While Frodo Baggins might be the ring-bearer, the Lord of the Rings trilogy makes it clear who the most important members of the Fellowship of the Ring are. Young Frodo is given the daunting task of taking the One Ring to Mordor to destroy it. However, he is joined in this perilous journey by the brave members of the Fellowship.

Each member of the Fellowship of the Ring offers their value to the mission, while some of them fall along the way. While they all view Frodo as the most important member of the team, when it comes to how the audience sees this team, two key members offer so much to the journey and stand out above the rest.

Why Samwise Gamgee Is One Of The Fellowship’s Most Important Members

One of the major themes of The Lord of the Rings movies is that the smallest and most unᴀssuming figures can make big changes. While it initially seems like that message applies to Frodo Baggins, it is even more fitting when looking at his loyal companion through it all, Samwise Gamgee.

Unlike Frodo, who has this immense responsibility thrust upon him, Sam is by Frodo’s side by choice. He had plenty of opportunities to turn around and go back to The Shire, but even when Frodo tells him to go, he refuses to leave his friend when he is needed most.

Throughout the journey, Frodo is gradually weakened and poisoned by the ring, but Sam only grows as a hero. He protects Frodo at every turn, even protecting him from himself at times. When Frodo can no longer walk up Mount Doom, Sam’s resolve to carry Frodo the rest of the way is the most heroic moment in the trilogy.

Sam begins the journey as the audience’s eyes, the non-heroic character who is whisked on this adventure. However, by the end of the trilogy, it is clear that the One Ring would never have been destroyed if not for Sam being in the Fellowship.

Why Aragorn Is Also One Of The Fellowship’s Most Important Members

Much like Sam, by the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it feels like the story was much more about Aragorn than Frodo. He is immediately a fan-favorite character as the brave and capable hero. However, it is gradually made more apparent that he holds great significance in Middle-earth beyond the Fellowship of the Ring.

Aragorn’s arc of taking the throne of Gondor as the rightful heir to Isildur is a subplot that gains more importance as the trilogy continues. Aragorn hides his idenтιтy at first, preferring to be the mysterious ranger known as Strider. However, as a member of the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn becomes a leader and hero of Middle-earth.

In a trilogy filled with heroic characters, Aragorn stands out as the easiest one for fans to get behind. He is noble and a warrior, but has compᴀssion for the friends he makes along the way. With Viggo Mortensen’s performance elevating the character, he becomes one of the great cinematic heroes of all time.

Frodo is a brave young Hobbit for taking on the journey, but his arc in the trilogy is one marked by pain and suffering. It is hard to really admire him as a character, as much as we want to see him succeed. Aragorn embodies the hero archetype, guiding us through this epic journey.

Why The Other Fellowship Members Carry Less Importance To The Lord Of The Rings

Samwise Gamgee and Aragorn solidify themselves as important members of the Fellowship of the Ring through their strong character arcs and impact on the story. The other members of the Fellowship have become iconic in their own right, but they simply don’t stand on their own as essential characters.

Gandalf transcends his place in the Fellowship once Gandalf the Grey falls in his battle with Balrog. He was the heart of the Fellowship until then, but his “death” marked the end of his time in the team. Likewise, Boromir’s arc is fantastic and shows the seductive power of the ring, but his story is a shorter one.

Legolas and Gimli are fun characters to have on the journey. Legolas also proves to be a skilled and key warrior in their many battles. However, aside from their gradual burgeoning friendship, neither of these characters really has an arc, nor do they have much of an impact on the story itself.

Merry and Pippin have more of an arc, shedding their comedic sidekick roles to become brave and valiant warriors in their own right. However, these arcs feel somewhat redundant in the face of Sam and Frodo’s journey, which fulfills a similar idea but in a more effective way.

Few fans could imagine the Lord of the Rings movies without each member of the Fellowship of the Ring being a part of the story. However, looking back at the trilogy, the others feel more and more like supporting players in this grand story that puts Aragorn and Sam at the center.