Legolas’ kill count is larger in the movies than it is in J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings for a couple of reasons. First, the Elven princeling is in the Hobbit films, but he isn’t named in the book. Second, Tolkien doesn’t go into much detail about individual kills, with one exception, and it happens to be the inspiration for all of this kill-counting obsession.
In the “Two Towers” book, during the Battle of Helm’s Deep, Legolas and Gimli engage in a back-and-forth contest to see who can kill more enemies. It starts when Gimli kills two enemies, only for Legolas to say, “I have done better, though now I must grope for spent arrows; all mine are gone. Yet I make my tale twenty at the least. But that is only a few leaves in a forest.” When Gimli reports that he’s reached 21 kills, Legolas updates that he’s reached 24, thanks to his knives. When the friends reunite after the battle, Gimli announces that he dispatched 42 foes, to which Legolas responds that he killed 41, though he doesn’t grudge Gimli his win. He’s just happy to see him alive.
Peter Jackson and Co. channeled this friendly battlefield competitiveness into “The Two Towers,” which was fun. However, they amped up the competition in “The Return of the King,” where Legolas takes down an entire Oliphaunt single-handed. In the Hobbit films, the Elven warrior’s eye for striking a killer blow escalated to new heights, as he wipes out dozens of foes, sometimes in a matter of seconds. It may not reflect the original, low-key aspect of the friendly challenge, but it sure does lead to a high kill count for one of the Fellowship of the Ring’s most powerful characters.
