Editing Middle Earth characters (section)

==Apocryphal Characters==
Due to the huge, enduring popularity of Tolkien's writing, many folks over the years have made their own contributions to the lore, effectively giving Tolkien's writings their own "expanded universe". None of these are canon with the books however, and so are listed here instead. Due to how the purists tend to feel about this sort of thing, pretty much all of the characters here are [[Skub]] by default.
===From Movies===
* '''Alfrid''': The Master of Laketown's own personal Wormtongue, and even more obnoxious and hatable. Much as Jar-Jar Binks is often seen as the character who killed the Prequels (or else dragged them down), Alfrid is seen in much the same way regarding the Hobbit movies. Not helped by the fact that he ''gets away with everything'' (unless you watch the extended cut that is).
* '''Lurtz''': Probably one of the most famous "not in the books" characters ever, Lurtz is an Uruk-hai leader made by Saruman in the PJ movies who is in charge of the band sent to Amon Hen. He's the one who personally puts three arrows into Boromir before Aragorn moves in to take him out in a suitably epic one-on-one fight scene. Due to the popularity of the PJ movies, the aforementioned epic fight scene, and the fact that Lurtz isn't ''that'' important of a character, he tends to be a lot more accepted than many other non-canon characters. Lurtz's role in the books likely would have been taken by Uglúk instead, but PJ wanted to have a menacing Orc antagonist in the first film that would be memorable by being the one to kill Boromir and give Aragorn a tough fight, and to represent the unique threat that the Uruk-Hai posed compared to the bog-standard orc.
* '''Sharku''': Leader of Saruman's Warg Riders, which guaranteed him status as a boss battle in a few of the video games.  Also used to fake out killing off Aragorn in the second movie before Aragorn returned alive.  Looks a lot like Freddy Krueger, and his name is a reference to Saruman's book alias during the Scouring of the Shire, "Sharkey".
* '''Tauriel''': A redheaded Elf waifu played by Evangeline Lily who is crushed on by Legolas and Kili, to [[Rage|the totally chill reactions of most audiences and fans]]. All told she ''is'' reasonably cool, but the general feeling is that making her part of a love triangle that goes nowhere was a dumb idea. Not to mention the "forbidden love" angle had already been done.
* '''Gothmog''': Only apocryphal-ish, since he ''does'' get a mention in Return of the King, being referred by his title "Castellan of Minas Morgul" in two sentences, where he is mentioned taking command of the Orcish warhost that is besieging Minas Tirith after the Witch-King was slain. Other than that, nothing is known about him and he never does get mentioned again, not even in passing. While some Tolkien Scholars hold the opinion that Tolkien was referring to one of the Nazgûl (since Gothmog was the King of the Balrogs, and it seems weird to not assign a name of such a powerful creature to an equally mighty servant of Sauron), Peter Jacksons interpretation of Gothmog was that of a heavily scarred and crippled Orc general that leads the troops on the ground during the Siege of Gondor and the Battle of Minas Tirith. A bit ironic is the fact that, while he is clearly intended to be Gothmog, he is actually never mentioned by name in the movie. Also fun fact, he was played the same Maori actor who also played the Witch-King and Lurtz.

===From Video Games===
*'''The Third Age Second Fellowship''': A B-Team Fellowship who are the playable characters in The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. Sadly, they're all very, very stock as characters, but at least they got to be the protagonists of one of the better Middle-Earth games.
** '''Berethor''': Gondor Citadel Guard sent by Denethor to find his son Boromir, and also secretly a Manchurian Agent for Saruman and carries another secret in his body. Is fear-proof, and this is actually something that factors into the gameplay. 
** '''Idrial''': Discount Arwen, being a female Elf who fights with a falchion and water magic and who falls in love with the heroic man of Gondor (Berethor in this case). Gets a bit green-eyed when Morwen shows up as a result. 
** '''Elegost''': A Dunedain Ranger who is the party's token archer character. [[Gotrek & Felix|Is best friends with a Dwarf named Hadhod, who is his travelling companion]].
** '''Hadhod''': Party's token Dwarf, but can do shit Gimli can't (fire and earth magic, namely). [[Gotrek & Felix|Is best friends with a Ranger named Elegost, who is his travelling companion]].
** '''Morwen''': Woman of Rohan [[Rule 34|with a bare midriff]] orphaned when Saruman's forces scour the lands, she joins the party as the closest thing they have to a dedicated thief/rogue. [[Slayers|Fights with dual axes and has a need for vengeance against the enemy]].
** '''Eaoden''': Last member of the party to be recruited, which sadly has the effect of making him even ''more'' lacking in personality than the rest.  Also from Rohan, he's one of Theoden's Royal Guards and can actually become a serious powerhouse depending on how you allocate his points. 
*'''Battle for Middle-Earth OCs''': Since not every faction in these games has a large number of named folks from the books and films to draw on, EA had to get creative, and so invented some playable hero units whole cloth:
** '''Drogoth the Dragon Lord''': Hero unit for the Goblins, and basically going "fuck that" to the idea of Smaug being the last dragon. 
** '''Gorkil the Goblin King''': Goblin with delusions of grandeur who hopes to win Sauron's favor by causing trouble in the North. Rides a giant scorpion into battle. 
** '''Hwaldar the Brigand''': A Rhudaur hill chief secretly in league with the Witch-King. Hero unit for the Angmar faction.
** '''Karsh the Whisperer''': Former Captain of Arnor named Carthaen who the Witch-King turns into a wraith to serve as one of his minions instead of his enemies. Hero unit for Angmar. 
** '''Morgomir''': Lieutenant of Carn Dûm and a Black Numenorean captain who has become of the Nazgul themselves. Hero unit for Angmar. 
** '''Rogash''': The Witch-King's right-hand Troll, being a lot smarter and more dangerous than the standard Olog. Hero unit for Angmar. 
*'''Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War Characters''': The cast of Monolith Production's video game duology:
**'''Talion''': Protagonist and pure Badass by way of being a brutal one-man army who can cleave through scores of Uruks, kill Ologs, bring Fire Drakes to heel, and even ''fight and beat Nazgul and Sauron himself''. Looks a lot like Aragorn, but his story goes down a much darker path. Slain along with his wife and son at the start of the game, he is resurrected (sort of), by the spirit of Celebrimbor, turning him into a wraith ''not'' bound to Sauron. From there, he becomes [[Konrad Curze|a ruthless, brutal figure who lives in a world of darkness and evil surrounded on all sides by evildoers he spends his time brutally killing, maiming, and terrorizing]]. Ultimately becomes a cautionary tale about trying to be a Grimdark Anti-Hero in Tolkien's world though; his bearing a new ring of power made by Celebrimbor and using it to bend Uruks and Ologs to his will to build an army in Mordor, makes him all-too similar to the Dark Lord he's fighting against. It culminates in him losing said Ring, taking a discarded Nazgul ring to save himself, and as a result, becoming one of Sauron's nine Nazgul. A lesson in ''not'' fighting Sauron using his methods learned the hard way. In all, most Tolkien purists would consider him way too [[Grimdark]] for J.R.R.'s fiction, and have argued that Tolkien would be horrified by his game's content. But again, given what happens to Talion, it's clear the writers understood the inherent folly in trying to fight Sauron with his own methods. Talion is best seen then as a cautionary tale (and thus a reaffirming of Tolkien's values), not a bastardization ([[Skub|this does not stop people from seeing him and his games as that though)]].
**'''Ioreth and Dirhael''': Talion's wife and son, who, as the wife and son of a tragic Anti-Hero in a [[Grimdark]] story, suffer exactly the fate you expect them to. In Ioreth's case, [[Critical Role|this is not the only time her VA has played a character in a Fantasy series with a sexy faux-British accent who's in love with a brooding, vengeful Anti-Hero]].
**'''The Black Captains''': A trio of Black Numenoreans who act as the main antagonists of the first game. Each represents a different aspect of Sauron's character, and as the folks who murdered Talion's wife and son, are at the top of his shit-list. They are: 
***'''Black Hand of Sauron''': Leader of the bunch. [[Tzeentch|Represents the deceitfulness of Sauron]]. Lets his body become a vessel for Sauron so that the latter can temporarily regain his iconic black-armored, physical form. 
***'''Hammer of Sauron''': A former Numenorean from the Battle of the Last Alliance [[Angron|who was angry and resentful enough to turn on his fellows]], picking up Sauron's discarded  mace and letting it corrupt him (since it seems all of Sauron's stuff does that). [[Khorne|Represents Sauron's physical might and just a generally very angry guy]].
***'''Tower of Sauron''': A tall, scary guy [[Slaanesh|who looks a bit like something out of Hellraiser and accordingly serves as a torturer for Sauron. He represents the horror and viciousness of Sauron]]. 
**'''Eltariel''': A black-clad Elf who acts as a personal assassin for Galadriel, specially tasked with fighting the Nazgul. Badass enough to keep pace with Talion (and ironically has the same voice actress as his dead wife). Takes the New Ring after Talion loses it and becomes a Nazgul. 
**'''Idril''': Gondorian woman who is the daughter of the man in charge of Minas Ithil (which falls much later in the Shadow of Mordor/War continuity). Her daddy betrays the city to the Witch-King on the condition that Idril will be spared, and afterwards Idril leads the surviving Gondorian forces in Mordor. Comments on various collectibles Talion can find scattered throughout Mordor.
** '''Baranor''': A man born in Harad who was given to Gondor as part of a peace exchange and raised by them. Actually did pretty well for himself, becoming a captain in Gondor's army and helping lead the defense of Minas Ithil before it falls. Playable in one of Shadow of War's DLCs, and since he has no Ring of Power, if he dies, its actually Game Over. 
**'''Carnan''': An Ent-Wife (or else something like it) and a super-powerful nature spirit who talks weird. Said to be a contemporary of Morgoth, which would make her ''ancient'' if true. Resides in a very forested, scenic part of Mordor that feels more like a part of Lothlorien or Rivendell then anything under Sauron's control, but that is likely owing in part to Carnan's presence. Though mostly a neutral figure unconcerned with the affairs of lesser beings, when a Balrog starts burning her forest down, she joins forces with Talion and Celebrimbor. 
**'''Tar-Goroth''': A Balrog awakened by the forging of the New Ring, meaning his rampage is technically Talion and Celebrimbor's fault. There for the sake of having a boss fight with a Balrog. 
**'''Zog the Eternal''': An Uruk sorcerer who seeks to summon Tar-Goroth and use him as a living weapon, including against Sauron himself, making him an Uruk with delusions of grandeur. Suffice to say, Talion puts a stop to his plans. 
**'''Bruz the Chopper''': An Olog with an Australian accent who is one of Talion's first recruits, but later turns on him when he doesn't get a promotion. Talion responds by mind-raping him, which drives him insane. What happens to him after that is up to the player. 
**'''Suladan''': OC Nazgul made for the games, one who funny enough shares a name with one of Games Workshop's original characters from the Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game. Nothing to suggest this is the same character though. His backstory is basically Ar-Pharazon, but a king of the South instead of Numenor, and turned into a Nazgul instead of getting punished by Eru. 
**'''Nazgul Sisters (Riya and Yukka)''': Yes, seriously. A pair of twin sisters from an [[Cathay|obscure, rarely seen kingdom of man based off of Asian cultures]] who killed two of Sauron's Nazgul and took their Rings for themselves...which turned them into new Nazgul. Actually try to take power for themselves, but after Eltariel whoops their asses they seem to give up on that idea. Fight with Kusarigama type weapons instead of the usual Morgul Blades.

===From Amazon's Rings of Power===
*'''Arondir''': Black Legolas with a bit of Aragorn / Beren mixed in, or else a male Arwen, since he's doing the whole Elf/Human romance thing, which his fellow Elves point out doesn't end happily for those who do it. Might be Theo's father, but unconfirmed as yet.
*'''Bronwyn''' - Arondir's forbidden human lover (so the Luthien to his Beren, but with the races reversed), who is most notable for [[Derp|somehow commanding humans that escaped Orc invasion despite being a simple farmer (yeah, no signs of any class higher than peasants at all in Southlands)]].
*'''Theo''': Bronwyn's son that currently has super cool dark weapon on his hands, which seems to be a Morgul Blade, leading to fan theories that he'll turn into a Nazgul. Notably, we never get a good look at his ears, suggesting he might be Arondir's kid (which would fit given that he's his mom's boyfriend).
*'''[[Sauron|Halbrand]]''': Mysterious human that joins Galadriel in her quest. Has a lot in common with Aragorn (such as being the successor to a kingdom long vanished), but was ultimately revealed to be a certain ''other'' canon character. Given all of the hints beforehand, namely his silver tongue, talent for manipulation, the fact that he's trying to rule the Southlands (aka Mordor), his asking Adar (who claimed to kill Sauron), if he recognized him, and keen interest and skill in blacksmithing, (to the point that he claimed no one knew the craft better than him and was able to help Celebrimbor make the Rings of Power), this identity reveal didn't come as a shock to anybody when it came...except Galadriel. Speaking of, he got the hots for her during the time they spent together, and attempted to convince her to join him, but it didn't take (obviously). At the end of the season, he does what none should be able to do...[[Meme|he simply walked into Mordor]].
*'''Adar''': Elvish for "father", he's [[Malekith|a corrupted but charismatic black armored Elf]] (according to himself, he's a "first-generation orc", with visible scar on his head where Morgoth poured his evil... corruption juice... thing) who leads a band of Orcs hoping to do...something. Might be Maedhros (since he's got a gauntlet over one hand, and Maedhros burned one of his hands grabbing a Silmaril). Played by Benjen Stark's actor, meaning both of the Stark brother's actors have now been in Middle-Earth adaptations. 
*'''Eärien''': Elendil's daughter and an architect-in-training, and that's pretty much it so far. She opposes intervention into the Middle Earth and Pharazôn's son has the hots for her. While the showrunners decided to include her for "female energy," she does very little to actually drive the plot, apart from convince Kemen to burn some ships in order to stop the Numenoreans from leaving because... reasons?
*'''Kemen''': Pharazon's son (presumably from a woman other than Tar-Miriel, since Pharazon hasn't married her yet). Has the hots for Elendil's daughter.
*'''Nori Brandyfoot''' - <s>Hobbit</s>Harfoot girl, since we can't have a Tolkien adaptation without Hobbits. Like Frodo and Bilbo pretty clearly meant to be an audience surrogate, but a lot more eager for adventure at the outset than the latter. Probably won't be carrying anyone's ring around, but you never know. Currently palling around with a mysterious stranger who might actually be Gandalf, furthering the Frodo/Bilbo parallels. No relation to the Dwarf of Thorin's company despite the name. 
*'''Poppy Proudfellow''': Sam to Nori's Frodo, basically. Not much else to say. 
*'''Sadoc Burrows''': Elder of the Harfoot tribe. There was some initial controversy over his casting, with some people even making the point that [[derp|how did the isolated hobbits change from multi-ethnic to lilY-white after a few centuries?]] (Though Tolkien does describe the Harfoots as darker skinned than other Hobbit types). His character became even more [[skub]] when it was discovered that in spite of the Harfoot's claims that "nobody gets left behind" and "harfoots have hearts as big as their feet," they very regularly abandon other tribe members to death and even outright sabotage their wagons if the tribe gets fed up with them. So yeah, people think of harfoots as sociopaths now. In Sadoc's case though, its suggested that his having to leave behind his own wife and child hardened him into his current state. Dies after getting knifed by the Morgoth cult, even though Meteor Man should be able to heal him.
*'''Disa''': Durin's wife. [[/pol/|Her being black got the predictable reaction]], but she's actually more canon-friendly than many of the other characters in the show due to the fact that her name is listed in the appendices (though many people still complained WHERE'S HER BEARD???). Helps convince her husband to cut Elrond some slack for not seeing him in 20 years. Disa is also some sort of priestess for Khazad-Dum, apparently singing to the mountain to free dwarves trapped in a cave-in. For a moment people joked that maybe ''she'' was Sauron when she suddenly morphed from cheery housewife to political schemer reminiscent of Darth Sidious himself (albeit a much less evil one).
*'''<s>Meteor Man</s> <s>Encino Man</s> The Stranger''': Mysterious old man who crash-landed in Harfoot territory, and was befriended by Nori. He can't speak the common tongue and appears to be very proficient in magic, while also not understanding basic concepts like death. Most figure he's Gandalf or maybe Radagast, but other theories abound (everything from his being Sauron to being a Blue Wizard, [[Wat|to being a Balrog]]). He's confirmed in the Season 1 finale to be an Istari, with ''HEAVY'' implications that he's Gandalf, but he likely will only be referred to by one of his lesser-known names like Olorin. So ultimately, [[Superman|he's a human-looking being of great power who crash-lands from another world and is taken in by kind-hearted rural people. Sound familiar?]]
*'''<s>Feminem</s> <s>Slim Lady</s> The Priestess Trio''': Trio of white-clad ladies, led by a buzzcut woman who gives the most dramatic stink-eye. Names are The Dweller, the Nomad, and the Ascetic. Lots of people thought she was Sauron from the trailer until they realized the character had boobs (and Amazon outright said it wasn't Sauron). Honestly we know basically nothing about her and her two pals since their first appearance in the show is only slightly longer than the trailer, but apparently they're tracking Meteor Man and seem to be part of a leftover Morgoth cult. Despite having magic on par with a wizard and shapeshifting abilities, and also being incredibly pale, they're ultimately revealed to be Easterlings from Rhun, with a strong implication that they will either become Nazgul or are some precursor to it (although it does also seem that the Stranger blows them up at the end, so they might just be dead). The leader has a crown in the spirit world, which brings to mind the Witch-King of Angmar. Bear in mind, the Rings of Power are what turn humans into Nazgul, and they don't get created until the very end of the season, so they probably ''aren't'' Nazgul. Barrow-Wights maybe?