Lets see if I can nuke the popular opinion of this thread. Hopefully my less-than encyclopedic memory of the book version of LotR doesn’t derail this post too much.
Gollum doesn’t belong on the list at all!
I believe that intentions are paramount and it totally invalidates every “positive” thing he did in the quest. I put positive in quotes because even the things that helped lead to the destruction were often double edged contributions. Even if you take away his motivations from the equation he’s still a pretty thin candidate. He led the Hobbits to Mordor at knife point and leashed in elven rope and during the trek made several attempts to steal the ring and led the Hobbits to Shelob. Those actions aren’t MVP type actions. His accidentally falling into the pit with the ring doesn’t absolve his previous deeds and he’s at least partially to blame for the misery and agony Frodo endured in carrying the ring. Had Gollum not ambushed Sam and Frodo at the entrance it’s possible that Frodo, with Sam’s help, could have abandoned the ring to the fire or that Sam would have been able to fight it away from him as Gollum did.
Gollum hid the ring and lost it by accident. Nothing heroic there.
Gollum ratted out the ring’s possessor to Sauron under torture, and only held out because he had designs on stealing it back for himself. Not heroic.
Gollum ambushed Sam and Frodo when they first captured him. Not heroic and incompetent.
Gollum tossed away their food and pitted Sam and Frodo against one another and encouraged Frodo’s paranoia and his budding megalomania. Simply evil and manipulative.
Gollum tried to feed Sam and Frodo to Shelob and very nearly succeeded. In fact he succeeded in getting Frodo poisoned and captured by the Orcs. Pure and unadulterated evil.
Gollum attacked Sam and Frodo as they entered Mt Doom and tried to steal back the ring and prevent it from being destroyed. Um, totally evil.
Gollum stumbled and fell into the lava by accident as he celebrated his victory and reunion with the ring. Heroic? Really?
The only possible arguments for Gollum being on the MVP list at all is during the brief periods where Smeagol’s presence came forward and he didn’t actively try and kill the Hobbits. Then the fact that Gandalf made some vague claims that Gollum should be pitied and not feared or hated. Give me one reason why this guy is even a good guy let alone a hero or MVP. His attacking Frodo and accidentally falling into the pit with the ring is pretty thin, if that’s your argument for an MVP than perhaps you should instead give it to the fate faeries or dumb luck.
My list:
- Radagast
- Gandalf
3a. Frodo
3b. Samwise
3c. Samwise’s unbridled lust for Frodo’s purty mouth. - Aragron
- Treebeard
- Theoden
Everyone else is pretty much just honorable mention. I leave off Merry and Pippin because in my mind you folks are giving them credit for the actions of Treebeard. Yes they persuaded Treebeard to persuade the Ents to act against Saruman, but in the end Treebeard was the one who made the decision to lead the Ents and he’s the one who overthrew Orthanc and he gets the credit for taking down Saruman and in effect freeing Rohan to aid Gondor. Theoden is the one who led the Rohan to the Pelennor Fields and essentially saved Gondor and provided forces to take to the Battle of the Morannon. This wouldn’t have been possible without Treebeard destroying Orthanc so he’s above Theoden. I leave Eowyn off because Gandalf should have been the one to destroy the Witch King had he not gone back to save Faramir and had he done so Theoden would have probably survived. As it stands saving Faramir wasn’t of much import and Gandalf could have still taken on the Witch King anyways after Denethor’s death.
These are the people that the War of the Ring could not have been won without. Without Gandalf none of this would have happened, he set everything in motion. Without Frodo and Sam the ring would never have gotten to Mordor and it would have seduced any other Elven or Numenorean carrier. Without Aragorn the Fellowship would have broken, the battle of Helm’s Deep would have been lost, the Oath of Eorl would not have been fulfilled and the Dead Men of Dunharrow would not have routed the Corsairs and all would have lead to the fall of Gondor. Without Fangorn Isengard would have taken Rohan up-ending all of the above and without Theoden the Rohrrim would not have marched.
Everyone else was replaceable or amounted to nothing more than a messenger. The Stewards of Gondor did as much harm as good and needed their asses saved. The Elves were simply bystanders. Legolas and Gimli were brave, elite fighters but the 41 and 42 Orcs they killed weren’t exactly pivotal. The downing of the Witch King was important but Eowyn and Merry weren’t exactly singular in their ability to do so and it’s not clear that it was the crucial moment in the battle.