As The Lord of the Rings trilogy deals with a war between clearly defined forces of good and evil, there are few morally ambiguous characters and actions. For the most part, the villains are purely evil and corrupt, which meant some of them went through the entire trilogy without intentionally doing anything good.
However, even as they tried to do evil, there were some villains who inadvertently did some great things that ultimately benefitted the forces of good. Even the Dark Lord Sauron himself accidentally helped the Fellowship, proving that no villain is no evil that they cannot do good.
10 The Witch-King: Mistook The Prophecy
While it is less clear in the movies than the books, there was a long-standing Elvish prophecy that stated that no man could kill the Witch-king of Angmar. Believing himself to be invincible, he had inflated confidence that he could not be defeated. However, because of this, he put himself in a vulnerable position and was killed by Éowyn and Merry.
If the Witch-king had read the prophecy more literally, he would have been more cautious around a woman and Hobbit. But by mistaking the meaning of the prophecy, he overplayed his hand and allowed the forces of good to take out one of Sauron’s most valuable weapons.
9 Lurtz: Wasn’t Specific Enough
When Lurtz and his Uruk-hai army ambushed the Fellowship, he gave them the command to “find the halflings.” While they were specifically looking for Frodo and the One Ring, the Fellowship had four Hobbits and his Uruk-hai found and kidnapped Merry and Pippin while Frodo and Sam escaped.
While Lurtz himself did not know that they were looking for the Ring, he knew that only one of the Hobbits had the object that Saruman wanted. He failed to communicate the importance of capturing all four of the Hobbits, and so his soldiers falsely believed that they had accomplished the mission, resulting in a major break for the Fellowship (which ultimately contributed to their success in the end).
8 Saruman: Spared Gandalf And Let Him Escape
When Gandalf went to Saruman for advice regarding the One Ring, Saruman gave him a plethora of important information about Sauron’s return and the Nazgûl before unsuccessfully trying to convince him to join Sauron. Saruman then fought and defeated Gandalf. But rather than killing him, he held him captive atop his tower.
By keeping Gandalf prisoner outside, he was able to escape on the back of an eagle. Saruman gave Gandalf a lot of information he would not have otherwise known and made it fairly easy for him to escape. As a result, Gandalf was better able to help lead the Fellowship.
7 Shelob: Wrapped Frodo In A Web Instead Of Eating Him
After falling for Gollum’s trap, Frodo is attacked and poisoned by Shelob. While she could have quickly killed or eaten him, Shelob instead wrapped him up in a web. This gave Sam just enough time to show up and fight her off, saving Frodo’s life.
Had Shelob immediately killed Frodo, she would have drastically altered the fate of Middle-earth. But by taking the time to wrap him up, she gave the Fellowship the gift of time and Sam made the most of it.
6 The Balrog: Created Gandalf The White
Gandalf’s iconic showdown with the Balrog in Moria is one of the best scenes in the entire trilogy. Gandalf was able to kill the Balrog, but the Balrog mortally wounded Gandalf. However, Gandalf’s death led to his rebirth as Gandalf the White.
By killing Gandalf the Grey, the Balrog inadvertently created Gandalf the White, one of the most powerful heroes in The Lord of the Rings, who contributed massively to several battles and victories. The Balrog tried to destroy Gandalf but in the process, it only ended up making him stronger.
5 Gríma Wormtongue: Killed Saruman
In the extended edition of Return of the King, King Théoden gave Gríma Wormtongue the opportunity to be free and forgiven, despite all he had done. When Saruman slapped him and said he would never be free, Gríma snapped and killed Saruman in a fit of rage. Saruman claimed he was able to reveal important information about Sauron, causing Legolas to shoot Gríma with an arrow to try to stop him from killing Saruman, however, by then, it was too late, leaving both Gríma and Saruman dead.
It is likely that Saruman was attempting to lead the heroes into another trap and it is doubtful that he would have actually given them any information. Gríma was able to eliminate one of the biggest villains in the entire trilogy. This important moment is just one of the ways that the extended Lord of the Rings version of the movie is best.
4 Uglúk: Saved Merry And Pippin
When Merry and Pippin were held captive by the Uruk-hai, some of the Orcs, led by Grishnákh, wanted to eat the Hobbits. Fortunately for them, Uglúk stepped in and prevented the Orcs from eating the Hobbits, beheading one of the Orcs in the process.
Thinking it was important to get the Hobbits to Saruman alive, Uglúk was willing to do anything to fulfill his master’s orders. Ironically, by protecting Merry and Pippin, he set in motion the series of events that led to the Hobbits rallying the Ents to destroy Isengard, scoring a huge victory for the free peoples.
3 Sauron: Showed Pippin His Plan To Attack Gondor
Despite being the most powerful villain in The Lord of the Rings, Sauron accidentally aided the heroes in their pursuit of destroying the One Ring. When Pippin touched the Palantír, he found himself suddenly connected with Sauron, who tried to get information from him. However, Pippin was able to see Sauron’s plan to attack Gondor.
With this information, the free peoples were able to prepare and muster more support. Had Sauron not let his plan slip, he could have caught them off guard and increased his chances of victory. It was a rare but incredibly costly mistake by the Dark Lord.
2 The King Of The Dead: Upheld His Oath
In one of Aragorn’s most inspiring moments in Lord of the Rings, he called on the Army of the Dead to fulfill their oath by fighting for him. In order to break the curse, the King of the Dead orders his army to fight for Aragorn. Their arrival was the turning point in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, securing a victory for the free peoples.
Before he knew who Aragorn was, the King of the Dead was incredibly hostile and threatening towards Aragorn, proving his villainy by planning on killing him. However, despite his wicked and selfish personality, the King of the Dead decided to uphold his word this time and effectively won the day for the forces of good.
1 Gollum: Destroyed The Ring
After Frodo made the shocking decision to keep the One Ring instead of destroying it, Gollum attacked him and bit his finger off, finally regaining possession of the One Ring. But his joy was short-lived as Frodo fought to take it back, accidentally knocking Gollum into the fires of Mount Doom, destroying both Gollum and the Ring.
Considering how obsessed Gollum was with the Ring, it is ironic that he was the one who ultimately destroyed it. Without Gollum, Sauron would have likely regained the Ring and defeated the free peoples. While he did a lot of awful villainous things, this was easily the best thing that Gollum ever did.
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