4. Sméagol/Gollum in The Lord of the Rings
Hes the disgusting, scraggily, maddening creature that cries out for his precious while apparently ready to betray Frodo and Sam in an instant if it meant obtaining the Ring. But thats Gollum. Sméagol after years and years of using the Ring, which he and Déagol only happened upon by chance. Everyone feelings the spell of the Ring but Sméagol felt it more than most as it tore his body and his sanity apart. Things are only worse when Bilbo takes the Ring after coming across Gollum in a cave. At least through some of his time in the Lord of the Rings trilogy he attempts to redeem himself. Frodos kindness helps him somewhat, but its Sams attitude towards him that keep him on the wrong path. Gollum sets up a trap to feed Frodo and Sam to Shelob, but as Sméagol he almost calls everything off when he sees Frodo asleep. Good job Sam is there to berate Sméagol and turn him back into Gollum. Sméagol is constantly a victim to the urges the Ring shakes within him. He was doomed from the start and any minor actions that suggest him getting better are nullified by people remembering his previous actions. To cap it all off, even Frodo couldnt destroy the Ring in the face of the fires of Mt. Doom, though Gollum tears the Ring from him and, falling to his death, finally has his prize. Its almost sad seeing Gollum so happy knowing that the world is in actuality about to be saved and Frodo makes clear that without Gollum, their quest would have failed.