Frodo Baggins is the character in The Lord Of The Rings who gets put under the most strain and stress throughout the entire film trilogy, and yet still somehow he manages to get on people's nerves for whatever reason instead of gaining sympathy and appreciation. Some might even say that he is the worst character, even over other far worse characters like Denethor II. Is Frodo Baggins' character really that annoying, or is he maybe even unnecessary for the plot to advance? Each character in The Lord Of The Rings has at least several hundred viewers that connect with them, but which ones are useless (although entertaining) to the plot, and which ones are so awful that people wished the writer found a way to write them out?
First off, Frodo is by no means the worst character in The Lord Of The Rings. Although Aragorn is the protagonist of the plot, Frodo is the protagonist of the story. Elijah Woods was perfectly cast as the lead role of Frodo Baggins. His range of emotions and depiction of a pure soul slowly being corrupted by evil was phenomenal. Aside from the acting, the character arc of Frodo was very interesting. Frodo went from a naive young man to having the fate of all Middle-Earth upon his shoulders, and somehow he managed to complete the longest and darkest journey ever known under complete secrecy—which is badass.
He resisted the temptation so long (although faltering at times) that when he finally completes the journey and fails the mission, it's genuinely shocking. By the end of the film, Frodo has accepted that he will forever carry the weight of all that has happened, and he smiles. This is one of the most interesting characters ever written. Now that it's established the popular opinion is an undeserved critique, which characters actually do cause enough frustration to make a viewer start yelling at their screen? The easiest answer would be Denethor II. He is rude and filthy, and he cares nothing for his youngest son, Faramir. And when his people are in need, he does nothing.
This is probably because the kingdom of Gondor was so close to Mordor and therefore under the influence of Sauron, but it is still very easy to hate Denethor's character. This is especially so when he already got Boromir killed by sending him to get the Ring, and then sends his younger son to defend Osgiliath even though he knows it is futile and will result in Faramir's death. Another unlikeable character to the point of annoyance is Gríma Wormtongue. This character is a snake who lies and deceives and spreads evil and hate. The character is just used as a tool to show Saruman's control over Théoden, and although it is better shown through a character like Wormtongue, this control could have been shown in another way that would make this character useless.
Although Legolas and Gimli are funny and badass warriors, they don't add to the plot of The Lord Of The Rings films. Sure, they are used to show how elf and dwarf kind are at odds with one another, and there is an arc of the two characters overcoming their differences and bonding, but if they were removed from the plot, everything would still make sense, and it would progress. The films would be much less enjoyable to watch, but these characters are far less important than characters like Frodo or Sam. Frodo needed Sam, and Sam needed Frodo. Without one, the other could not complete the mission. But without Legolas and Gimli, they could.
Merry and Pippin are two of the most enjoyable characters to watch throughout the trilogy. But one seems to be more useful than the other, who actually causes the group harm multiple times. Although Pippin gets Treebeard to go past Isengard to defeat Saruman's army, that is just one small decision in an entire trilogy and could have been given to Merry to make. Merry is the one who tried to get the Ents to help instead of giving up. Merry also assists Éowyn in killing the Witch King. Pippin is constantly getting the group into trouble through his stupidity. But one stupid mistake actually manages to pay off, as it allows him to be in the right place and time to save Faramir.
The women in The Lord Of The Rings haven't got the respect or love of most of the LOTR fan base, but Arwen is a great character and warrior who helps Frodo in his time of need. The only problem is that after this act of heroism, she is little more than a love interest to the protagonist of the plot—Aragorn. And although Éowyn defeats the Witch King and delivers a cool forward-thinking line, she hasn't been developed properly throughout the trilogy for the kill to feel like a payoff. Éowyn, Théoden, and Faramir's stories are all interesting, but they could have been done without. But luckily, every one of the previous characters mentioned was kept in the movies because they add tension, humor, or drama despite their flaws.