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5 Lord of the Rings Characters That Rival Sauron, Ranked by Power
British author J. R. R. Tolkien wrote an enormous mythology surrounding his own made-up world, Arda. Though, Arda is more commonly known by the name of its central continent, Middle-Earth. His works detail thousands upon thousands of years of history, legends, and storylines about the world, which became his life’s work, some of which is still posthumously being published.
Throughout the history of Arda, one of the most prominent villains that pops up again and again is the Dark Lord Sauron. Sauron also happens to be the main antagonist behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy of novels, and its subsequent film adaptations. Although Sauron is a dangerous beast in the world of Arda, many who aren’t well-versed in Tolkien’s lore may be surprised to know that there are forces in Middle-Earth that could still stand against Sauron’s enormous power.
5
Tom Bombadil
Tom Bombadil actually appears in the original novel of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (though he is absent from the film), and he’s remained kind of a mystfiying character since. This jolly moss-collector lives in the heart of the Old Forest, near the Shire, along with his wife, Goldberry. However, it’s never made clear who or what exactly Tom Bombadil is. His species is unknown, as is his purpose and his age. Gandalf seems to know a bit more about him, and believes that Tom is just as older, if not older than Gandalf is.
One thing that remains even more mysterious about him is that the One Ring’s corrupting power has no effect on him whatsoever. He is able to see and hold the One Ring, but he isn’t tempted by it for even a second, which is pretty bizarre, considering almost anything and everything else will find themselves tempted by it. While Tom Bombadil is no warrior, and likely couldn’t defeat Sauron in a physical fight, he renders Sauron’s greatest asset completely worthless, leaving Sauron at a severe disadvantage.
4
Gandalf
Gandalf is one of the Maiar, a race of demigods that were created along with the gods, the Valar, by the supreme creator, Eru Ilúvatar. Gandalf and Sauron are actually both the same species–they’re both Maiar, and thus, both demigods. The difference is that Gandalf is one of the five wizards, so he has a little more magic behind him. He also has his own Ring of Power, carrying one of the rings that were given to the Elves by Sauron.
While this ring doesn’t compare to the power of the One Ring, Gandalf could definitely stand a chance against Sauron. There’s still a fair chance he could lose a fight against him, but Gandalf has proven that he is a capable warrior and wizard, and can hold his own when he needs to. While Gandalf loses a fight to Sauron directly in The Hobbit (which isn’t mentioned in the books), in Tolkien’s version of things, Gandalf would probably fare much better, rather than be so swiftly defeated.
3
Saruman the White
It doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense that Saruman the White decided to join Sauron. It would be understandable if Saruman’s power paled in comparison to Sauron and joined him to escape destruction, but this isn’t the case, so this implies that Saruman is really just evil. As another of the Maiar, Saruman has enough power behind him to stand against Sauron. The White Wizard is the chief and most powerful of the five wizards, also known as the Istari, even more powerful than Gandalf.
Moreover, Saruman is easily able to rally armies to his cause and create armies in the form of the Urûk-hai, coming up with quite a formidable host of thousands of troops. Honestly, if Saruman had fought on the side of Gondor and Rohan, the War of the Ring probably would have been a heck of a lot shorter. With his inner magic and his combined armed forces, he’d probably make a pretty even match for Sauron.
2
Ungoliant
Ungoliant is the first of the Great Spiders, and was known for her immense size. It’s not sure where she came from, but she is an ancient being, almost as old as Middle-Earth itself. Ungoliant doesn’t make a physical appearance in the films, but her daughter, Shelob, does. Famously, Shelob has a lair in the mountain pass of Cirith Ungol, an orc stronghold, though she is no friend of Sauron’s or hs minions.
Ungoliant was, at the time, such a remarkable force, that she was almost able to defeat Morgoth, coming close to destroying him completely. This really impressed Morgoth, although he did send Balrogs after her in retaliation. Needless to say, if Ungoliant is able to nearly kill the ultimate evil, who is a literal god himself, it’s likely that Ungoliant could easily overpower Sauron, who is only a demigod.
1
Morgoth
Morgoth is one of the Valar, which means he is basically a god. In fact, he is the only one of the Valar that turned against the rest of them, opting to embody the darkness rather than the light. Morgoth, formerly known as Melkor, waged war against the Valar, and is the primary reason for most of the conflict throughout Tolkien’s legendarium. His influence is far-reaching and his power is immense, with few living beings, mortal or immortal, able to match his prowess.
In fact, Sauron is not the ultimate Dark Lord–he is only a servant of Morgoth, and ultimately lives to do his master’s bidding. While Sauron is a dangerous force and a serious threat to the safety of Middle-Earth, his power is microscopic compared to his master’s. Morgoth could easily best Sauron in a fight, and could probably crush him between the tip of his finger and thumb, to be honest. Due to his species and inherent power, there is no doubting that Morgoth (or any of the Valar, really) could dwarf Sauron’s power and really give him a run for his money.