The Lord Of The Rings: 10 Best Fighters In Middle-Earth Definitively Ranked

10. Sauron

The eponymous Lord of the Rings and one of the most iconic villains of all time Sauron the Great needs no introduction. If so, what is he doing so far down the list?

While powerful, Sauron, like Morgoth, was more deceiver than fighter. Even during the First Age, when his power was greatest and he was chief of Morgoth’s lieutenants, Sauron spent his time in the shadows rather than on the battlefield, running Morgoth’s affairs, gathering intelligence and breeding twisted monstrosities.

That said he was no pushover. He famously defeated Gil-Galad, High King of the Nõldor, and Elendil, King of the Dúnedain, in combat, losing the Ring to a beaten Isildur only because of hubris, not a lack of skill. And even the ring-less Sauron of the Third Age was powerful enough that it required the entire White Council – Gandalf, Galadriel and Elrond among them – to drive him from Dol Guldur, and even then it is implied he withdrew willingly.

Though unquestionably the most powerful fighter of the Third Age, he was not the greatest of the First and that is why he comes in at number ten.