the universe’s analogue to God is Eru Ilúvatar. He has yet to physically appear in either Jackson’s movies or “The Rings of Power,” but Eru Ilúvatar and his influence exists in all of his creations, including Arda and the continent of Middle-earth. Through a secret fire known as the Flame Imperishable, it was Eru Ilúvatar who breathed life into the world and tasked the Valar to shape it in his image.

The Valar are among the most supreme beings among the Ainur and all other entities in Tolkien’s universe, but Eru Ilúvatar reigns even above them. That makes him more powerful than anything else in the literary universe, though he doesn’t directly get involved with its conflicts. Instead, the Valar and their allies carry out his will rather than him being distracted by lesser affairs on Middle-earth. Eru Ilúvatar is above it all, the embodiment of omnipotence in this universe and the supreme creator who truly rules everything.