Gothmog was mentioned only once in The Lord of the Rings, at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, following the loss of his master: in response to the arrival of the Rohirrim, he called his army's reserve out of Osgiliath and into the main battle, and brought in Easterlings, Southrons, Variags, and Troll-men "into the fray". Gothmog's race is unknown in the books, but he is assumed in all media to be an Orc or related person. That aside, the details of Gothmog's nature and role are a matter of speculation.[1]
(for Etymology or the meaning of his name see the section in Gothmog (Balrog).)
Portrayal in Adaptations
Peter Jackson's The Return of the King
"The age of Men is over. The time of the Orc has come!"
Although his name was never spoken aloud in the film, officially-licensed merchandise confirms that this character is meant to represent the same Gothmog mentioned in the novel. He is first seen commanding the Orcs crossing the Anduin river to the western half of Osgiliath, which was still held by Men. Gothmog orders the first shot fired in the Battle of Osgiliath. In the battle, he sends that boat-legion of Orcs across the Anduin river by boat, while after Faramir's retreat a second legion enters the city from Minas Morgul via the repaired bridge over the Anduin in Osgiliath which the Orcs dominating the eastern half of the city had rebuilt.
The troops of Gondor retreated, leaving behind their wounded, one of whom is Madril, the badly-wounded captain of the Ithilien rangers, whom Gothmog kills with another Orc underling's spear. The Witch-King, arrived from Minas Morgul, then instructs him to assault Minas Tirith using all four legions there at his disposal. Gothmog asks about Gandalf but the Witch-King replies that he will break him.
When Faramir rides out with a small band of Gondor Knights on horseback, attempting to retake the city, Gothmog orders his archers to fire a volley from the ruins of Osgiliath which kill the knights save Faramir. Once his forces arrive on the Pelennor Fields, he orders the heads of the dead soldiers in Osgiliath to be launched off the catapults, to instill fear into the hearts of Gondor's soldiers and to lower their morale.
Gothmog at The Siege of Gondor.
Gothmog then begins directing the main ground operations, from catapults to siege-towers. He becomes enraged when the doors into the city won't budge, ordering Grond to be brought forth to smash it down. When the defenders of Gondor start launching debris at the attackers with trebuchets, Gothmog orders his troops to hold still. When a huge rock is launched directly at him, Gothmog waits until the last second before sidestepping to avoid it by about a foot, prompting him to mock his opponents by spitting on it. His lieutenants are Guritz, with the skull on his helmet, who seemed to be the siege commander, and Murgash, a Black Uruk.
Murgash, with Gothmog leading the assault.
In the unextended theatrical release, Gothmog's fate is not revealed, as he is last seen backing away from the charging Rohirrim. In the Extended Edition, he is shown to have survived the onslaught and duels Éowyn, who gains the upper hand and wounds his leg. Gothmog collapses in pain moments before the Witch-king arrives on the scene of the battle. Éowyn succeeds in destroying the Witch-king, but is injured in the process and crawls to Merry.
The last moments of Gothmog's life.
At this point, Gothmog rises, furious for revenge, and uses an axe for support as he limps towards her. As he approaches, he discards the axe and picks up a mace, preparing to kill Éowyn once and for all. Aragorn, unaware that he is saving anyone (or that Gothmog is the Orc Commander), rushes in and chops off Gothmog's arm. Gimli rushes in from behind and strikes Gothmog in the torso with his axe, before Aragorn delivers the final blow to his back, finishing him off. (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)), (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003, Extended Edition))
Voice Dubbing actors
Foreign Language
Voice dubbing artist
Portuguese (Brazil) (Television/DVD)
Mauro Castro
Italian (Italy)
Claudio Fattoretto
German
Thomas Rauscher
Spanish (Spain)
Mark Ullod
Gothmog in MERP
In the Middle-Earth Role Playing game, Gothmog is described as a half-troll, which is never confirmed or disproved in Tolkien's works.
Gothmog (Robert Smith) is a downloadable character on the Heroes and Maps Pack.
Gothmog in LOTR Tactics
Gothmog is a hero unit for the Host of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings: Tactics, usually appearing in the Gondor missions. He specializes in debilitating status attacks and increasing the movement range of himself or allies. His unique skills include:
Orcish Fury (attacks twice; later levels have a chance to inflict Bleeding damage)
Smite of Barad-dûr (basic melee attack with a chance to stun; damage and chance of stun increase with level)
Fumes of Gorgoroth (basic melee attack with a chance to poison; damage, poison strength, and duration increase with level)
Whip of Command (increases movement range for a time; area of effect, movement increase, and duration increase with levels)
The Lord of the Rings: Game Boy Advance Third Age
Gothmog is a mini-hero in Game Boy Advance Third Age game.
