BetweenGandalf (Ian McKellen) defeating a balrogand Sam (Sean Astin) carrying Frodo (Elijah Wood) up Mount Doom,The Lord of the Ringsincludes some pretty impressive feats. Yet, surprisingly, the one that required the most strength is accomplished by 111-year-old Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). Bilbo isn’t in much of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, withThe Hobbitfilms focus more on him.In The Hobbit, a much younger Bilbo (played byMartin Freeman) finds the One Ring on his quest. But it is at the start of The Lord of the Rings that Bilbo shows off his incredible strength.
In the beginning, Bilbo plans to leave the Shire, leaving everything to Frodo, including the Ring. But when it comes down to it, Bilbo hesitates to let go and Gandalf has to convince him. The choice to leave the Ring behind is not one Bilbo reaches easily. He grows angry and tries to leave with it, yet in the end, he drops the Ring onto the floor of Bag End and walks out. At this moment,Bilbo, who held on to the One Ring for decades, lets it go willingly, overpowering the temptation of the Ring.
No One Else Shows Bilbo’s Level of Strength
The One Ring is notorious for its ability to tempt those around it. It temptedBoromir (Sean Bean)so badly that he tried to take it from Frodo, who he swore to protect, and he wasn’t even carrying it himself. Isildur (Harry Sinclair) couldn’t give it up either, refusing to destroy it when he had the chance. Hobbits are generally less susceptible to the Ring as they are not an ambitious group. However, they are not immune, as proven by Frodo and Gollum (Andy Serkis), who wasa Stoor, which is Hobbit-adjacent. This Ring drove Gollum to kill his cousin and live alone in a cave. Even Frodo, who held it for a fraction of the time Bilbo did, can’t let go of it in the end. The Ring is only destroyed when Frodo and Gollum’s fight for it sends both Gollum and the Ring into the fires below. And it’s not that Bilbo didn’t use it. The Hobbit trilogy proves he donned the Ring more than Frodo, and his disappearing act at his birthday party suggests he’s very comfortable using it.In his possession for 60 years, the Ring had time to corrupt Bilbo, but it failed.
Bilbo Is the Strongest Hero in The Lord of the Rings
Carrying the One Ring takes great strength, and Bilbo is among a few individuals who do so. The exclusive club also includes Isildur, Gollum, Frodo, and Sam, but none accomplish what Bilbo did. Isildur and Gollum die enthralled by the Ring, while Frodo, Sam, and Bilbo survive and are invited to the Undying Lands for their trouble. Though Bilbo doesn’t go on the quest to destroy it,Bilbo’s surprising ability to resist Sauron’s greatest weapon makes him the strongest of the ringbearersand earns him a place inthe Undying Lands. To be fair to the others, Gollum was under its influence for 500 years, and Frodo carries it at a time when Sauron is more active, making the Ring’s job easier. OnlySam gives it up willingly, but he has it just briefly. Given the power it has, Bilbo shows incredible strength in resisting the One Ring.
There’s More to Sauron’s True Form Than the Lord of the Rings Movies Ever Show
You name it, Sauron’s been it.
The quest couldn’t have happened if he hadn’t found it or given it up willingly.Gollum never would have let go, so it had to fall into Bilbo’s hands, but he couldn’t undertake the quest at his age. If Bilbo kept it,the Nazgûlwould have caught him and returned the Ring to Sauron, giving the story a darker ending. The Ring is a burden to those who hold it, and Bilbo shouldered that burden for 60 years without being corrupted by it, placing him among, if not above, the strongest heroes in The Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is streaming on Max in the U.S.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
