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Murderers and elf-friends! Slash them! Beat them! Bite them! Gnash them! Take them away to dark holes full of snakes, and never let them see the light again!
~ The Great Goblin sentencing Thorin and Company to death.

The Great Goblin, also known as the Goblin King, is a supporting antagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Hobbit and one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Yazneg) in Peter Jackson's 2012 film adaptation The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. He is a goblin leader who lived within the Misty Mountains in Middle-earth during the Third Age. 

In Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy, he was portrayed by the late Barry Humphries. In Rankin-Bass' 1977 animated adaptation of The Hobbit, he was voiced by the late John Stephenson, who also played Black Knight Ghost, the Mummy of Ankha, the Caveman, and Redbeard in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, and Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse in the mid-1970s run of the Tom & Jerry franchise.

Biography[]

The Hobbit[]

In the original novel, the Goblin King's followers captured Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo and company during the Quest of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, and took them to their underground stronghold, Goblin-town. When he found the group was carrying an Elf-made blade which had killed many Goblins, he gave orders for them to be imprisoned and tortured. He tried to attack Thorin, but was slain by Gandalf. His death incites the Goblins to go after the company.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey[]

Well, well, well... look who it is! Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain! Oh, but I'm forgetting - you don't have a mountain, and you're not a king... which makes you nobody, really.
~ The Goblin King mocking Thorin Oakenshield.

In the film, he attempted to collect the reward Azog the Defiler put on Thorin's head when he, the other dwarves, and the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins stumbled into Goblin Town through a trap door. Bilbo managed to slip away, but during a sword fight with one of the Goblins, he and the Goblin both fell down into the Goblin tunnels, where the creature Gollum resided. Bilbo eventually managed to escape after finding and taking the One Ring.

Meanwhile, the Dwarves were brought before the Goblin King. When Thorin stepped up and revealed himself, the Goblin King revealed his intention to sell him out to Azog the Defiler for the "pretty price for his unattached head". He sent his messenger to inform Azog that he had found his prize.

Later, while sadistically singing about brutally torturing and killing the Dwarves, the goblin lieutenant Grinnah searching Thorin discovered the sword that was recognized as the "Goblin cleaver". Enraged, the Goblin King ordered the execution of the Dwarves, but before they could kill them, Gandalf the Grey reappeared and scattered the goblins into disarray. He encouraged the Dwarves to fight and escape. Thorin's company proceeds to fight their way through Goblin Town, only to be confronted by the Goblin King as he bursts up from the bridge allowing their escape. He jeers at Gandalf, saying "you thought you could escape me" and asking him "what will you do now wizard?" Gandalf swiftly retaliates by ramming his staff into the Goblin King's left eye and slashing his stomach with his sword.

The Goblin King, now at the mercy of Gandalf, utters "that'll do it" before the latter slices his neck, killing him.

Personality[]

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey[]

The Great Goblin was a vile and sadistic individual. Taking pleasure in watching others suffer. Even his own people. He was very sarcastic and enjoyed talking down to people. He was very disliked by his people after years of him enslaving them.

He was an extremely selfish king who didn't care about anyone, but himself. He used his people to get what he wanted. Putting many of them in danger and even killing some of them himself along the way. He used some of his minions as foot stools and foot massages, and he would even step on them to get on and off his throne, likely killing most of them. He was also very gluttonous. He enjoyed an extravegant lifestyle hoarding as much food as he could while his people starved. He also didn't like to get his hands dirty, often commanding his people to do all the hard work for him. After years of sitting on his throne eating most of the kingdoms food he became extremely obese. He barely managed to walk without using his staff for support.

He was also a very greedy individual and he loved treasure and riches. His biggest motivation in the movie is to increase his wealth. Either by stealing the dwarves' treasure or getting money for Thorin's head.

His cowardice is also a key trait of the king. He rarely went into battle himself and relied mostly on his guards and soldiers. When he feels like he himself is in danger he jumps back yelling and screaming at his guards to take care of it while he would sit there quivering of fear. The only time he would join a battle was when he was sure his enemy wasn't paying attention to him. Using his own people as decoys. One of the reasons for the king's cowardice was probably because of his lack of skills in battle. Despite his tall stature, his lifestyle made him quite weak physically. He couldn't even defeat people who were way smaller than him.

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Alternate Continuities
Peter Jackson
Sauron | Saruman | Smaug | Azog | Morgomir | Helm Hammerhand | Suladân | Isildur | Nazgûl Sisters | Rogash | Denethor

The Rings of Power
Morgoth | Sauron | Adar

Animated Films
Sauron | Witch-king of Angmar

Rankin/Bass
Smaug | Lord of the Lash

Ralph Bakshi
Saruman

Gene Deitch
Slag

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