The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - 5 Unforgivable Deviations From The Novel

4. The Extended Role Of Azog

As mentioned, Middle Earth is teeming with villainous folk, most of which want Bilbo, Thorin and co. dead. And where Thorin is concerned, that goes doubly so for Azog, the muscled, maimed, one-armed Orc (above) who serves as the chief antagonist in the films. Azog and Thorin have an ongoing feud, starting with Azog murdering and beheading Thorin's grandfather, Thrór. Thorin then cuts Azog's left forearm off in the ensuing battle and, mistakenly thinking he has killed his arch enemy, later discovers he is very much alive. Azog goes on to have an expanded role in the films while in the book he is mentioned by Gandalf in one singular throwaway line: "Your grandfather Thror was killed, you remember, in the mines of Moria by Azog the Goblin", and that is the last we hear of him. What's more, In the Return of the King appendices, Azog is described as being fully protected by iron armour, however in the Jackson films he is bare-chested and scarred, another deviation from Tolkien's writings.