9. Radagast Is Not In The Book
An Unexpected Journey introduced us to Radagast the Brown, one of Gandalf's fellow wizards. A lover of nature and animals, Radagast dwelt at Rhosgobel, which was close to Mirkwood. He was the one who first discovered how much of a threat the Necromancer posed and managed to warn Gandalf, who in turn warned Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman. Thanks to Radagast's warning, Gandalf was able to discover the Necromancer's true identity. There's a battle in store for the White Council, but thanks to Radagast's vigilance, the Council was alerted to a grave threat in the nick of time. There is one problem with this scenario - Radagast does not appear in the book. His first appearance is not until the novel version of The Fellowship Of The Ring, and even then he makes only the briefest of appearances, having been sent by Saruman to locate Gandalf and urge him to go to Orthanc (which, of course, was a trap). In The Hobbit as it was originally written, Radagast makes no appearance, and the existence of the Necromancer is fairly well known. Even Bilbo, as sheltered as he was, seemed to have heard of him.