Lurtz Printable version

Saruman planned to create a massive army to help Sauron conquer Middle-Earth, particularly the West. The wizard put the Orcs of Isengard to work to turn his plans into a reality. Then, Saruman started to breed a different species of Orcs with the help of his dark magic. Lurtz was the first Uruk-hai that Saruman bred. He was created in the pits of Isengard. Within seconds of his birth, the first thing he did was to choke Orc that was overseeing his birth. Seeing this, Snaga and some Orcs tried to intervene, but Saruman stopped them. Saruman was intrigued by the violence and malice that Lurtz had shown, and he allowed Lurtz to kill the Orc.

After this, Saruman invited Lurtz to the Tower of Orthanc, where they talked in Saruman’s throne room. Saruman told Lurtz about the history of the Orcs. Saruman shared that the Orcs were once elves. They were tortured and mutilated until their forms have changed into their monstrous form. But now, with the help of the dark arts, Saruman believed that he was able to “perfect” the Orc race through his work with the Uruk-hai. Saruman bred the Uruk-hai in a way that they have the strengths of the Orc and goblin races but without the weaknesses of these races. It was in the throne room where Saruman asked Lurtz where his loyalties lied. Lurtz replied that his allegiances lied with Saruman and Sauron. Seeing the intelligence, strength, and viciousness of Lurtz, Saruman appointed Lurtz as his second-in-command.​

Upon hearing of the Fellowship of the Ring, Saruman appointed Lurtz and the first battalion of Uruk-hai to stop the group from bringing the One Ring to Mordor. Saruman gave special instructions to capture the halflings alive and bring them back to Isengard as one of them carries the One Ring. Lurtz was outraged when he heard that he had to take hostages alive and unspoiled. But Saruman was able to appease him by saying that Lurtz can kill the rest of the Fellowship of the Ring. To prepare for the mission, Lurtz had his face painted with the Hand of Saruman. He led the Uruk-hai scouts in the hunt that took them through the Forest of Lorien. Lurtz and his men were able to catch up with the Fellowship at Amon Hen.

The Orcs thought Pippin and Merry were Frodo and Sam, so they followed them, which gave Sam and Frodo the chance to escape from the Uruk-hai. Seeing that the hobbits were being chased down, Boromir saved them and defended the Hobbits from the Uruk-hai. Boromir was able to strike a few of the Uruk-hai warriors down until he was stopped by the poisoned arrows of Lurtz. When Boromir fell on the ground, Lurtz and his men grabbed the Hobbits Pippin and Merry. Lurtz ordered them to go ahead, and he stayed behind to make sure Boromir was dead.

He was about to finish Boromir off. Still, before Lutz can shoot an arrow to Boromir’s heart, Aragorn arrives and intervenes. He tackled Lurtz, which led them to fall on the ground, and the two engaged in a brutal battle. Aragorn’s resourcefulness and skill were able to match the brutality and ferocity of Lurtz. When Lurtz threw his shield towards Aragorn, Aragorn got pinioned to a tree. But he was able to escape. When the two started to attack each other physically, Lurtz clearly outmatched him, so Aragorn stabbed him on the leg with a knife. When this happened, Lurtz pulled out the knife and licked the blood off the blade.

Lurtz used the knife and threw it at Aragorn. Aragorn was able to ricochet the blade using his weapon. He charges at Lurtz, which starts an intense sword fight between the two. Aragorn was able to strike the right arm of Lurtz and stab him in the stomach. With Aragorn’s sword still pierced through his body, Lurtz grabbed hold of the blade and pulled the sword even deeper in his stomach to drag Aragorn closer to him.

This was proof that Saruman spoke the truth when he said the Uruk-hai feels no pain. As Aragorn was drawn closer, Lurtz planned to attack him with his teeth. However, Aragorn was able to pull out the sword and ended up decapitating Lurtz. In the end, Lurtz was not able to match the technique and skills of Aragorn. Boromir dies a few minutes after the fight. Still, he was able to inform Aragorn that the Uruk-hai took the Hobbits and apologize for trying to take the One Ring away from Frodo.

In JRR Tolkien’s books, Boromir was killed by Orch archers, wherein his body was pierced by many arrows. The same fate befalls Boromir in the movies. Lurtz kills him using arrows by shooting him in the stomach, chest, and shoulder while chasing the group to Parth Galen. Another notable difference between the book and the film is that in the book, Uglúk was the Orc leader who was sent to stop the Fellowship of the Ring. In the movie, Uglúk was the second-in-command of Lurtz. He was in charge of bringing Pippin and Merry to Isengard after Lurtz’s demise.​

Among all the Uruk-hai that Saruman bred in Isengard, Lurtz was the first to be born and the largest, smartest, and most vicious. He was as tall as a man. He had long black hair, and his eyes were yellow. His skin was dark – a muddy black color. Lurtz was very loyal to Saruman. Lurtz was a skilled swordsman who used brutal and unorthodox methods when he fought. He is capable of doing long-range attacks and close-range brawls. Lurtz has a high tolerance for pain. This can be shown during his battle with Aragorn. His name was actually never mentioned in the movie. People just knew it from the credits. But in the extended edition of the film, Saruman called the Uruk-hai leader by name.​

Lurtz is a playable character in this strategy video game. [1] You can choose him as your hero for the Isengard faction. In the game, Lurtz can shoot an enemy with an arrow that pins them to the ground - just like when Boromir was unable to move in the movie after being shot.​

In this game, Lurtz is a playable character that you can unlock after doing some tasks. Here, Boromir is comically killed when Lurtz throws a banana to his chest. [2]​