The Lord Of The Rings: Ranking Every Major Villain From Worst To Best
5. Saruman
Sauron may have been the overarching antagonist of the trilogy, but it was Saruman who caused the most trouble in the first two entries in The Lord of the Rings.
As with Gandalf and Radagast, Saruman was sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to help overcome Sauron. However, in contrast to his fellow wizards, Saruman was tempted by the power of the Dark Lord and joined his cause – much to Gandalf’s shock and displeasure. It’s this change in allegiances that made Saruman one of the more interesting of Tolkien’s villains.
Christopher Lee was also a big part of why Saruman worked so well. His performance balanced intimidation with wisdom, and despite how aged Saruman was, Lee always managed to make him feel threatening.
The only real issue with Saruman was that his death was only included in the extended edition of The Return of the King. As a result, it felt as if his character had simply been abandoned when watching the standard edition.