When scenes that continue to get better over time). However, what made the films even more incredible was the top-tier cast that brought Tolkien's Middle-earth to life.
Not only did these actors manage to bring everyone's fan-favorite characters to life but the movies also gave them a chance to replay their roles again in the prequels and receive more projects afterward. In fact, some even went on to be a part of MCU. But does everyone who they played? Fans might have missed a few since there were some roles that were more memorable than others.
Hugo Weaving (Elrond) played Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger
Hugo Weaving has a vast amount of appearances in science-fiction and fantasy franchises. In Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, he portrayed King Elrond, a fantastic protagonist to the stories. On the other hand, his role in the MCU was the opposite direction. Weaving first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) as Johann Schmidt, a Nazi scientist who became the infamous Red Skull.
While Red Skull did appear in Weaving had not reprised his role for that return due to contractual obligations. Some movie fans may not realize is that Weaving has also been the voice of Megatron in the Transformers movies and, more notably, played the villainous Agent Smith in The Matrix trilogy.
Cate Blanchett (Galadriel) played Hela in Thor: Ragnarok
Cate Blanchett is absolutely an A-list actor whose credits have garnered her two Academy Award wins. Her authoritative voice and her graceful ambiance made her a perfect fit to play Galadriel in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
As for her MCU debut, Blanchett was unforgettable as the evil older sister to Thor, Hela, in she could be an even worse sibling than Loki. In contrast to Galadriel, Hela had jet-black hair and a wardrobe to match. Her acting, mixed with Taika Waititi's directing, made for one of the best MCU movies to date.
Liv Tyler (Arwen) played Betty Ross in the MCU's 2008 Incredible Hulk movie
Liv Tyler may be recognized primarily for her role as Arwen in the Lord of the Rings. Her on-screen chemistry with Viggo Mortenson as her love interest, Aragon, was palpable and the romantic factor blended well with the action and adventure surrounding it.
One of the very first films Marvel Studios made, The Incredible Hulk (2008) also starred Tyler as Betty Ross, a scientist and the love interest of Bruce Banner (Edward Norton). Though neither Tyler nor Norton have yet returned to their roles in the MCU, the film's post-credits scene gave fans the first appearance of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), which paved the way for the franchise's future.
Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel) plays Hope van Dyne in the MCU
Evangeline Lilly first rose to fame playing Kate Austen in the hit ABC show, Lost. She then successfully tackled the role of Tauriel in The Hobbit trilogy, an elf who fought gallantly alongside Legolas and aided the Hobbits on their mission. Although Tauriel wasn't in the original novel, she added a great component to the story and Lilly embodied her perfectly.
Lilly's onscreen action abilities didn't go unnoticed by the people at Marvel Studios. She made her MCU debut as Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man (2015) alongside the beloved Paul Rudd. Lilly's role progressed with the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and audiences will see her as Hope again in the third Ant-Man installment, scheduled for 2023.
Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) plays Everett Ross in the MCU
Sherlock's Dr. John Watson and his dry humor made Martin Freeman the clear choice to portray Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy. His excitement at going on an adventure entranced audiences and made them glad that Peter Jackson had turned a moderately short novel into a trilogy of almost 3-hour films.
Freeman's first appearance in the MCU came in 2016's confirmed to return in the sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, later this year.
Andy Serkis (Gollum) played Ulysses Klaue in the MCU
Andy Serkis is quite literally a man of many faces (and voices). Perhaps his most well-known role, whether people know it's him or not, is that of the gruesome Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Serkis brought the dreaded phrase "my precious" even more horror through his incredible vocal talents for the fantasy franchise.
Serkis made his first MCU appearance as Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), where his character was a rugged criminal who sold Vibranium on the black market. An epic scene from Black Panther showed Ulysses being interrogated by Martin Freeman's character, which gave happy chills to Lord of the Rings fans everywhere.
Karl Urban (Eomer) played Skurge in Thor: Ragnarok
One of the most beloved characters of the Lord of the Rings was Eomer, played by the talented Karl Urban, who was a fierce warrior and an integral part of Frodo's successful mission. He didn't appear until the second movie, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), but his importance to the entire trilogy was impossible to miss.
Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok (2017) completely blew the minds of all fan levels worldwide and Urban's role in the film definitely aided to its massive positive response. Urban played Skurge, a renegade Asgardian who quickly pledged his allegiance to Hela (Cate Blanchett) to save his own skin. However, Skurge redeemed himself while epically wielding assault rifles and winning the audience's hearts.
Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) played Magneto in Fox's X-Men movies
The legendary Sir Ian McKellen is most likely the only actor who will ever be able to appease fans' expectations of Gandalf the Grey, inarguably one of the most powerful movie wizards. McKellen perfectly incorporated his poetic Shakesperean vernacular into the mystical wizard in both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Sans long hair and beard, McKellen successfully portrayed the metal-controlling Magneto in the X-Men movies. His chemistry with his real-life best friend Patrick Stewart as a nemesis was palpable and made the otherwise questionably-produced movies entertaining.
Richard Armitage (Thorin) played Heinz Kruger in Captain America: The First Avenger
Richard Armitage is not necessarily a well-known name, but his performance as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit trilogy brought a rawness to the screen. Even though Thorin's brusque attitude isn't quite as intense in the novel, fans didn't mind the darker version they got from Armitage.
As for his role in Marvel, Armitage can be extremely easy to overlook. He appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) as Heinz Kruger, the Hydra assassin who planted the bomb in Steve Rodgers's muscley transformation that kills the beloved Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci).
Lee Pace (Thranduil) played Ronin in the MCU
Lee Pace donned long, blond hair for his role as Thranduil in The Hobbit series, who is the father of Legolas and King of the Silvan Elves. Pace embodied the sternness of the elves wonderfully in his scenes throughout the films. Fans were definitely happy that Thranduil got screen time given that he's only mentioned a handful of times in the original novel without an actual appearance.
As for the MCU, Pace was practically unrecognizable as the villain Ronan, who first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Ronan played an integral role in the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019) because he was basically Thanos's employee, out to find the Infinity Stones.
