The Hobbit: 10 Times Peter Jackson Ruined A Character

Although Bard has a major part to play in Tolkien's The Hobbit, he actually has very few scenes and fairly limited dialogue. He's portrayed as a gruff and sullen man, who commands the archers of Lake Town. After slaying the dragon he leads the survivors to the Mountain and takes part in the Battle of the Five Armies, before becoming King of Dale.

Jackson invented the whole rebellious, bargeman backstory, and fleshed out his family background to drive up the tension. These were all great character development opportunities. The Bard in the books is a little one-dimensional but Jackson gave him some motivation - namely his need to protect his children and his sense of duty towards his beleaguered, fellow townsfolk.

But sadly the director underutilised this wealth of new material. The third Hobbit movie, was so inundated with swinging swords, that there was no possible room to develop or resolve any of these plot points. After slaying the Dragon all we see of Bard is a a few hero shots, fighting in the streets of Dale... Does anybody even remember what happened to him after the battle?