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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40012
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/40012
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

You know what famous character is not a leader, lacks endurance and strength, is not particularly brave, and has a beardless round face? Bilbo. Or Frodo, for that matter. Or Sam:

> 'I am sorry,' said Frodo. 'But I am frightened; and I do not feel any pity for Gollum.' (_The Lord of the Rings_, Book I, chapter 2 - The Shadow of the Past)
> 
> 'I do really wish to destroy it!' cried Frodo. 'Or, well, to have it destroyed. I am not made for perilous quests. (_ibid_)
> 
> 'I should like to save the Shire, if I could - though there have been times when I thought the inhabitants too stupid and dull for words, and have felt that an earthquake or an invasion of dragons might be good for them.' (_ibid_)
> 
> I feel very small, and very uprooted, and well - desperate. The Enemy is so strong and terrible. (_ibid_)

And it continues throughout the narration - Frodo is terrified every step of the way. And so is Sam. And Bilbo almost wets himself in Smaug's lair. Physically, they are the weakest of the party, they are content to let others lead, and they feel altogether inadequate for the task they've been sent to perform.

What makes them awesome is that **they master their very human, very understandable fear, and rise to the occasion**. I don't know if that answers your definition of "cool", but those characters are engaging, relatable, and admirable. They are very much "ordinary people", which makes their heroic acts all the more extraordinary. For all their fear, for all that they are unfit and unprepared for the task, they step up and do what is necessary. And handsome Legolas pales before them, and royal Aragorn bends his knee.

Original score: 1