8 Most Underrated Lord Of The Rings Characters

When people think of the four hobbits, they often assign them into (pardon the pun) four little roles. Frodo is the lead, Sam is the backbone of the series, Pippin is the comic relief, and Merry is the other one. But this hobbit deserves way more credit than that.

Each of the hobbits has their reasons for staying in the fight rather than retiring to The Shire. Frodo is bound by his inheritance of the One Ring, Sam is tasked with caring for Frodo, and Pippin gets wrapped up with Sauron thanks to the Palantir. But, Merry seems to be the only one who chooses to stay and fight out of a simple desire to battle alongside his friends.

Merry is constantly told to go home by the Ents and the previously mentioned Éomer, yet he stays and joins the fray despite his opposition. This is especially brave, seeing as he has no ties to the Ring or Sauron outside of his desire to fight for the side of good.

He's easily one of the most courageous characters in the series, yet he's often looked down on as one of the least popular members of the Fellowship.