Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies adapted these with aplomb, putting faces to some of Tolkien's most legendary names. Among these movies, some of fantasy's best human heroes can be found, although some of the legendarium's finest were left out.

Tolkien's best-known works are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and indeed, they form a solid introduction to the realm of Men and its Third Age heroes. But there were many types of Men in The Lord of the Rings, and they ranged further than these two novels. Tolkien's wider collected works are known as the legendarium, which creeps into the movies in a few places, notably The Fellowship of the Ring's prologue. But for the most part, the trilogy has its own unique best human heroes, often differing from the books.

10 Denethor

Ruling Steward Of Gondor

Played by John Noble, Denethor was practically a villain in The Lord of the Rings movies, despite being a hero in the books. Nonetheless, he had moments in the movies where his nobility shone through. In the books, Pippin Took (played in the trilogy excellently by Billy Boyd) was exceptionally insightful, leading him to see Denethor's long-suffering wisdom, which led to his rapidly forming loyalty to Denethor. This didn't come through in the movies, leading Pippin to look stupider.

Denethor's abusive characterization was profound and unforgettable, but to book readers, glimpses of his grace may have flickered by.

The Lord of the Rings movies' Denethor changes made Denethor the despicable, abusive father of Faramir, making Faramir's poor behavior seem more understandable and tragic. Denethor's abusive characterization was profound and unforgettable, but to book readers, glimpses of his grace may have flickered by. In the trilogy, Denethor was obviously suffering from some kind of depression, which turned out to spring from Sauron. But in his final moments, his love for Faramir was tragically obvious, sending him over the edge of Minas Tirith in flames.

9 Théodred

Son Of Théoden

Elfhild died giving birth to Théodred, Théoden's only son, and a tragic hero in The Lord of the Rings movies, if not the book. The Lord of the Rings novel pays hardly any attention to Théodred, but uses him as an important plot device to weaken his father, Théoden. Théoden is truly one of Lord of the Rings' greatest heroes in the book. So, Théodred's death, though only mentioned in ing, is pivotal to Théoden's decline and submission to Saruman.

Théodred was played by Paris Howe Strewe in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In the movie trilogy, Théodred actually appeared on-screen and in the narrative in a way he didn't in the book. This was a helpful change, showing Théodred as the battle-born hero he really was. He was a chip off the old block, so to speak. Dying in battle, Théodred was all that was good and noble about Théoden, and Théoden's nobility died with him. Young, handsome, and brave, Théodred got the screen time he deserved by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' end. That's partly why it was so rewarding watching Théoden's comeback.

8 Isildur

Second Age King Of Gondor And Arnor

Isildur was a fine king in many ways in The Lord of the Rings' Second Age, but he paled in comparison to other heroes. As far as The Lord of the Rings movies went, Isildur was one of the lesser heroes. Particularly because the movies display more of his failure than his success. One could almost go as far as to say that the trilogy really shows Isildur at his worst. He is shown in the prologue to The Fellowship of the Ring, but not necessarily showcased.

A young Isildur can be discovered in Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, played by Maxim Baldry.

Isildur got hold of Lord of the Rings' One Ring, and true to the ring's fiendish and corrupting power, kept a close hold on it even despite deciding to throw it away. The prologue shows Isildur at the Cracks of Doom attempting to dispose of the ring, and deciding to keep it at the last minute, against Elrond's better judgment. However, before this unfortunate decline into disrepute, Isildur managed to fell Sauron himself, with some help from Gil-galad and Elendil, his father. This impressive feat was one of many, although the trilogy only showed this one.

7 Éomer

Like A Son To Théoden

Played by The Boys' brilliant Karl Urban, Éomer had a bigger role in the movies than many thought he would. In his Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson often employed the tactic of rolling multiple characters into a single character. He did this to create greater focus on the characters he did choose to explore, giving them enough time on screen for audiences to truly connect to them. This applied to Éomer, who was a gallant Rohirrim leader of the greatest degree in the movies.

Éomer was such a knight in the book as well, but the Éomer of the movies absorbed the role of Erkenbrand, to a certain extent. Erkenbrand had a fairly major role in volume two of LotR - The Two Towers. Urban's Éomer took on the extra responsibility well, as much Théoden's son as Théodred himself had been. Éomer was stern and battle-hardened, giving the Fellowship a run for their money on the plains of Rohan with all the grit of a future king.

6 Théoden

The King Of Rohan

Bernard Hill was magnificent as Théoden, but only offered a glimpse of the hero of the book. Like Erkenbrand was erased from the story completely by Jackson, much of Théoden's honor was removed to give more importance to Aragorn. Théoden was adored by Merry - a relationship virtually scrubbed from the trilogy. This relationship revealed both Merry and Théoden as wise beyond their years and rank.

However, Hill's Théoden was still a knight of epic proportions. Under Saruman's spell, he was a hoary old man, oppressed, subjugated, and diseased. Witnessing Théoden heal, courtesy of Gandalf's magic, was one of the most magical, inspiring, and uplifting moments in fantasy and in cinema in general. Théoden was shown to be a victim of Saruman's political campaign, and he soared to heroics from there on. "Now for wrath, now for ruin, and the red dawn" must be one of the best lines ever spoken.

5 Faramir

Prince Of Ithilien

David Wenham's Faramir is different in The Lord of the Rings, and much more heroic in the book, but there is still much to be said for Wenham's portrayal. Wenham's sensitive portrayal somehow squeezed the most wisdom and tranquility possible from the screenplay by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Stephen Sinclair. The trilogy's script massively downgraded Faramir from what was probably the book's second-biggest human hero to a semi-villain or antihero, or at the very least, someone getting in Frodo's way.

By the end of the trilogy, thankfully, Wenham's Faramir was redeemed. Not only did he finally stop mistreating Frodo and Gollum, but his impressive strength in the face of a tyrannical father became more and more apparent. Although Faramir's resistance to the One Ring never seemed too impressive in the movies, like it did in the books, Faramir was nothing but a hero as he rode to his death knowingly, on a suicidal charge to defend Osgiliath on his father's orders.

4 Boromir

The Fellowship Of The Ring's Gondor Representative

Boromir was a complex figure in the book and movies, and tly, Peter Jackson and Sean Bean nailed this completely. Boromir was not just a foil for Aragorn's more pure heroism, but a bona fide hero in his own right. Boromir exhibited stellar character development from start to finish, making his final lines some of the best in the trilogy. He started suspicious of Aragorn, rightfully - he was making moves on his future kingship.

As The Fellowship of the Ring went on, Boromir exhibited his strength, skill, and bravery. But he also became increasingly tempted by the One Ring, swayed as he was by hopes of becoming Gondor's king. But Boromir overcame these hurdles, eventually dying to save Merry and Pippin from Orcs. Defending them until he was so full of Orc arrows he could barely stand, he eventually fell, and even used his dying breath to finally swear allegiance to Aragorn - the rightful king of Gondor.

3 Bard

The Bowman Of Dale

There are many things to love about The Hobbit trilogy, despite the flak it often catches from fans, and Bard the Bowman is one of them. Luke Evans' underrated character was a delight throughout The Hobbit and is a genuinely great reflection of the character in the children's book. The children's book was far shorter and less involved than the trilogy, leading to ample invention on Jackson's part to make up a commercially motivated extended runtime. Bard was impacted by this as much as anything else in the trilogy, but he stayed on a faithful track.

Evans' character was grim, determined, and hard done by, living the life of a man who had lost a lot but still had a lot to lose. Evans had to improvise, not having a huge three-part novel to base his character on like most of the heroes of The Lord of the Rings. But he pulled off his key kill (Smaug) with pinpoint perfection - not many characters in the legendarium can claim to have killed a dragon.

2 Éowyn

The White Lady Of Rohan

Played memorably by Miranda Otto, Éowyn is blessed to have been adapted so faithfully by Peter Jackson and his crew. One of the rare examples of a character who practically springs off the page and onto the screen, she is one of the most compelling women in literature and cinema. At a time when women were confined to the home and a domestic existence, Tolkien wrote Éowyn as a woman dissatisfied.

The 2000s were the perfect time to bring this to life, and true to her literary form, Éowyn disguised herself as a man to be able to fight in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. She took Merry with her, and together, this duo felled the Witch-king of Angmar, proving their society had been wrong to tell them to stay at home. Iconically shouting "I am no man," Éowyn flew in the face of Glorfindel's prophecy that no man would be able to slay the Witch-king.

1 Aragorn

King Of Gondor And Arnor

Elessar, the Elfstone, and the King of the Reunited Kingdom, Aragorn is the knight in shining armor of high fantasy's dreams. Rising from the humble origins of a Ranger wandering Middle-earth to keep its inhabitants safe, Aragorn stepped into his role fully. Although totally confident throughout the book, Aragorn grew into his kingship gradually in the trilogy, and it suited Viggo Mortensen. This strong, silent type manifested the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the pressure not to cave into the One Ring like his ancestor, Isildur.

Aragorn was able to rise above the whims of Isildur, resisting the One Ring far better than him. He had Isildur's example to look on and learn from, unlike poor Isildur, who was dealing with a relatively new object. Aragorn did not just resist the ring better than the other human Fellowship member, Boromir, he enticed the Army of the Dead to his side to defeat Sauron.

This army betrayed Isildur, and as Isildur's heir, Aragorn used his knowledge of lore, courage, and heritage to bind the army to him for long enough to win an advantage in the War of the Ring. He did not just claim his right to the throne in The Lord of the Rings, he earned it.