Gothmog (Lieutenant of Morgul)

"The age of Men is over. The time of the Orc has come!"

- Gothmog

''This article is on the Orc commander during the Siege of Gondor. For the First Age Lord of Balrogs see: Gothmog.''

Gothmog was the Witch-king's lieutenant at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. After the Witch-king was destroyed, he assumed full command of Sauron's army. Nothing else is known about Gothmog "Fear, the city is rank with it! Let us ease their pain, release the prisoners!"

- Gothmog

Gothmog in Peter Jackson's film
"What are you doing, you useless scum?!"

- Gothmog to his troops before the gates of Minas Tirith

In Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Return of the King, Gothmog is shown to be a deformed Morannon orc-general (Jackson states he is 6 feet 4 inches tall). Although his name is never spoken aloud in the film, officially-licensed merchandise confirms that this character is meant to represent the same Gothmog mentioned in the novel. Although not explicitly stated, his unusual size and the unlikelihood that Sauron would place an orc in such high-ranking position suggests that he may have been a Balrog, a fallen Maia in orc form. He is first seen commanding the Morannon orcs crossing the Anduin river. He orders the first shot fired in the Battle of Osgiliath. In the battle, he sends the bulk of his troops across the Anduin river by boat, while a second legion enters the city via a repaired bridge, for he had been preparing for the assault for months and had taught his soldiers to build boats and practice repairs. The Men of Gondor retreat, leaving behind their wounded, one of whom is Madril, the badly-wounded captain of the Ithilien rangers, whom Gothmog kills. The Witch-King instructs him to assault Minas Tirith using all means at their disposal.

When Faramir rode out with a small band of Gondorian Knights on horseback, attempting to retake the city, Gothmog ordered his troops to open fire, wiping out the oncoming Knights with one volley. Once his forces arrived on the Pelennor fields, he ordered the heads of the dead soldiers in Osgiliath to be launched off the catapults. He then began directing the main ground operations, from catapults to siege-towers. He became enraged when the doors into the city wouldn't budge, ordering Grond to be brought forth to smash it down. In the theatrical version, his fate is not revealed, and 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 gets the upper hand and wounds his leg. Éowyn is injured after slaying the Witch-king and crawls to Merry. Gothmog, furious for revenge, uses an axe for support as he limps towards her. He discards the axe and picks up a mace, and prepares for the final blow. Aragorn, unaware he is saving anyone, rushes in and chops off Gothmog's arm. Gimli rushes in from behind and strikes Gothmog in the torso, before Aragorn delivers the killing blow to Gothmog's back, finishing him off then placing his veiny testicles on his eyelids for respect&nbsp

Gothmog in MERP
In Middle-Earth Role Playing game, Gothmog is described as a half-troll. Nothing in Tolkien's writing confirms this hypothesis, nor denies it.

Gothmog in BFME2
Gothmog is also a playable evil hero in Battle for Middle Earth II Special Extended Edition and Battle for Middle Earth II - Rise of the Witch-king. According to reports, Gothmog was the most requested character on the Battle For middle Earth forums, eventually leading to him being added as a hero unit in The Rise Of The Witch-King expansion pack.

Gothmog in LOTR Conquest
Gothmog (Robert Smith) is a downloadable character on the Heroes and Maps Pack.