The Fellowship of the Ring is a group of nine travelers of various loyalties and races that gather together to undertake the dangerous quest to destroy the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings. They first come together in The Fellowship of the Ring, which is when the quest begins. Each of the members of the Fellowship brings their own unique traits to the table, along with their own weapons, strengths, and weaknesses.
Let’s make one thing clear: Director Peter Jackson absolutely nailed the casting on this one, and every single member of the Fellowship is extremely likable, so it’s kind of hard to rank some as being better than others. Thus, determining who is the best out of all of them is accomplished not by likability, but by their overall contributions, attitudes, and battle prowess.
9 Boromir
Played by Sean Bean
Boromir of Gondor (Sean Bean) isn’t the first member of the Fellowship to snuff it, but he is the only one who actually stays dead. He is a mortal man, so once he’s passed on, there’s not a whole lot he can do in the way of coming back or helping from beyond the grave, even with all the magic present in Middle-Earth. Initially, fans begin to hate the character, because humans are more easily corrupted by the power of the One Ring, and right from the get-go Boromir becomes intoxicated by its influence.
At Amon Hen, he even attacks the Ring-bearer for it. Luckily, he manages to redeem himself. He realizes how horrible he’s been and makes the decision to sacrifice his life for his fellow party members. Though in his last moments, he shows who he truly is at heart, and fans love this redemption arc, he only really appears in one movie save for some flashbacks in the extended edition of the second. His short run in the franchise and overall antagonism from square one make him the worst member, though he is still lovable.
8 Frodo Baggins
Played by Elijah Wood
Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) is the nephew of Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), the main protagonist of The Hobbit. Like his uncle 60 years prior, Frodo is thrust into an adventure across Middle-Earth, only his is much more dangerous, with the fate of the entire world on his shoulders. Frodo is good at heart and decides to be the one to take the Ring to Mordor. However, hobbits are not immune from its power, and he slowly begins to descend into darkness the closer he gets to his destination.
He gets so drunk in the Ring’s power that he shuns his friends and lashes out in anger, nearly killing one of them at one point. There’s no doubt that Frodo’s intentions are good, but he sometimes attempts to deliver the Ring straight into the hands of the enemy, never mind the fact that the way he treats his best friend is honestly rather despicable. Granted, this is not Frodo’s fault whatsoever and is a direct result of the Ring’s influence, so he gets a little more leeway in that regard. That and the fact that he has one of the most important roles in the series.
7 Peregrin “Pippin” Took
Played by Billy Boyd
Pippin Took (Billy Boyd) is one of two hobbits (and one-half of an iconic LotR duo) who ended up on the journey completely by accident. As such, he serves as comic relief, coming in as a bit of a dim-witted klutz. This doesn’t bode well for the Fellowship at all, and there are multiple instances where Pippin accidentally throws his friends straight into the arms of the enemy. Prime example: in The Return of the King, Pippin tries to get a look at a magical object known as the Palantir, despite explicitly being told not to. This allows Sauron to worm his way into Pippin’s head for a time.
Or how about that time in Moria when Pippin knocked a skeleton down a well by accident and brought a horde of goblins right to the fellowship’s doorstep? Sure, Pippin is easy to love as a comic relief character, but as for his contributions, he sometimes does more harm than good, and very rarely takes anything seriously, never really understanding the gravity of the situation until the very end.
6 Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck
Played by Dom Monaghan
Merry Brandybuck (Dom Monaghan) is the other hobbit who ends up on the journey by accident. Like his best pal Pippin, he is sort of a comic relief character, or at least for the first little while. The two are often seen engaging in shenanigans, but the weight of their task hits Merry much harder and much sooner than it does for Pippin. Unlike Pippin, who finds himself caught up in the Siege of Minas Tirith and the concurrent Battle of Pelennor Fields, Merry voluntarily joins the fight, expressing his desire to be on the battlefield multiple times.
With him being comic relief, one might think that this would be a recipe for disaster, but it’s not. Merry being there actually does help a lot, as he is able to stab the Witch-King (Lawrence Makoare) in the back, distracting him long enough for Éowyn (Miranda Otto) to deal the killing blow. His non-serious nature gets him off to a rocky start, but he’s eventually able to recognize that this is no time for joking around, and is much more level-headed than his best friend.
5 Legolas Greenleaf
Played by Orlando Bloom
Legolas (Orlando Bloom) is the son of Thranduil, the King of Mirkwood who once imprisoned Bilbo Baggins and the 13 dwarves. As such, Legolas kind of has disdain towards dwarves at the beginning. However, he’s a very serious individual, though not without a sense of humor. There are a few moments when he’s able to joke around and have fun, but this is always at exactly the right time, and never unwarranted.
But the main reason he is so well-liked is because he’s just so cool. He’s nimble and a real crack-shot with his trusty bow. He’s had thousands of years to hone the art of archery, and it really shows, as there is no shot he cannot make. By far the finest movie archer, Legolas is a huge asset in the various battles throughout the films and is always stylish in the way he takes his adversaries down. He’s just plain fun to watch; his smooth moves never get boring.
4 Gimli
Played by John Rhys-Davies
Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) is the son of Glóin, one of the 13 dwarves who accompanied Bilbo Baggins and who was imprisoned by Thranduil in The Hobbit. So Gimli and Legolas definitely don’t start off on the right foot. However, through their various adventures together, the two become a pair of unlikely buddies and are nearly inseparable by the end of the trilogy. Gimli might not be a very good runner, and bears a shorter stature than normal, but fans love him because he’s just great all around.
He’s a competent and ferocious fighter, preferring to get up close and personal with the orcs, but he’s also a nice bit of comic relief, especially during his battlefield banter with Legolas. He’s a bit brash, stubborn, and impulsive, but that’s just part of being a dwarf. He, like Legolas, truly believes in the cause, and quickly comes to understand how dangerous the mission is. He maintains a jolly nature, but that doesn’t mean you’d want to get on his bad side.
3 Aragorn II Elessar
Played by Viggo Mortensen
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) is the heir to the throne of Gondor, and one of the key figures in the Fellowship. In essence, the story isn’t just about destroying the Ring, but also about restoring Aragorn’s rightful place as King of Gondor. As such, he is one of the best members because of just how crucial his role in the story is. He’s also a bit of a mystic figure, as he is, at face value, an ordinary human, but it is revealed that he is one of the Dunedáin, and has been blessed with an extraordinarily long life.
Aragorn isn’t much of a joker and is pretty serious from start to finish. This is because he is wise beyond his years, and has constantly been part of dangerous quests throughout his life, so he completely gets the importance and urgency of the Ring’s destruction. While he is human, he has proven himself steadfast, never once giving in to the temptations of the One Ring. There’s very little that he actually does wrong throughout the films, which, combined with his skill as a swordsman, makes him one of the better members of the Fellowship.
2 Gandalf
Played by Sir Ian McKellen
Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) is a Maia, a sort of demigod that is thousands of years old. The wizard of the Istari is actually the first member of the Fellowship to die, but given his magical nature, he doesn’t stay that way for long, making a comeback in The Two Towers. Gandalf is the one who actually begins the quest of taking the Ring to Mordor, believing it to be the best course of action to defeat Sauron once and for all. He is infinitely wise, and serious, yet not without his more jovial moments.
He can fight pretty well when needed, but he is also capable of using magic to ward off some pretty formidable foes, single-handedly taking on a Balrog of Morgoth in the Mines of Moria. Out of all the Fellowship members, he is not just among the most important but is also the wisest, oldest, and most powerful. It’s pretty clear that the Fellowship would have been lost without him, as it starts to splinter apart after he dies, but starts to come together a bit after he returns.
1 Samwise Gamgee
Played by Sean Astin
According to Tolkien himself, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) is the true hero of the Lord of the Rings franchise. He starts as Frodo’s gardener and embarks upon the journey due to his fierce loyalty and friendship to him. Time and time again, Sam has demonstrated that he is willing to shoulder any burden to see the mission through, even physically carrying Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom, in spite of the fact that they are both exhausted, sweltering, and severely dehydrated.
Sam has nothing but good intentions and has no problem putting himself in the line of fire to save his friends. Frodo himself even says that he is glad he has Sam and that he wouldn’t have gotten very far if he didn’t. Sam is the only one who sees through the lies of Gollum (Andy Serkis), and furthermore, never succumbs to the allure of the One Ring. He’s not a great fighter, but make no mistake–he will absolutely fight if duty demands it. Sam is the purest definition of a hero: an unlikely person who is willing to do anything in the name of the greater good, and that’s what makes him the best member of the Fellowship, hands down.