The world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is filled with many different creatures and beings that inhabit Middle-earth and fill the Hobbits' story with adventure. Yet, one creature suffers from little backstory and is only featured in one scene in the films. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and the fellowship began their journey to Mordor, with Gandalf leading the way. His initial plan was to take the Caradhras pass across the mountains, but Saruman used dark magic to make the pass uncrossable. Left with no other choice, Gandalf leads them to the Mines of Moria. Initially, they cannot access the gate, so they wait around a gloomy-looking lake filled with a dark surprise -- a giant octopus.
Outside Moria's entrance, an iconic scene unfolds as the Watcher in the Water takes ahold of Frodo with one of its tentacles, making its presence known to the fellowship. In Peter Jackson's films, the Watcher looks like a terrifying octopus but with 12 visible tentacles instead of Tolkien's 21. While it's computer-generated, it does a good job of showing the creature's sheer, especially in comparison to the tiny Hobbits.
In Tolkien's extensive lore, the Watcher in the Water was thought to originate from beneath Moria. Gandalf even makes a point of saying that "older, fouler things than Orcs" live in the deep recesses of the world, which explains the Watcher's presence. The only other detail that Tolkien gives regarding the Watcher is that it killed Óin during the Dwarves' attempt to recolonize Moria. Óin's nephew, Gimli, experiences the terror of the Watcher in The Fellowship of the Ring. However, in the films, he does not know the creature killed his uncle. Only in the books does Gandalf read the account by Ori in the Book of Mazarbul, letting Gimli know the true reason for his uncle's death.
Unfortunately, this is all that the films give in terms of detail and history for the Watcher. Thankfully, a number of The Lord of the Rings video games feature the creature. In The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, the Watcher in the Water is the first real boss that players must face. It's a two-part battle, with the final sequence taking part in the depths of Moria. The Watcher relies on its tentacle attacks and a move called Reeking Spout that unleashes a toxic breath and slime that do serious damage. In EA's The Battle for Middle-earth II, the Watcher in the Water is a power one can use in Isengard that picks up an enemy with one of its tentacles, then eats it to regenerate health.
The Watcher in the Water is also featured in Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online and LEGO The Lord of the Rings. So, while it doesn't take up too much screen time in the films, this ancient creature is given its due in the video game adaptations. These incarnations are a great way for fans to get to know the Watcher better since the films only show it for a single scene. In fact, it's become a fan-favorite boss, considering how difficult it can be to defeat it, providing a great challenge for many dedicated players.
While the Watcher in the Water is only a blip in Peter Jackson's films, the iconic scene where it traps the fellowship inside Moria is one that can't be easily forgotten. It's the pivotal moment that sets the fellowship on a course that they can't turn back from, plunging them into the dark recesses in the hopes that they will make it out on the other side. The Watcher is a lone creature that doesn't get much attention in Tolkien's lore, nor the films, but still plays a major role in setting the characters on the right path toward defeating the Ring once and for all.