10 Movies Where It Didn't Matter That The Hero Lost

With global domination on his mind, Sauron would never have been able to achieve his goals in The Lord of the Rings without help, and so he managed to persuade Saruman the White (Christopher Lee), the greatest wizard of them all, onto his side.

Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) merely went to Saruman for advice on what to do about the Ring turning up in the Shire, but instead found himself in a full-on fight with the leader of his order. Despite how powerful he was, Gandalf was no match for Saruman, and he quickly lost.

With the grey wizard defeated and imprisoned atop Saruman's tower in Isengard, it must have seemed to the villains as though the battle was already won. Image how easily they would have overthrown Middle-earth without Gandalf there to forge the Fellowship, help unite the Men of Rohan and Gondor, and play pivotal roles in both the Battle of Helm's Deep and the Siege of Minas Tirith.

However, Gandalf's defeat at the hands of his master made no matter in the grand scheme of things, as he was able to summon help from the Eagles. They rescued him from his prison on Orthanc, and brought him right back into the war that likely would have been lost without him.