Villains Wiki

Hi. This is Thesecret1070. I am an admin of this site. Edit as much as you wish, but one little thing... If you are going to edit a lot, then make yourself a user and login. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!!

READ MORE

Villains Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Villain Overview

Sauron has yet to reveal his deadliest servant. The one who will lead Mordor's armies in war. The one they say no living man can kill. The Witch-King of Angmar. You've met him before. He stabbed Frodo on Weathertop. He is the lord of the Nazgûl; the greatest of the nine. Minas Morgul is his lair.
~ Gandalf the White describing the Witch-king of Angmar to Pippin.
You fool! No man can kill me! Die now!
~ The Witch-king of Angmar's last words to Eowyn as well as one of most famous movie quotes of all time.

The Witch-king of Angmar is the lord of the Nazgûl and Sauron's second-in-command, and a major antagonist in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's film trilogy adaptation of it, as well as a minor antagonist in The Hobbit prequel film trilogy.

In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he was portrayed by Brent McIntyre in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lawrence Makoare in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, who also played Lurtz, Gothmog, and Bolg in the same films, and was voiced by Andy Serkis, who also played Gollum in Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, Spike in Flushed Away, Ulysses Klaue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kertasnikir in Netflix's Hilda, Mr. Grin in Stormbreaker, Capricorn in Inkheart, and Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Biography[]

Past[]

Grnazgul 021 Nazgul

The Witch-king's true form in Peter Jackson's films.

Nothing is known about the Witch-king's origins except that he was a great lord of Men, possibly a Númenórean. He was seduced by Sauron's promises of power and became a wraith after his master gave him one of the nine rings of Men. He founded the kingdom of Angmar and used it to destroy the kingdom of Arnor. After realizing the threat that the Witch-king imposed, Gondor (Arnor´s sister kingdom) allied with the elves to destroy Angmar. After the destruction of Angmar, the Witch-king returned to Mordor and captured Minas Ithil, in Gondor, renaming it Minas Morgul. Where the Witch-king and the rest of the Nazgûl were during the Siege of Barad-dûr but they went into hiding after Sauron was seemingly killed by Isildur.

The Hobbit Trilogy[]

The Witch-king of Angmar's true spirit form appears from a statue of him but he is driven away by the wizard Radagast who takes his Morgul blade. The Witch-king (disguised as an unremarkable Nazgûl) later appears to defend Sauron when the White Council come to rescue Gandalf. They are defeated and apparently killed by Galadriel, Saruman, and Elrond, but the Necromancer resurrects them so Galadriel banishes all nine Ring Wraiths and Sauron to Mordor.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy[]

Fifteen years later, the Witch-king disguises himself as a normal Nazgûl and leads the hunt for the Ring disguised as a Black Rider. After being defeated at the Ford of Bruinen by a flood summoned by Elrond and Gandalf, the Nazgûl return to Mordor and prepare to destroy Gondor.

After the death of Saruman and the loss of Isengard, the Nazgûl obtain giant winged steeds named fell beasts before the Witch-king dons his armour and leads his army to Middle-earth's former capital; Gondor. Under the Witch-king and Gothmog's leadership, they initiate the Siege of Gondor and eventually the Battle of the Pelennor Fields where they kill hundreds of Rohirim, Gondorian Soldiers, and the Witch-king even kills King Théoden of Rohan but he is confronted by a warrior who kills his Fellbeast and confronts the Witch-king. He breaks her shield arm but he is stabbed by Merry with a sword of the Westernesse (a sword made specially to bring ruin to the Witch-king) which breaks the protection spell of the Witch-king. He claims that no man can kill him but the warrior reveals herself to be Théoden's daughter Éowyn who stabs the Witch-king in the face with her sword. With nothing protecting him, the Witch-king releases one final screech before his face shrivels up and he is reduced to a lifeless cloak.

Legacy[]

After the Witch-king's demise, his second-in-command Khamûl, would take his position as the Lord of the Nazgûl. Khamûl would also die after the One Ring was destroyed.

Personality[]

Once a great king blinded by his greed and desire for power, the Witch-king was now little more than a slave of Sauron and an extension of his will, bound to obeying Sauron and desiring nothing more than to ensure his lord would emerge victoriously. The Witch-king was an exceptionally intelligent and powerful being, skilled in strategy and possessing great knowledge of warfare. He was arrogant and proud, emboldened by the prophecy that he could not be killed by any man. This led him to believe that he did not need to be concerned for his own existence or any danger which he might face while fighting in battles. The Witch-king despised the race of Men and lacked emotions such as love, fear, joy, anger, or happiness.

Powers and Abilities[]

Witch-King of Angmar

The Witch-king with his sword and flail.

  • Power: The Witch-king of Angmar was an incredibly powerful being, defeating dozens of soldiers in battle and being the only member of Sauron's army that Gandalf was ever shown to be worried about. He was only weaker than Sauron and (presumably) Morgoth.
  • Enhanced Strength: The Witch-king of Angmar was able to haul around an incredibly heavy mace with ease and swing it hard enough to break both Eowyn's shield and her shield arm.
  • Enhanced Durability: The Witch-king was immune to normal weapons that weren't made specifically to kill him and could not be killed by men.
  • Enhanced Senses: Like all Nazgûl, the Witch-King possessed enhanced hearing and smell. He could also more keenly sense the presence of others and was particularly drawn to the presence of the One Ring, especially if it was put on.
  • Swordsmanship: The Witch-king was a skilled swordsman, having used one for more than 3,000 years.
  • Longevity: Due to being corrupted by Sauron, the Witch-king lived for over 4000 years.
  • Horse Riding: As with the rest of the Nazgûl, the Witch-king was an extremely experienced and talented horse rider.
  • Fellbeast Riding: Despite the Fellbeasts being completely feral, the Witch-king was able to both control and fly around his Fellbeast with no effort.
  • Magic: The Witch-king was also a very talented sorcerer, being able to break both Frodo's sword and Gandalf's staff by using his magic. He was also able to weaken the main gate of Minas Tirith using his dark magic, allowing Grond to more easily break it down.
    • Poisoning: Any weapon that harmed the Witch-king would be destroyed and the wielder would end up being poisoned.
    • Black Breath: If someone was near the Witch-king, they would risk suffering from the Black Breath which caused nightmares and unconsciousness and, if exposed for enough time, it could cause death.
    • Electricity Conjuration: In tandem with the final strike of Grond, he conjured in that moment a huge blast of lightning to break down the gate, which could be seen from miles away.
    • Fire Infusion: The Witch-King could cause his sword to ignite into flames, seemingly at will.
  • Fear-Inducement: The greatest weapon the Witch-king had was fear. He was known as a terrible sorcerer by the Dunedain and feared greatly by them. His simple aura of fear caused all except the bravest to fear him and struck terror into their hearts, even trained soldiers. His screech caused people to forget war, honour, and courage replacing those thoughts with the single thought of Death.

Weaknesses[]

  • Special Weapons: Being stabbed by weapons specifically designed to harm him (like Merry's sword of the Westernesse) would remove the spell protecting the Witch-king and cripple him.
  • Women: Although no man could kill the Witch-king, a woman could.

Arsenal[]

  • Morgul Blade: The Witch-king of Angmar's signature weapon was an enchanted silver dagger.
    • Morgul Poisoning: Anyone wounded by the Witch-king's dagger would be infected by an extremely powerful poison and, if they died, would become a Wraith servant of the Witch-king.
  • Mace: In the books, the Witch-king of Angmar wielded a black mace during the Battle of Pelennor Fields.
  • Flail: In the Peter Jackson movies, the Witch-king wielded a huge flail instead of a mace during the Battle of Pelennor Fields.

In LEGO[]

Besides being sold on eBay as a custom LEGO figure, the Witch-king also appeared in the LEGO game 'LEGO Lord of the Rings and appears as an official LEGO figure in a 2014 Lego set of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

Quotes[]

Send forth all legions. Do not stop the attack until the city is taken. Slay them all.
~ The Witch-king of Angmar ordering Gothmog to lay siege to Minas Tirith.
I will break him.
~ The Witch-king on his plans for Gandalf.
Do you not know death when you see it, old man? This is my hour! You have failed. The world of Men will fall.
~ The Witch-king of Angmar to Gandalf the White.
Feast on his flesh!
~ The Witch-king to his fell beast as he is about to finish off Theoden.
Do not come between the Nazgûl and his prey!
~ The Witch King when confronted by Eowyn.

Other Media[]

Animated Films[]

Main article: Witch-king of Angmar (Animated Films)

Trivia[]

  • The Witch-king's true name was never given and therefore, among Tolkien fans, the Witch-king is often simply called Angmar after the name of the realm he founded and led.
  • For Peter Jackson's film adaptation, the Witch-king was originally designed with a helmet based on John Howe's design featured in his paintings but was later changed as the crew felt the design was too similar to Sauron's. The original helmet is featured in behind-the-scenes footage of The Return of the King.

External Links[]

Navigation[]

           Middle earth sbg-1-1024x257 Villains

Ainur
Dark Lords
Morgoth | Sauron

Balrogs
Gothmog | Durin's Bane | Tar-Goroth

Others
Saruman

Men
Nazgûl
Witch-king of Angmar | Khamûl

Black Númenóreans
Mouth of Sauron | Queen Beruthiel | Agandaur | Black Hand of Sauron | Hammer of Sauron | Tower of Sauron

Others
Alfrid Lickspittle | Master of Laketown | Gríma Wormtongue | Bill Ferny | Ar-Pharazôn | Lheu Brenin | Hwaldar | Easterlings (Balcoth) | Corsairs of Umbar | Dunlendings | Haradrim | Karsh | Hill-men of Rhudaur

Elves
Orcs
Azog | Torturer of Dol Guldur | Bolg | Fimbul the Hunter | Lagdush | Brogg the Twin | Mogg the Other Twin | Gimub the Slaver | Yazneg | Morgash | Grishnákh | Gothmog | Guritz | Slugat | Luga | Gorbag | Rogash | Morun | Snaga | Narzug | Gartor | Sharku | Radluk | Gordmúl | Zog the Eternal | Gazmog | Grublik the Flogger | Goroth Caragor Tamer | The Blacksmith | Dark Tribe | Outlaw Tribe | Feral Tribe | Slaughter Tribe | Machine Tribe

Goblins
Gorkil the Goblin King | Great Goblin

Others
Fëanor | Celegorm | Caranthir | Curufin | Maeglin | Celebrimbor

Hobbits
Gollum | Lotho Sackville-Baggins | Ted Sandyman

Dragons
Smaug | Ancalagon | Scatha | Drogoth the Dragon Lord | Glaurung

Great Spiders
Shelob | Ungoliant

Werewolves
Carcharoth | Shade of the Wolf

Uruk-hai
Uglúk | Lurtz | Shagrat | Hodhvarz | Mauhúr | Dhar | Morflak | Mog | Daskila | Grimbosh | Mauhúr (Uruk Scout) | Vrasku | Talons of the Black Hand

Trolls
Olog-hai (Brûz the Chopper)

Others
Barrow Wights | Fellbeasts | Gûlavhar | Mountain Giants | Old Man Willow | Watcher in the Water | Wargs | Wyrms

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

Advertisement