10 Most Evil Characters In The Lord Of The Rings

Peter Jackson really pushed the boat out with his primary orc villain in The Return of the King. The original sculptor, Gino Acevedo, created a plasticine model with just a hint of rot on its nose. But Jackson wanted to push it even further, as the director took huge hunks of plasticine and began slapping them on the character's face, encouraging Acevedo to make it as grotesque as possible.

Elijah Wood later revealed the design and character of Gothmog, was inspired by Harvey Weinstein, who had been involved with funding the movies. According to Wood, Weinstein had acted like a bully towards Jackson, and this was his subtle f*ck you to the former movie mogul. Considering the sh*t Weinstein has gone down for, it makes his on screen embodiment seem all the more evil.

Jackson fleshed out the character of Gothmog significantly for the films. He's shown in a number of scenes commanding the legions of Mordor. His John Wayne swagger and his formidable appearance made him one of the most memorable orcs in the entire trilogy.

Tolkien only referenced Gothmog once in the books, without clearly defining what he was. The only information we get, was that he was the Lieutenant of Morgul. Speculation has led many to believe he could have been, either Nazgûl or an evil man, not unlike the Mouth of Sauron.