The father of modern fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien created one of the most in-depth fantasy worlds of all time. While Middle-Earth may be extremely popular thanks to the success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the history of this fictional world stretches far beyond the confines of these two stories. While there are hundreds of named characters in LOTR, Tolkien created closer to 1,000 – many of which were among some of the most powerful characters the genre’s ever seen.
While many of the most powerful beings never make an appearance in The Lord of the Rings, that's not to say that this fantasy epic doesn’t feature its fair share of impressive characters. So how exactly do the main players in the War of the Ring stack up against one another in terms of sheer power?
While Tolkien may have dedicated much of his life to developing the language and histories of Middle-Earth, his magic system was largely left up to interpretation. We simply don't know the extent of many of these character's supernatural abilities. So in certain instances, we'll just have to go off of what we've seen these heroes and villains do on both the page and the screen.
For the sake of this list, we'll largely be sticking to characters that made an appearance in the movies (so you won't be finding the mysterious Tom Bombadil taking the top spot here).
Here is Every Major Lord of the Rings Character Ranked From Weakest To Strongest.
25 Pippin
While Pippin may have developed more as a character than Merry throughout the course of the story, he spends much of his time throughout the journey doing things that are somewhat dim-witted. When we first meet him, he is easily the most immature of the four hobbits that go on to join the fellowship.
This is on full display when Pippin does things such as causing a ruckus while they’re hiding in the mines of Moria, or stealing a look into the Palantiri. All things considered, Pippin comes across as more of a liability than an asset.
24 Merry
While he is certainly prone to his fair share of foolishness – especially when he’s teamed up with Pippin – Merry also proves himself to be a competent warrior in the fight against the Dark Lord. In the books, Merry found out about the Ring long before he ever departed with Frodo.
His knowledge about lands beyond the Shire also aided the hobbits during the earlier part of their journey. Of course, we also can’t forget about the role that Merry played when it came to helping Eowyn defeat the Witch-King.
23 Gollum
Gollum’s greatest weakness is the One Ring, which he was so obsessed with upon first coming into contact with it, that the power held within it led him to take out his best friend right on the spot. But while he may be the character who is most easily tempted by the Ring, it’s this obsession that has also allowed Gollum to continue on for so long.
Gollum survives much longer than he should, taking his obsession all the way to Mount Doom, where he succeeded in winning back his most prized possession before finally meeting his demise.
22 Frodo
Frodo bears the One Ring all the way from Hobbiton to Mordor – a task which was thought impossible by many, and it almost cost Frodo his life and his sanity in the process. So why isn’t Frodo much higher on the list?
Even Frodo admits that he couldn’t have made the journey alone, especially without Sam. He resists the Ring’s power far longer than most, but the power of the Dark Lord does eventually take its toll on him, and he certainly wouldn’t have made it to Mordor without the help of the fellowship.
21 King Theoden
While King Theoden is somewhat restored to his former glory by the end of his story, we can’t ignore the fact that he was so easily controlled by Grima Wormtounge. When Gandalf shows up to Rohan, we quickly discover that Grima is no master sorcerer, but rather a full-blown coward who is actually rather pathetic.
Even still, Wormtounge was able to drive Theoden mad, showing just how easily the king could be manipulated. Without Gandalf saving him, Theoden would have surely wasted away.
20 Sam
Many regard Sam to be the true hero of The Lord of the Rings. He may be a simple gardener at the start of the story, but he ultimately makes the journey from Hobbiton to Mordor with Frodo, where he emerges in far better shape than his master.
Sam may just be a hobbit, meaning that he’s nowhere near many of the other characters in terms of raw power, but he does have one superpower, which comes in the form of his complete loyalty to Frodo. This means doing whatever he must to help Frodo destroy the One Ring.
19 Faramir
When considering which one of his characters he was most like, Tolkien picked the character of Faramir, sighting that the man of Gondor was modest and merciful.
In the movies, Faramir proves himself to be a competent warrior. He leads the Rangers of Ithilien and is skilled with both a sword and blade. One of his downfalls, however, is that he continues to live in the shadow of his brother, Boromir. Without this weighing him down, it's possible that Faramir could have become just as powerful as his departed brother.
18 Eowyn
In The Return of the King, it’s Eowyn who is largely responsible for destroying Sauron’s second-in-command and one of the most powerful characters throughout all of The Lord of the Rings. Of course, we’re talking about the Witch-king of Angmar. In the books, however, she has considerable help from Merry and his Dunedain dagger, which was imbued with ancient magic.
Even still, no one can deny that Eowyn has no shortage of courage and competence throughout the story, especially when she is not only being held back by the enemy, but by her allies as well.
17 Boromir
One of the strongest fighters in all of Gondor, Boromir was an obvious choice when it came to joining the fellowship. Throughout the course of The Lord of the Rings, Boromir is easily one of the most powerful combatants. Even when his defeat is imminent, he continues to fight longer than many others could.
But like so many other characters, Boromir's downfall is his desire for power, which ultimately makes him break his vows to protect Frodo and the One Ring.
16 Eomer
Much like Boromir, Eomer is one of the strongest fighters among the race of man. Even when he’s cast out by his king, Eomer continues to protect Rohan by leading his band of Rohirrim to crush any Orcs who threaten their borders.
Even the savage Uruk-Hai come to fear crossing paths with Eomer in the books, and Eomer goes on to play a vital role in the defeat of the enemy at both Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith. Unlike many of his fellow men, Eomer also seems like he is far less interested in acquiring power for himself.
