The Hobbit: 10 Dumbest Character Decisions
Even Gandalf wasn't wise all the time.
Even now, two decades later, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is widely thought of as one of the greatest film franchises in history. Peter Jackson returned to Middle-earth to try and recapture that same magic ten years later, but ultimately fell some way short.
One of the greatest aspects of The Lord of the Rings is its characters, with whom audiences were able to form instant connections. The same can be said about many of the Hobbit characters, though certainly not for all of them.
While Gandalf will always be a pop culture icon, Smaug and Bard added to the long list of legendary Middle-earth characters, and the likes of Thorin and Tauriel underwhelmed greatly.
Yet, whether good or evil, loved or hated, just about every character in Middle-earth has made a decision or two to really make you scratch your head.
Some came in the heat of battle, while fleeing from certain death, while others were just pure bad judgement from some of the supposedly smartest people in the world. No one it seems, is safe from a stupid decision, whether it was by design of their character or not.
10. Thorin Assumed Azog The Defiler Was Dead
This is technically less a decision and more an assumption, but it is still more than stupid enough to earn a place on this list. Thorin didn’t exactly cover himself in glory throughout the Hobbit trilogy, and this is just the start of it.
During the battle between Dwarves and Orcs, in which Thror was killed and Thorin earned the name Oakenshield, the latter engaged Azog the Defiler in combat. The Dwarf was on the ropes for most of the fight, but in the end managed to cut the Orc's hand clean off his arm. His troops dragged him away from the battle, and the Orc army broke.
The way it is portrayed in the movie and the flashback, this was the last Thorin saw of Azog. No major injuries but for the loss of his hand, and the Dwarf prince just decided that his enemy had died, like there was no other possible outcome. No need to see a body or anything.
There was absolutely no reason to believe that Azog was dead, yet even when he was told the Pale Orc lived many years later, he still didn’t believe it.