Smaug

"My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!""

- Smaug "I am king under the Mountain!"

- Smaug "I am fire, I am...death!"

- Smaug "Do you think flattery will keep you alive? No, indeed."

- Smaug to Bilbo Baggins upon their meeting. Smaug the Dragon is the main antagonist of the 1937 classic novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and one of the three main antagonists in Peter Jackson's film prequel trilogy of The Hobbit.

One of the last great dragons of Middle-earth, Smaug rose to prominence by laying waste to the town of Dale and capturing the Lonely Mountain (Erebor) with all of its treasure. He was already centuries old at the time, this having happened over 200 years before the events of The Hobbit. The book recounts the tale of a party of dwarves (consisting of a few of the original residents of the Lonely Mountain and their descendants) and the titular hobbit to recapture the mountain and kill the dragon. In the book, he is sometimes called Smaug the Golden and/or Smaug the Magnificent.

Smaug was intimately familiar with every last item within his hoard, and instantly noticed the theft of a relatively inconsequential cup by Bilbo Baggins. According to Tolkien, his rage was the kind which "is only seen when rich folk that have more than they can enjoy lose something they have long had but never before used or wanted." This theft and the dragon's ensuing rampage all echo the story of Beowulf, on which Tolkien was a noted expert and which he described as one of his "most valued sources" for The Hobbit. Among the items in Smaug's possession were the Arkenstone, and a number of mithril mail shirts, one of which was given as a gift to Bilbo by Thorin Oakenshield, the company's leader. In The Lord of the Rings, set years later, the shirt saved Bilbo's relative Frodo from injury multiple times.

The Hobbit
Smaug's belly was crusted in gems and gold, which rendered him almost invulnerable. However, when Bilbo met him in his lair, he discovered a bare patch on his left breast. When Bilbo told his Dwarf companions about Smaug's weakness, he was overheard by the thrush that roosted by the mountain's secret door. The thrush in turn told Bard the Bowman of Esgaroth. When Smaug attacked the town, Bard shot his Black Arrow into Smaug's left breast, the armor's weak spot, killing him for good.

After death
After Smaug's death, Thorin and Company claimed the treasure as theirs by birthright. This created a conflict with Bard and the Elven king Thranduil of Mirkwood, who each wanted a portion of the gold as reimbursement for all the damage Smaug had caused their kingdoms over the years. Thorin refused to share the treasure as long as they stood in arms before his gate, and declared war on both of them. Conflict was avoided by the arrival of the Goblin and Warg army who wanted the treasure out of greed, and the Dwarves decided to ally with the Elves and Men to fight this greater evil in what was known as the Battle of Five Armies, during which Thorin was mortally wounded.

Other adaptations
Smaug also apparently appeared in the Rankin/Bass cartoon movie as well. There he occasionally looks like a giant firebreathing cat with bat wings.

In Peter Jackson's films
Smaug also appears in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, portrayed and voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Although he doesn't appear much in the first movie, at the beginning of the film, Smaug's story is told and at the end of the movie, he is seen awakening.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
When Bilbo Baggins is sent into the mountain alone, while the Dwarves are waiting outside and Gandalf is at Dol Guldur, Bilbo starts looking for the arkenstone, but accidentally wakes up Smaug, but before Smaug can spot him, Bilbo puts on the One Ring and hides from Smaug for a while, but Smaug says that he can detect a piece of gold that he carries and Bilbo eventually reveals himself.

Politely pretending to be an admirer, Bilbo flatters Smaug, but the dragon is aware of his true intentions. Smaug spoke of a darkness coming to their lands and was preparing for war. Smaug revealed to Bilbo that he knew that he was sent to receive the arkenstone from Thorin and his company. Bilbo pretended that he knew nothing of what Smaug spoke of, which was pointless as Smaug knows that Bilbo intends to take the arkenstone.

After failing to win Bilbo's influence, Smaug boasts and as he does this, Bilbo locates a bare patch on his left breast (however, in the movies, there is no thrush to be around to help). When Bilbo locates the arkenstone, Smaug reveals that he was secretly tempted to let Bilbo take it and let Thorin suffer the same fate as Thrain did, as he too cares more about the gold and the Arkenstone more than others. Smaug reconsiders and tries to kill Bilbo, but Bilbo once again hides by using the One Ring.

After a long pursuit between Smaug, Bilbo and the dwarves, Thorin eventually confronts Smaug and reveals a giant golden statue, which was set up as a trap as the statue melted into gold and they attempt to drown Smaug in it. This plan fails, however, as Smaug bursts out of the rivers of melted gold, shakes all of the gold off and flies into the sky and down to Lake Town, intending to destroy it for helping the Dwarves. As Bilbo remains horrified at what they have done, Smaug quotes "I am fire. I am...death!".

The Hobbit: There and Back Again
To be released 17th December 2014! Coming Soon!