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, and an antagonist in Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Return of the King. After the Witch-king was destroyed, he assumed full command of Sauron's army, however it was not long before he too fell. 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. 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. 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 rides out with a small band of Gondorian Knights on horseback, attempting to retake the city, Gothmog orders his troops to open fire, wiping out the oncoming Knights with one volley. Once his forces arrive on the Pelennor fields, he orders the heads of the dead soldiers in Osgiliath to be launched off the catapults



Gothmog then begins directing the main ground operations, from catapults to seige-towers. He becomes enraged when the doors into the city won't budge, ordering Grond to be brought forth to smash it down. Gothmog is almost hit at one point by a huge rock fired at him by one of Gondor's many trebuchets, but it misses him by about a foot, prompting him to mock his opponents by spitting on it.

In the theatrical version, 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. 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, 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.



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.

Gothmog in LOTR Tactics
Gothmog is a hero unit for the Host of Mordor in 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-dur (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 also mini-hero in Game Boy Advance Third Age game.

Gothmog (Statthalter von Minas Morgul) Gothmog Gothmog (Porucznik Morgulu) Готмог (Третья Эпоха)