While The Lord of the Rings might be the better story in many ways, The Hobbit book has been loved by fans for decades now. The story of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves was published first, and ever since then people across the world have fallen in love with the main characters such as Bilbo and Thorin. While the movies might have a lot of issues, they did still bring many of the iconic moments from the book, as well as from other supplemental Tolkien books, to the big screen.
While the main cast of characters definitely makes The Hobbit memorable, there are also many supporting characters that are great. While this includes some of the dwarves, there are other side characters from the book and film who deserve attention.
Galadriel
Galadriel is low on this list mostly because she isn't actually in the book but was added for the movies.
While showing the White Council address the issue of The Necromancer in Mirkwood was interesting, it’s not technically in the actual book but instead talked about in other places even if the timeline is accurate. However, Galadriel is still a great, powerful, and fascinating character, so it was enjoyable to see more of her.
Elrond
Elrond is another character who gets more scenes in the movies than he does in the original book, but he was actually in the book, too. Elrond is another character that many fans were excited to see again, and his involvement with helping the dwarves is an interesting thing given the rivalry between elves and dwarves in Middle-Earth.
The Hobbit films did a good job of showing more of Elrond’s involvement with keeping Middle-Earth safe, too.
Radagast
Radagast is a rather memorable character who was only briefly mentioned in the book but who gets a much bigger role in the films. However, since he’s a rather unique and interesting addition, he’s a little higher up on the list.
Just like Gandalf, Radagast was one of the Istari who came to Middle-Earth, but he also strayed from his purpose, as did Saruman, when he fell more in love with animals and the earth than with helping the humanoid races. His eccentric appearance and hermit-in-the-woods energy make him fun to watch.
Gloin
Given that Thorin and Company was made up of 13 dwarves, it can be rather difficult to remember them all and tell them apart. Some of the dwarves feature much more than others with Thorin as the main dwarf character. However, Gloin is notable because he is actually Gimli’s father.
While he doesn’t have the most memorable scenes in the book or in the movies, the fact that he is such an obvious connection to the narrative as Gimli’s father earns him a spot on this list.
Bofur
In the movies, each of the dwarves gets their own design, and some are more memorable than others. Bofu is given an overall youthful appearance and is easy to remember because of his strange hat and mustache.
His personality is rather interesting, and he has a charm that some of the other dwarves in the movies do not. He’s also given some notable scenes such as when he brings the kingsfoil to Tauriel.
Beorn
Similarly to Tom Bombadil, Beorn is a character that fans of Tolkien have talked about at length for decades. He’s what’s known as a skin-changer in Middle-Earth mythology, and his ability to turn into a large black bear makes him fascinating and memorable.
Also, the scene of the dwarves staying at his home is extremely warm and interesting. He has a strong affinity to animals, and he’s definitely one of the more mysterious figures from the book.
Dwalin
While some of the dwarves fade into the background, Dwalin is rather hard to forget, especially in the films. He’s one of the bigger dwarves and has a particularly badass appearance. He’s a great warrior who is also Balin’s brother.
He was one of the dwarves who remained in Erebor after the Battle of Five Armies, and while his life story might not be particularly fascinating, he’s a likable character overall. He also is a great example of a dwarf warrior.
Balin
Other than Thorin, Kili, and Fili, Balin is probably the most recognizable and most well-loved dwarf from the company. In the movies, he’s brought to life in a very endearing way that portrays his wisdom and loyalty.
His life story is also particularly interesting because he re-established Morea and his tomb was shown in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Thranduil
While there are many great dwarf characters in The Hobbit, one of the most fascinating and overall interesting side characters is King Thranduil. The movies did a good job of showing even more scenes of him than were in the books, and he’s portrayed as both elegant and fierce as well as somewhat mysterious and terrifying.
As a more traditional portrayal of elves or the fae, Thranduil is definitely compelling to any person who enjoys this type of lore.
Smaug
While there are many great side characters in The Hobbit, the most memorable and influential of all is definitely Smaug. While elves and dwarves might be well-loved, there is nothing that really compares to the majesty and compelling nature of a dragon.
Smaug’s intellect and personality combined with his large size and is nearly impossible to kill make him a great villain. While he might not be in all that many scenes, he’s a larger than life figure that informs the entire plot.