The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Character Cards

​The Lord of the Rings trilogy tops my list of favorite movies.  I was first attracted to the Tolkien series when I saw the 1978 cartoon as a kid.  The animation was fascinating with the realistic facial expressions that brought the characters alive.  Once I started working in high school, I bought a VHS copy from Suncoast Video and it became my go-to movie whenever I became ill.  There’s something comforting about laying out on the couch under blankets, sipping a beverage while watching the Hobbits leave their little homes in the hills of the Shire and adventure off to destroy the ring of Sauron.  I only wished that The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring cartoons used similar animation.

Fast forward to 2001 where Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy began and Topps released a 90 card set.  Although I watched the movie upon its release, the base set wasn’t acquired until 18 years later.  Nevertheless, Topps did a fantastic job at capturing the movie, portraying epic scenes and providing detailed descriptions.  First, let’s dive into the character cards (#2 - #18) where today I present my top 5 character cards.

#5 - Aragorn
Aragorn is my favorite character from the movie and thus makes the top 5.  He is a skilled fighter yet humble and will lay down his life in defense of his companions.  He is wise and, as with his forefathers, he is destined to be the king of men.  The image on this card isn’t as sharp as I would like it to be, so that is why it’s not ranked higher on the list.

​#4 - Boromir
Boromir is a tragic character in the film.  He is a valiant fighter but the Ring seduced him to take it from Frodo so that it can be used for the defense of his home, Gondor.  Frodo narrowly escaped Boromir’s attack by using the Ring’s power of invisibility.  Boromir’s madness soon ended but so did his life as well in defence of Merry and Pippin from the onslaught of the Uruk-Hai.  This card illustrates the detail of the costumes used in the movie, and thus is ranked 4th.

​#3 - Gimli
Who doesn’t like an angry dwarf who also has a sense of humor!  Gimli is strong, powerful, and will take on the dark forces of Middle Earth all by himself if he must.  This card portrays his strength as a warrior and is therefore ranked 3rd.

​#2 - Gandalf
“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them!”  When I first heard this from the tall, wiry wizard, I thought, “Well!  This is truly one who knows the forces of magic!”  Ian McKellen portrayed all the facets of Gandalf’s character, from a grandfatherly figure with Frodo to that of a warrior mage when battling the Balrog.  This card ranks 2nd as Gandalf stare portrays his knowledge of all things Middle Earth.

​#1 - The Witch King
Another tragic figure, like Boromir, but there is no redemption for the Witch King.  Once man, the wraith is tormented by his never ending search of the Ring.  Although he is powerful in comparison with men, he has met his match against the powerful elves and will ultimately meet his demise from the young maiden, Eowyn.  He ranks 1st as you can just sense the darkness this figure emanates.

​In my next post, I will present my favorite cards the illustrate some of the more memorable scenes from the movie.