Gothmog (Sindarin IPA: [ˈɡoθmoɡ]) was the first Lord of Balrogs during the First Age, and the greatest Balrog ever to walk
Lord of Balrogs
The most powerful of all the Balrogs, one of the chief servants of Melkor, who held an authority hardly less than Sauron himself. A wily commander and fearsome fighter, Gothmog was often accompanied by others of his fiery kind, and at least in the Nirnaeth he had a personal guard of dozens of Trolls.
Sure, maybe they were only weakened and Goblin invasion really pushed them to breaking point, but it still remains that Durin's Bane is probably the single strongest evil creature we meet in the story.
Balrogs possessed superhuman strength, durability, stamina, pain tolerance, and flexibility, as they were capable of picking up and throwing a human with one hand. They could also create earthly explosions with just their fists and tails.
Balrog, hands down. Balrog are evil Maiar who possess power innate in and of themselves. The Nazgul, on the other hand, are “Ring junkies” who only exist because their life force is bound to the Rings they wear and to the One Ring that rule them all.
Famed Balrogs include Gothmog, slain by Ecthelion, and Durin's Bane, slain by Gandalf.
So, one glimpse into Smaug's eyes and the Balrog falls under the spell. Even if it's just for a second—a moment of hesitation or distraction, it'd be enough. Smaug would snatch up Durin's Bane and gobble him up with his sword-sharp teeth (and we know swords can kill Balrogs).
So far I have learned that Galadriel is powerful enough to have a good chance. It is not clear whether she really would have to die or not. I personally think now that beating a Balrog could even be done without much physical power, e.g. by building a trap that will lead the Balrog to drown or fall very deep.
Gandalf pursued the monster for eight days, until they climbed to the peak of Zirakzigil, where the Balrog was forced to turn and fight, its body erupting into new flame. Here they fought for two days and nights. In the end, the Balrog was defeated and cast down, breaking the mountainside where it fell "in ruin".
The Balrog of Moria is a lot more powerful than Gandalf the Grey, who needs to use a ring of power to defeat the monster. He is also weaker than Saruman, another Maia. And all of that changes when he returns as The White. That being said, it is necessary to understand that the Maiar are not all made from the same mold.
Glorfindel was one of the mightiest Elves of Middle-earth. During the First Age, he was the lord of the House of the Golden Flower of Gondolin, and died fighting a Balrog.
Gandalf was scared of this beast because he knew how powerful it was since it was a Maia like himself, but it was purely evil.
For more than five millennia, the Balrog hibernated in his deep hiding place at the roots of the mountains in Khazad-dûm. He remained undisturbed throughout the Second Age and most of the Third, before the mithril-miners of dwarf-King Durin VI awoke him in T.A. 1980.
God is the most powerful entity in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe. The Elvish name for him is actually Eru Ilúvatar, meaning “the one, father of all.” So the question becomes: Who is the second-most powerful being? Originally, it was Melkor, “he who arises in might,” the most powerful of the Ainur (or angels).
A Balrog is definitely stronger than the witch king.
Balrog appears as one of the final bosses on Street Fighter X Mega Man. His weakness is the Mega Buster and the Soul Satellite.
So, in terms of "angelic rankings," they were on the same level, which meant that Sauron had no authority to commander the Balrog. As a Valar, Morgoth led a whole slew of Balrogs in the First Age, but because Sauron was only a Maia, the Balrog would have had no loyalty to him.
No, Balrogs do not serve Sauron. Similar to Sauron, Balrogs are Maiar, powerful spiritual beings second only to the Valar themselves. They were corrupted by Melkor's evil before the first age and were made into Valaraukar (Demons of Power). They very strength and wills were bound to Melkor.
In all of Tolkien's text I've read, there are three people who have killed a Balrog. Ecthellion, Glorfindel and of course Gandalf. All of these fights ended in a draw with all three sacrificing their lives for the deed.
The story Gil-galad tells Elrond about the Balrog under Moria in episode 5 – that an Elf and a Balrog were fighting over a special tree and were struck by lightning – doesn't come from Tolkien's legendarium, which is probably why Gil-galad ever so slightly cheekily tells Elrond it is “an obscure legend, regarded by ...
I was just curious if Durin's Bane had taken The Ring from The Fellowship could they have used it? Yes, anyone can use the Ring.
No. In the book, Gandalf specifically tells Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas that the Balrog was a foe beyond any of them. He knew it might be beyond even his powers to deal with, and there was nothing an elf and two men could bring to the fight that he couldn't.
Sauron has been with Melkor since the Years of the Trees. He and the Balrogs fulfill the most important roles in Melkor's regime. He had no reason to fear them because they were his “allies”.
He would not have been able to prevail against it otherwise. As far as I understand it, the Istari were specifically forbidden to use their full power in furtherance of their mission, which was to organize and inspire the Elves, Dwarves, and Men in their fight against Sauron.
Both Morgoth and Sauron managed to inflict significant damage upon the world and their enemies before their downfall, but Morgoth was undoubtedly the more powerful of the two.