Peter Jackson’s adaptation ofThe Hobbitis known for being far more extensive than the original book, including the additions of several characters.J.R.R. Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsbooksare dense fantasy epics, which resulted in a trilogy of films that embraced that grandeur.The Hobbit, on the other hand, is a much lighter and more whimsical tale, which was partially why it was strange that Warner Bros. decided to develop three epic-length films from its source material. To compensate, the movies required characters who weren’t in the text.
The Hobbitmovies are widely controversial among Tolkien fans. While they aren’t the most direct adaptations, and they undoubtedly have some fluff, they still have excellent qualities. Peter Jackson knows Middle-earth, and the portrayals of iconic book characters like Bilbo and Smaug were everything one could hope for. The more divisive choices, however, werethe additions of original characters fresh to the movies, as well as characters from theLord of the Ringsmoviesand other parts of Tolkien’s world who aren’t included inThe Hobbit.
10Legolas
Played By Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom’s Legolas was a fan-favorite in Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringsfilms, making his addition toThe Hobbitan interesting choice. Legolas' father, Thranduil, appeared in bothThe Hobbitbook and movies, though he’s only referred to as Elvenking in the original text.It makes sense that Legolas would have been in the Mirkwood during this period, but there were still critiques regarding the nature of his appearance.
The version of Legolas we see inThe Hobbitfeels rather different from the version in the original trilogy, primarily due to the inclusion of Tauriel. InThe Lord of the Rings, Legolas is a fairly light-hearted character, with a majority of his speaking lines used for camaraderie with Gimli.He’s far more emotionally driven inThe Hobbit, causing him to be significantly less likable, representing the egotism of his father. Understandably, this is a younger and less mature version of the character.
9The Necromancer
Voiced By Benedict Cumberbatch
The Necromancer is a phantom villain spreading evil in the Mirkwood who causes Gandalf to leave Thorin’s party in the middle ofThe Hobbit. Of course, the identity of the Necromancer is revealed to be the Dark Lord Sauron, who’s establishing his return prior toThe Lord of the Rings. This plotline is only briefly mentioned in the original book, butGandalf describes the events in detail later on inThe Fellowship of the Ring, confirming that this is where he disappeared during the text. Essentially, the movies fill in the gaps in Tolkien’s story with some modifications for additional action.
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8Galadriel
Played By Cate Blanchett
Aside from mention of the White Council fighting the Necromancer, Galadriel doesn’t appear inThe Hobbit.She’s first introduced in the later chapters ofThe Fellowship of the Ring, but Tolkien’s writings inUnfinished Talesoffer some notion of what Galadriel was doing during the Quest for Erebor, which was used in Peter Jackson’s adaptation. In the movieThe Battle of the Five Armies, Galadriel directly appears at Dol Guldur to support Gandalf, unleashing her power against Sauron and defeating him.
7Azog
Voiced By Manu Bennett
Azog is an entirely original character toThe Hobbitfilms, contributing an orc threat that pursues Thorin’s party throughout the trilogy. Azog is Thorin’s mortal rival in Peter Jackson’s iteration, creating a personal threat from the typically feral orc characters. Azog and Thorin end up killing each other in their final duel inThe Battle of the Five Armies,providing an explanation for Thorin’s fate, which is limited in detail in the books. This character was an addition to the movies who was generally criticized for lacking depth or thematic ties to whatThe Hobbitis about.
6Saruman
Played By Christopher Lee
Like Galadriel, Saruman was included as part ofThe Hobbit’sversion of the White Council. In the books, this is mentioned to have many more participants, but the films only add the chief characters. It’s nice to see Christopher Lee’s Saruman before his direct descent into darkness, with the prequel movies showing him at a stage when he was the respected White Wizard. However, even at this point,Peter Jackson clearly demonstrates the ideological differences that differentiate him from Gandalf. In Tolkien’s writings, his first mention is inThe Fellowship of the Ring.
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5Frodo Baggins
Played By Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood makes a cameo appearance inThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, appearing as Frodo Baggins. Peter Jackson’s version ofThe Hobbitprovides narration and scenes from Sir Ian Holm, who portrayed Bilbo as an older Hobbit inThe Lord of the Rings. In these scenes, Bilbo recounts his journey to Erebor, framing the story ofThe Hobbitin a way that makes it more of a prequel to the previous movies, presenting an opportunity for Frodo to make an appearance. In Tolkien’s books,Frodo isn’t mentioned untilThe Fellowship of the Ring, when he becomes the main character.
TheRed Book of Westmarchis the book where Bilbo and Frodo chronicle their respective adventures, tethering the two stories.
4Alfrid
Played By Ryan Gage
Alfrid Lickspittle joinsThe Hobbitfilms inThe Desolation of Smaug, providing a secondary human villain character for the Lake-town plotline. Alfrid is another additional antagonist who comes off as rather simple and predictable, especially given that he’s constantly played off for comedic relief. Alfrid seems to resemble Grima Wormtongue in some capacity, but he’s far less interesting and comes off as a cartoon-like counterpart. This amplified criticisms of the second and third films' overtly silly elements, much like the river barrel chase scene as the Dwarves escape Thranduil’s Halls.
3Bard’s Family
Played By Peggy Nesbitt, Mary Nesbitt, & John Bell
In the films, he has two additional daughters named Sigrid and Tilda, who are entirely original characters.
Bard the Bowman is a man of Lake-town who appears in bothThe Hobbitbook and the film adaptations; he’s famous for slaying Smaug and becoming the first king of the re-founded Dale. Bard was succeeded by his son, Bain, but the movies show more about his personal life and his children. In the films, he has two additional daughters named Sigrid and Tilda, who are entirely original characters. As for Bain,Bard’s son appears on-screen in the movie after only being mentioned in the Appendices ofThe Return of the King, not inThe Hobbit.
2Tauriel
Played By Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly was one of the biggest stars on the planet at the time of her casting inThe Desolation of Smaug, having been a lead onLostfor all six seasons. Her character, Tauriel, was entirely original toThe Hobbitstory and, unfortunately, wasn’t a hit. She’sintroduced as an Elvin captain whom Legolas has a crush on, though Thranduil won’t permit their marriagedue to her being a Silvan Elf.
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A love triangle ensues regardless, with Tauriel fancying the dwarf Kíli, played by Aidan Turner, and Legolas remaining passionate about Tauriel. This was one of the most criticized narratives inThe Hobbitfilms, asTauriel ultimately serves a limited purpose in the story outside of contributing romantic drama that doesn’t exist in any Tolkien story. The story has commonly been called “shoehorned,” as it’s essentially fluff to add time to the films and provide some romance appeal to the movies.
1Radagast
Played By Sylvester McCoy
Radagast the Brown was mentioned inThe Hobbitbook initially before making his first appearance inThe Fellowship of the Ring, making him another character who received a far more prominent role in the movies. Radagast isone of the Istarisent to Middle-earth by the Valar, making him kin to Saruman and Gandalf. His inclusion isn’t too far-fetched, as he’s mentioned in the books as being an associate of Beorn, the skin-changer who also appears in the film adaptations.
