The Torturer of Dol Guldur, also known as the Gundabad Orc Chieftain, is a minor antagonist in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy, being a minor antagonist in both An Unexpected Journey and The Battle of the Five Armies.
He was a large Orc and chieftain from Gundabad who fought with Azog the Defiler for many years. He fought at the first battle of Moria and many years later was instructed to take Gandalf’s Ring of Power through torture.
In the first and third films, he was portrayed by Conan Stevens, who also portrayed Gregor Clegane in Game of Thrones.
Biography[]
Battle of Moria[]
The Torturer fighting Dwalin during the Battle of Azanulbizar.
The Torturer served Sauron through Azog the Defiler for many years. During the battle of Moria, he fought with Azog in his campaign to eradicate the Dwarves. The victory was close for the Orcs. However, the Dwarves had gotten the upper hand after they rallied to Thórin Oakenshield. Both Azog and the Torturer were badly wounded; Azog had lost a hand to Thórin and the Torturer was hacked in the head by Dwalin's ax. The two Orcs had survived and later retreated before going into hiding.
Aftermath of the Battle[]
Having survived his brutal injury, the Torturer had to be tended to. His skull had to be bound together with crude scraps of metal, nailed into his bones.
Dol Guldur[]
Many years after the battle of Moria, the Chieftain was appointed the jailor of the Fortress of Dol Guldur and thus became the Torturer. He would torture prisoners for his amusement and would take pleasure in killing them when instructed. The Torturer enjoyed taking macabre trophies from his victims, including a skirt of flayed dwarf faces, bear's claws, and a chest plate fashioned from a ribcage.
Final Torture and Death[]
After Gandalf was weakened and captured by Sauron, under the alias of The Necromancer, he was sent to the Torturer. He was constantly tortured and often left in a cramped gibbet. The Torturer was commanded by the Dark Lord to take Gandalf’s Elvish Ring of Power, Narya. He drags the brutalized wizard from his gibbet and brings his hand to a stone, preparing to cut off his ring finger with his large dagger.
As the Torturer prepared to cut off said ring, Lady Galadriel stopped him. He turned his head slowly to look at her, infuriated. She commanded him to leave Gandalf be, threatening to destroy him if he persisted. Ever headstrong, the Torturer lunged toward Galadriel. This was a fatal error, however, for she used her Ring of Power to eviscerate him.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- A model of the Torturer has been made by Weta Workshop.
- An action figure of the Torturer was made for a two-pack with Gandalf under the name of Bolg.
- He was originally named Bolg, until the appearance of a different character with that name in the second film.
