Sauron vs Voldemort

[Eita]

That's just the movies. Apparently they thought Caradhras being a totally unrelated malevolent being was too confusing. (Same goes for Saruman being at odds with Sauron - that and Faramir are my two real beefs with the movies.)

Ah. It's been awhile since I read the books. Anyways,the fact that someone did manage to crash a freaking mountain with lightning bolts (or did he do something different? Like I said, it's been awhile) says much about the sheer power of LoTR magic when used to it's highest potential.

[Winterwind]

Ah. It's been awhile since I read the books. Anyways,the fact that someone did manage to crash a freaking mountain with lightning bolts (or did he do something different? Like I said, it's been awhile) says much about the sheer power of LoTR magic when used to it's highest potential.

Well, in that case, the being is the mountain, and I don't recall lightning being involved.

Or are you thinking about the battle at Helm's Deep, where lightning strikes repeatedly during the battle (but only in the background, without any importance; the wall is breached by a detonation which might have been caused by Saruman's magic, or by something like gunpowder; it's not entirely clear from the text).

[bugsysservant]

Well, in that case, the being is the mountain, and I don't recall lightning being involved.

Or are you thinking about the battle at Helm's Deep, where lightning strikes repeatedly during the battle (but only in the background, without any importance; the wall is breached by a detonation which might have been caused by Saruman's magic, or by something like gunpowder; it's not entirely clear from the text).

Actually, I believe the term was "sorcerous fire," pretty unambiguous as far as I am concerned. Although Saruman did have a large technological advantage, I really don't see him being that far ahead of the armies of Rohan that they would have no idea what he was doing or he would have just blown up the Ents.

Also, I had thought that Caradhras being described as a malevolent being was just personification of a dangerous mountain.

[Winterwind]

Actually, I believe the term was "sorcerous fire," pretty unambiguous as far as I am concerned. Although Saruman did have a large technological advantage, I really don't see him being that far ahead of the armies of Rohan that they would have no idea what he was doing or he would have just blown up the Ents.

And shortly after that something like "The orcs have brought the fires of Orthanc!", implying that this "sorcerous fire" can be transported and used by orcs. Given that unknown stuff that detonates in a huge blast would seem pretty much sorcerous to people who have never seen or heard of such things, I think it could easily be interpreted as some sort of explosives (just as the movie has).
It could be interpreted like magic as well, due to the line you cited. At least to me it seems like it could go either way.

Also, I had thought that Caradhras being described as a malevolent being was just personification of a dangerous mountain.

A valid interpretation. Again, both could be meant. The characters seem to take the hardness, weather, snow and the avalanche pretty personally; then again, they could do so just to vent their frustration and hatred for the way they are forced to go.

[bugsysservant]

And shortly after that something like "The orcs have brought the fires of Orthanc!", implying that this "sorcerous fire" can be transported and used by orcs. Given that unknown stuff that detonates in a huge blast would seem pretty much sorcerous to people who have never seen or heard of such things, I think it could easily be interpreted as some sort of explosives (just as the movie has).
It could be interpreted like magic as well, due to the line you cited. At least to me it seems like it could go either way.

Good point. I had always assumed Tolkien meant that figuratively, in that the magic of Saruman came with the orc army, not that they brought it per se. But yours would make more sense

[Winterwind]

Good point. I had always assumed Tolkien meant that figuratively, in that the magic of Saruman came with the orc army, not that they brought it per se. But yours would make more sense

I should add that I always thought it meant Saruman using magic, too, and I still prefer that interpretation, for it seems more fitting into the magical world that is Middle Earth than gunpowder. But the wording is ambiguous at best, and at worst I think one could even make a stronger point for it being explosives. The movie seems to think so as well - remember that one orc Aragorn points to and shouts that Legolas shall kill this one instantly (and who nevertheless manages to detonate the explosives despite being shot repeatedly first)?

[Rogue 7]

One-on-one, assuming that Sauron was in his pre-fellowship form, I think it would be fairly even. Sauron isn't quite as fast as old voldy, who can dodge and dart and control the terrain better. However, the thing is, it's not one-on-one. It's...three hundred...against ten thousand... Actually more, but I felt like working in a quote there. No matter how good the wizards are, they'll either get stabbed, chopped, or arrow'd by the sheer number of orcs, trolls, and evil men.

[Arameus]

Question: Is Voldemort shorter than 5'?

If yes, then Sauron loses.

If no, then Sauron vaporizes his opponent.

I'm still putting my money on the fact that anyone with a decent firearm can take on any wizard from HP, especially considering that the text hints that nearly all wizards are completely unfamiliar with the concept of guns.

[Rockphed]

Perhaps a better comparison would be Voldemorte against Saruman. After all, Saruman is more mortal than Sauron and Sauron is some sort of Quasi Deified Creature of Death. If even Saruman is considered too powerful for Voldemorte, we could always throw Baldie up against a Balrog. That would be pretty fun.

V: Die vile creature!
Balrog: Whip-crash!

[DomaDoma]

Voldemort beats Saruman in a duel; Saruman beats Voldemort in the recruiting department.

[Eita]

*points at Saruman's and Gandalf's duel*

Or was that only in the movie as well?

[Rowanomicon]

No contest. No room for argument even. I mean you can say Voldemort would win, but you'd be wrong.

I can agree that they're form two totally different world. As someone said early in this thread it's like comparing apple and armageddon.

However, if you they were to fight (either one on one or with all their minions) Voldemort would be no match for the Witch King or for Sarumon, let alone Sauron.
I actually laughed when I read the title of this thread. Heck, I'd still have my money on a Balrog or one of The Nine (besides the Witch King) over Voldemort.

That's not to say that Voldemort a "bad villain" or to insult the Harry Potter books, universe, or fans. I must admit, however, that I do prefer Tolkien's writing to Rowling's.

Also Voldemort would never be able to defeat Sauron by destroying the ring because if he ever came into possession of thing he would become enamored with it and it's power even faster than Isildor or Smeagul and would try to keep it for his own (which never works out).

Maybe if Voldemort was smarter he'd stand a chance (against Sauron's henchmen).

[Eita]

You can only say Avada Kedavra so many times before you wish you were a D&D mage with Protection from Arrows.

[dehro]

The only way I see how Voldemort could win this contest would be if he got hold of the One Ring. He surely would be corrupted by it instantly, but on the other hand, there's not much to be corrupted about him anyway.

this doesn't really make sense... the corruption does not only lie in ..aha...corrupting the character, aims and willpower of the wearer..it also brings, ultimately, the wearer into servitude of the ring, and of Sauron...so Voldemort getting hold of the ring would only be a slower victory for Sauron..because Voldemort could never even think of destroying it.
anyway..The comparison does not make sense..
on one side we have a god (demigod?) who has at his service balrogs, nazguls, dragons, orcs, corsairs etc etc, and has considerable personal power other than being incarnated into a freaking giant with magic an phisical powers far beyond comprehension (and if we do consider Sauron to be "not incarnated" as seen in the LOTR, this makes him only harder to kill, certainly unkillable with an avada kedavra or anything close)
also he has experience and powers that date back to millennia, and is, de facto, not human..being alive or death does not really apply here...he either is or is destroyed into oblivion...life has nothing to do with it..and I doubt voldemort could even begin to understand this.

on the other hand we have a whiny bastard who has never been able to cope with the misery of his life and with the faults of his character, has a awfull temper and is not really up to date on what his motivations and goals are...he follows a desire for global domination, then he drifts of on a personal vengeance, and has never understood what it actually was all about...(Sauron on the other hand might have lost, but this is mainly because of a bad strategy..not because he didn't have a clue like Voldemort)
and I'm trying not to laugh about his minions..
a bunch of selfish buffoons with no real purpose and power, strong only as long as their opponents refrain from using the forbidden curses (which I doubt Sauron would have a problem with)..
races of demihuman and magical creatures that are really not that special, when compared to balrogs and Nazguls (I'd like to see a dementor coming up against the less powerfull of the Nazguls..they draw on fear and despair, don't they?...)

no, I don't think Voldemort stands even a slight chance to survive the first battle, let alone a full blown confrontation.

[Winterwind]

this doesn't really make sense... the corruption does not only lie in ..aha...corrupting the character, aims and willpower of the wearer..it also brings, ultimately, the wearer into servitude of the ring, and of Sauron...so Voldemort getting hold of the ring would only be a slower victory for Sauron..because Voldemort could never even think of destroying it.
anyway..The comparison does not make sense..

Gandalf, Galadriel and Saruman all imply in the books they would be able to use the power the One Ring could grant them to overthrow Sauron and take his place. Saruman is actually trying to accomplish exactly that - somebody complained before that in the movies Saruman is at the odds with Sauron, but that's actually following the books: While Saruman was working for Sauron, he nevertheless tried to betray him by getting the Ring for himself (that's also the background for Sauron's orcs' conflict with the Uruk-Hai when they carry Merry and Pippin towards Isengard). That's also what Sauron fears, the very reason why Frodo's quest is successful: Sauron assumes somebody with enough power to wield the Ring will use it to help Gondor, which is why he strips Mordor of his troops for this decisive battle.
It is stated throughout the LotR books that it is possible to defeat Sauron using the One Ring, but that one would become like Sauron in the process of doing so. It's the greatest temptation the most powerful beings of Middle Earth face when they are confronted with the Ring.

on one side we have a god (demigod?) who has at his service balrogs, nazguls, dragons, orcs, corsairs etc etc, and has considerable personal power other than being incarnated into a freaking giant with magic an phisical powers far beyond comprehension (and if we do consider Sauron to be "not incarnated" as seen in the LOTR, this makes him only harder to kill, certainly unkillable with an avada kedavra or anything close)
also he has experience and powers that date back to millennia, and is, de facto, not human..being alive or death does not really apply here...he either is or is destroyed into oblivion...life has nothing to do with it..and I doubt voldemort could even begin to understand this.

Balrogs and dragons? Where did you get that from? Balrogs would have little reason to obey him, seeing as they are both Maiar (and if memory serves, actually Maiar who originally pledged allegiance to the same Vala, namely Aule). And I do not recall Sauron commanding any dragons either (the beasts the Nazgul ride upon later are some primordial abominations, but not dragons).

Sauron is probably something like a high ranking angel; it is pretty much obvious that Iluvatar/Eru is God (there actually is a short story written by Tolkien about a Numenorian who falls into a magical slumber and awakens centuries later in Great Britain to become Merlin, where it is stated that by this time Eru had come personally to this world in the body of a human, to die for our sins), the Valar might hence correspond to archangels (would fit in with Melkor's fall, too), making the Maiar angelic beings.

on the other hand we have a whiny bastard who has never been able to cope with the misery of his life and with the faults of his character, has a awfull temper and is not really up to date on what his motivations and goals are...he follows a desire for global domination, then he drifts of on a personal vengeance, and has never understood what it actually was all about...(Sauron on the other hand might have lost, but this is mainly because of a bad strategy..not because he didn't have a clue like Voldemort)
and I'm trying not to laugh about his minions..
a bunch of selfish buffoons with no real purpose and power, strong only as long as their opponents refrain from using the forbidden curses (which I doubt Sauron would have a problem with)..
races of demihuman and magical creatures that are really not that special, when compared to balrogs and Nazguls (I'd like to see a dementor coming up against the less powerfull of the Nazguls..they draw on fear and despair, don't they?...)

no, I don't think Voldemort stands even a slight chance to survive the first battle, let alone a full blown confrontation.

While I actually like the Harry Potter series and wouldn't scathe it as you do, I nevertheless agree with your final assessment.

[LordVader]

Balrogs were under the control of Sauron's master; when he was defeated, they fled.

And Sauron is just incredibly more...grand then Voldemort. You can't really compare them, they're leagues apart. Maybe not in power, but rather in deeds

[Winterwind]

Balrogs were under the control of Sauron's master; when he was defeated, they fled.

And Sauron is just incredibly more...grand then Voldemort. You can't really compare them, they're leagues apart. Maybe not in power, but rather in deeds

Now this, I think, is undeniably true.

[dehro]

Gandalf, Galadriel and Saruman all imply in the books they would be able to use the power the One Ring could grant them to overthrow Sauron and take his place.

Spoiler

Show

spoilerized to keep it short...well..ok, shorter!Saruman is actually trying to accomplish exactly that - somebody complained before that in the movies Saruman is at the odds with Sauron, but that's actually following the books: While Saruman was working for Sauron, he nevertheless tried to betray him by getting the Ring for himself (that's also the background for Sauron's orcs' conflict with the Uruk-Hai when they carry Merry and Pippin towards Isengard). That's also what Sauron fears, the very reason why Frodo's quest is successful: Sauron assumes somebody with enough power to wield the Ring will use it to help Gondor, which is why he strips Mordor of his troops for this decisive battle.
It is stated throughout the LotR books that it is possible to defeat Sauron using the One Ring, but that one would become like Sauron in the process of doing so. It's the greatest temptation the most powerful beings of Middle Earth face when they are confronted

...with the Ring.

It is also stated that the ring is as much part of Sauron as he is a part of the ring, and since the ring would end up dominating the ever so powerful gandalf or galadriel, Sauron would still win, in the end.
as for saruman, his allegiance with Sauron wasn't all that strong even at it's best moments.
then again, the point is moot, since we are not talking about the middle earth heroes confronting Sauron, opposing his dark arts with the virtues and strenght of character of a true champion, but about Voldemort..
And I very much doubt that voldemort would be able to dominate Sauron, or the ring, enough to destroy the one or the other. Even if he got to use the ring to destroy Sauron, I doubt very much he could ever do so...if nothing else, just because the ring has had it always easier with do-no-gooders, and in that aspect, voldemort definitely qualifies.
the ring gains control by allowing the bad traits of people to take over the virtues and good qualities, and fueling the former in ways that are useful for the ring and for Sauron...how long would it take for it to control Voldemort?

Balrogs and dragons? Where did you get that from? Balrogs would have little reason to obey him, seeing as they are both Maiar (and if memory serves, actually Maiar who originally pledged allegiance to the same Vala, namely Aule). And I do not recall Sauron commanding any dragons either (the beasts the Nazgul ride upon later are some primordial abominations, but not dragons).

I wasn't referring to the beast used as mounts by the Nazgul but to the real dragons, scatha, glaurung and company... since they where created by Morgoth, I suppose that Sauron would have had some under his control, had any survived untill the last wars of the 3rd era..no?? as for the balrog, they should obey Morgoth, and thus Sauron, for the same reason Gandalf obeys the other Valar; lesser "bad maiar" following the big bad one, and lesser maiar on the other side taking orders from the valar.

While I actually like the Harry Potter series and wouldn't scathe it as you do, I nevertheless agree with your final assessment.

never said I don't like them, I do or else wouldn't have read the whole series I was merely depicting a scathin image of voldemort..serves him right, for being such a wanker...


finally..allow me to add a little twist to this confrontation, absurd as it is..
does Sauron at his peak, mean that we are talking about him with all his powers, be they still part of him or in the ring on his finger or a Sauron somehow diminished by the absence of the ring?
the first option sounds like overkill...like using a rhino to trample an ant...

[Winterwind]

It is also stated that the ring is as much part of Sauron as he is a part of the ring, and since the ring would end up dominating the ever so powerful gandalf or galadriel, Sauron would still win, in the end.

Well... yes, sort of.
But technically, he'd die in the process.

as for saruman, his allegiance with Sauron wasn't all that strong even at it's best moments.

Definitely. Allegiances forged on the premise of backstabbing the other as soon as possible tend to be rather weak generally.

then again, the point is moot, since we are not talking about the middle earth heroes confronting Sauron, opposing his dark arts with the virtues and strenght of character of a true champion, but about Voldemort..
And I very much doubt that voldemort would be able to dominate Sauron, or the ring, enough to destroy the one or the other. Even if he got to use the ring to destroy Sauron, I doubt very much he could ever do so...if nothing else, just because the ring has had it always easier with do-no-gooders, and in that aspect, voldemort definitely qualifies.
the ring gains control by allowing the bad traits of people to take over the virtues and good qualities, and fueling the former in ways that are useful for the ring and for Sauron...how long would it take for it to control Voldemort?

To corrupt him, none at all. The question is, would this make him to Sauron's slave, or would it make him to Sauron's mirror image?
And that's the point where gets completely subjective.

I wasn't referring to the beast used as mounts by the Nazgul but to the real dragons, scatha, glaurung and company... since they where created by Morgoth, I suppose that Sauron would have had some under his control, had any survived untill the last wars of the 3rd era..no??

I might be mistaken, and I'm not sure where to find that information right now, but I think Smaug was the last big one.

as for the balrog, they should obey Morgoth, and thus Sauron, for the same reason Gandalf obeys the other Valar; lesser "bad maiar" following the big bad one, and lesser maiar on the other side taking orders from the valar.

Sauron may have been Morgoth's lieutenant, but the Balrogs were his mightiest servants as well. Whether they would accept orders from him is debatable; he is not Morgoth, after all. Then again, it's a moot point either way, since as LordVader said they fled after Morgoth's defeat.

never said I don't like them, I do or else wouldn't have read the whole series I was merely depicting a scathin image of voldemort..serves him right, for being such a wanker...

Ah, I see.

finally..allow me to add a little twist to this confrontation, absurd as it is..
does Sauron at his peak, mean that we are talking about him with all his powers, be they still part of him or in the ring on his finger or a Sauron somehow diminished by the absence of the ring?
the first option sounds like overkill...like using a rhino to trample an ant...

I actually think that's a pretty good comparison.

[SmartAlec]

Actually, I believe the term was "sorcerous fire," pretty unambiguous as far as I am concerned. Although Saruman did have a large technological advantage, I really don't see him being that far ahead of the armies of Rohan that they would have no idea what he was doing or he would have just blown up the Ents.

It's easy to imagine the Wizards having some knowledge that everyone else doesn't. I always imagined Saruman's 'sorcerous fire' was rooted in the same kind of magical science as Gandalf's fireworks, only turned to a more military application.

[LordVader]

Also, as we can see when Sauron sacrificied himself to bring down the realm of Numenor, he is not adverse to dying to further his cause as long as the Ring is safely in the hands of his lieutenants, namely the Witch-King. So he doesn't really have to fear death; neither does Voldemort, although his Horcruxes are admittedly more vulnerable than the Ring.

[factotum]

Also, as we can see when Sauron sacrificied himself to bring down the realm of Numenor, he is not adverse to dying to further his cause as long as the Ring is safely in the hands of his lieutenants

Sauron did nothing of the kind. He sent the Numenoreans against the Blessed Lands with every expectation that the Valar and their allies would wipe the floor with them without any assistance, and if a few of them got killed in the process, so much the better! He was in no way expecting Iluvatar to step in, and the utter destruction of Numenor was as much a surprise to him as anyone else--I'm sure he could have easily escaped from Numenor had he known of its imminent destruction.

Also, dying is not a cost-free exercise for Sauron. He wasn't able to appear in fair form anymore after the destruction of Numenor, and after Isildur cut the Ring from his hand he only appeared again as a malevolent red Eye.

[Dean Fellithor]

as long as they only met once: at the end, a 1st level Party could defeat Voldemort. the only thing that keeps Voldemort alive is his Horcruxes. Honestly, Voldy aint got much up his arsernal.

[Greebo]

It's easy to imagine the Wizards having some knowledge that everyone else doesn't. I always imagined Saruman's 'sorcerous fire' was rooted in the same kind of magical science as Gandalf's fireworks, only turned to a more military application.

To a degree, probably, but Gandalf in addition to his own abilities had the Ring of Fire - who's name eludes me. This ring gave him significant mastery over fire and would probably explain why he was able to stand up to the Balrog. My understanding is that Baulrog are corrupted Maia but that the Wizards, or Istari, are a lower grade supernatural being even than the Maia, so I think under normal circumstances, NONE of the wizards, not even Saruman, would have been able to stand up to a Balrog of Morgoth.

[Tamburlaine]

Sauron, Sauron, Sauron. Heck, the Nine could take on Voldemort and all the death eaters easily, and the Witch King could destroy Voldemort one on one:

V: Avada Kedavra!
WK: No man can kill me.
V: Er...I'm kind of half snake?
WK: Nice try *Mace* *Stab* *Mace again for good measure*

I really dont see why anyone thought this was a contest in the first place.

Also, I am in awe of all the LotR knowledge in this thread. Wow!

[Winterwind]

To a degree, probably, but Gandalf in addition to his own abilities had the Ring of Fire - who's name eludes me. This ring gave him significant mastery over fire and would probably explain why he was able to stand up to the Balrog. My understanding is that Baulrog are corrupted Maia but that the Wizards, or Istari, are a lower grade supernatural being even than the Maia, so I think under normal circumstances, NONE of the wizards, not even Saruman, would have been able to stand up to a Balrog of Morgoth.

The Istari were normal Maia, but lost a lot of their power by taking mortal form. And the Balrogs were very powerful Maia to begin with. So you're probably right.

[Greebo]

The Istari were normal Maia, but lost a lot of their power by taking mortal form. And the Balrogs were very powerful Maia to begin with. So you're probably right.

Ah yes, you're right about the origins. My bad.

[WalkingTarget]

Ok, I feel like finally stepping in here alongside Greebo and Winterwind.

My readings into Tolkien have left me with the impression that magic in his universe is a zero-sum game and is almost entirely dependent on creating objects which then have some magical effect. A maia or vala who wishes to create something in the world becomes more closely tied to the world.

In Sauron's case, in order to get the effect he wanted (i.e. the ability to dominate the other ring-bearers) he had to invest a lot of his own "energy" into the ring he made. The technique for making the rings in the first place was his idea (taught to Celebrimbor whilst in disguise), but knowing how they worked wasn't enough in and of itself. The "rule them all" trick just couldn't work without his sacrifice. The way I've always read it, he wasn't defeated when Isildur cut off the ring. Elendil and Gilgalad brought him down, dieing in the process, and Isildur cut the ring from the "body". As had been stated before by others, this wasn't the first time that Sauron had lost a physical body nor the last (Gollum mentioned 4 fingers on the black hand, which at least implies that he physically saw Sauron while he was in Barad-dur). Don't be suckered into the movies' portrayal of a giant flaming eye. Sure it looks cool, but that depiction, other than in visions of other characters, isn't present in the books. Gandalf died too at one point, so comic book death isn't only a team evil power.

See also - Fëanor couldn't recreate the Silmarilli since part of his essence went into their making, every time Morgoth came up with some new trick he became less all-powerful (he started off as the greatest of the Valar who were stated to be able to take on physical form and put it off like a garment, but by the time he'd come up with orcs, trolls, and dragons he was locked into his evil-overlord form with burned hands and a limp).

Sure, there are a fair number of magic swords around, but as we don't know the smiths, we don't know how much that may have taken out of them. Saruman's loss of his staff represented great loss of power. Symbolic, possibly, but I've come to the conclusion that it might be similar to Sauron's connection to the ring as well. Gandalf can make fire do all sorts of fun stuff, but he needs something to work it on in the first place (logs, pinecones, etc), and it's never just normal fire (green or other fancy colors) and it always tires him.

As for fireworks and Saruman's sorcerous fire, I've always been of the opinion that it's mostly just gunpowder in a world that's otherwise without knowledge of it. I'd admit that some of the special effects on the fireworks are probably helped out by Narya, but that's a special case and largely cosmetic. That's an opinion of course, and I have no other basis for it in the text other than as a result of my other points given above.

On the original topic, I have to admit a lack of knowledge on Voldemort since I'm only through the second book so far. Given what I know about Tolkien and what I've seen thus far in Rowling I'd go with Sauron. I don't think Voldemort would think of destroying the ring (same reason that it didn't occur to Sauron that somebody would try). Since Sauron endures as long as the ring does, he'd never be definitively defeated. He'd just continue to bide his time and he'd eventually bring V down.

[Lord of the Helms]

To a degree, probably, but Gandalf in addition to his own abilities had the Ring of Fire - who's name eludes me. This ring gave him significant mastery over fire and would probably explain why he was able to stand up to the Balrog. My understanding is that Baulrog are corrupted Maia but that the Wizards, or Istari, are a lower grade supernatural being even than the Maia, so I think under normal circumstances, NONE of the wizards, not even Saruman, would have been able to stand up to a Balrog of Morgoth.

I don't quite think the Balrogs are that overwhlmingly strong. While among the more powerful Maiar, it is not impossible even for non-Ainu to defeat them; The Noldor of Gondolin supposedly slew dozens upon dozens (possibly hundreds) through sheer righteous fury at their last stand. And I would almost certainly rate Gandalf and Saruman among the medium or higher Maiar; they were after all the Valar's caretakers for Middle-Earth in the Third Age.

I could definitely see any remaining Balrogs working for Sauron. I'm fair sure he was clearly stated to be Morgoth's second-in-command and most powerful servant, above even the highest Balrog Gothmog; and he made a pretty good point of being Morgoth's faithful lieutenant even after his master's final fall from grace and imprisonment beyond the very gates of reality.

Finally, one should note that power lines between Ainur in Arda and Iluvatar's children were always rather blurry; Feanor was supposed to be one third as strong as Morgoth, the most powerful and second strongest being on all of Arda, and was only slain through sheer overwhelming force of a horde of Balrogs; and Sauron himself was physically defeated by Elendil and Gil-Galad together (curse the movie for completely discarding this fight).

[Mephisto]

On the other hand, a non-evil wizard from the Harry Potter universe would have shortened the Lord of the Rings greatly. Just apparate to the Crack of Doom, et voilà!

One does not simply Apparate into Mordor.