The orcs in The Lord of the Rings are brutal and merciless warriors serving Sauron in his dark war. They often appear as a nameless throng. However, there are a few orcs that are particularly notorious. In this ranking, we sort the five most dangerous orcs by their strength.
How strong are orcs? The feared orcs have always been servants of evil. They are led by princes and chieftains, mostly the strongest and most cruel representatives of their kind. Nevertheless, many orcs are smaller and weaker than elves or even humans. However, they breed extremely quickly, allowing them to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers and their warlike nature.
The combat strength of a single orc largely depends on its subspecies. Well-known types include:
- Orcs of Mordor: strong battle orcs with long arms
- Snagas: the most common, but also the smallest type, originating from the Misty Mountains
- Mountain Orcs: very large, usually leaders of the Snagas
- Uruk-hai: the largest and strongest orcs, a breeding of Saruman
What was the ranking based on? The portrayal of orcs in the movies does not always completely match the book by J.R.R. Tolkien. We primarily rely on information from the books but also take into account known orcs from the films.
Rank 5: Bolg
- Subsidiary type: Mountain Orc
Bolg is the son of the notorious orc Azog, whom we will discuss shortly. Like his father, Bolg is a Gundabad-orc from the Misty Mountains. This special breed is larger and stronger than regular orcs and is known for particularly wild fighting spirit.
When Bolg learned that the dragon Smaug had been killed, he marched with his army to the Lonely Mountain, triggering the Battle of the Five Armies. He and his personal guard seem almost invincible. However, the shapeshifter Beorn in his bear form was eventually able to overwhelm Bolg.
In the book, not much else is known about Bolg. In the somewhat prolonged Hobbit films, however, he engages in two epic battles with Legolas. The first time he impressively holds his own against the elf. In the second duel, he is ultimately killed by Legolas.
