For fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, there are often many debates and opinions about the differences between the books and the movies. And, while many fans were generally happy with the film interpretation of The Lord of the Rings, the reaction to The Hobbit was a bit more mixed. There are some rather notable differences between the endings of many characters from the beloved book and their movie endings, and this left fans with a lot of strong emotions.
However, there were also some characters who had endings that were quite similar to what happened in the book, or that were at least otherwise satisfying to fans. Here are the character endings that fans supported, as well as the ones they rejected.
Rejected: Tauriel
Tauriel is a character that many fans rejected outright because she was never in the books at all and was completely made up for the movies.
Fans felt it would have been better to include an existing character, even from Tolkiens’ extended works, instead of creating a new one just to introduce a romance that didn't make sense in the context of Middle-Earth. So, while fans weren’t happy with her ending, it was mostly just because they didn’t think she needed to be in the story.
In Character: Bard
Bard, like many other characters, was given more of a fleshed-out backstory and a lot more scenes than he gets in the book. Viewers see a lot more about his family situation, and some fans liked this more than others.
However, he does at least do the one thing that is absolutely essential for Bard to complete: he kills Smaug. This powerful scene is important. His overall big moments and ending were in line with the book.
Rejected: Legolas
While some fans were happy to see Legolas be included once again given that Bilbo and the dwarves go to Mirkwood, others didn’t like this, as it’s not from the books.
However, even people that wanted to see more of Legolas weren’t pleased with his narrative arc. He was put into a strange love triangle that became the reason for his hatred for dwarves. Many fans thought this was inaccurate to the history of Middle-Earth.
In Character: Balin
While there are many dwarves in Thorin’s company, Balin is one who stands out for many fans. He was one of the more likable dwarves who got more scenes and development, and his friendship and support of Bilbo made him easy to enjoy.
His ending is fairly consistent with the book, and viewers also see Balin’s final fate in The Fellowship of the Ring when his tomb is shown in Moria.
Rejected: Thorin
The movies changed a lot of things about Thorin to make him more of a typical fantasy hero than he was in the books. Mainly, they made him much younger and tried to play up his attractiveness.
A lot of fans didn’t love these changes, and they also weren’t always pleased with how he was portrayed in these movies regarding his personality. While Thorin’s death was somewhat reflective of the canon of the book, fans didn’t love the drawn-out battle with Azog that often felt more cheesy than anything else.
In Character: Smaug
The Hobbit was turned into three movies, and since it was based on a relatively short book, a lot of scenes were added.
So, while some of the sequences involving Smaug, such as when the dwarves try to kill him with molten gold, might have been a bit ridiculous, the characterization of Smaug was rather good, and they really captured his intellect and ferocity. And, he was killed in the movies by Bard just like in the book.
Rejected: Thranduil
Thranduil might be a character that many people liked overall, but a lot of individuals didn’t love his ending. His conversation with Tauriel felt strange and awkward, but his conversation with Legolas might have been even worse.
Thranduil instructed Legolas to find a man named Aragorn, and many fans felt this was forced exposition that did not reflect what happened in the books. They also didn’t like that Thranduil was made into almost a disapproving father archetype.
In Character: Gandalf
Gandalf is probably one of the most beloved characters in all of literature, and Ian McKellen’s interpretation of the character is adored by many.
Luckily, in many ways, he’s one of the only characters in The Hobbit who seems similar to how he was at the start of The Lord of the Rings. There aren’t any major changes made to him, and The Hobbit establishes his relationship with Bilbo that carries over the years.
Rejected: Fili and Kili
Of all the endings that upset fans, the way the deaths of these two characters were handled might be the most upsetting of all.
Instead of the deaths being about family and those kinds of connections, the focus was shifted to the romance between Kili and Tauriel. Fili’s death was almost like an afterthought, and Kili died with Tauriel by his side instead of dying side by side with his brother. It just differed too much from the source material, and fans that always loved these two characters weren't happy.
In Character: Bilbo Baggins
While some of the characters in the films didn’t feel much like they were in the books, Bilbo was one that many fans were happy with.
Just like in the books, he has a last conversation with thorin where Thorin finally accepted him. He then takes his share of the reward and treasure back home to Hobbiton. Things with Bilbo are set up nicely to roll straight into the start of The Fellowship of the Ring.