Although both the Balrog and
Gandalf, robbed of the power of his staff, instead combats the beast with Glamdring, his powerful Elven sword. The battle is ultimately fatal to both the Balrog and Gandalf.
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.
Since the Balrog was not allied with Sauron, Gandalf had the permission to use his full strength to destroy it, especially as they had equal powers.
Gandalf absolutely could have killed Smaug in a one-on-one fight. The grey wizard fought and defeated the Balrog of Moria, and a dragon was a lesser evil than that.
In his prime, Dumbledore truly had no equal who could best him in a one-on-one wizarding duel. Even though he might seem like an old man, his wizarding power is on a completely different level. Gandalf is probably the most powerful opponent he'd ever face, but Dumbledore wouldn't go down without a fight.
And that I might have averted, but for the madness of Denethor.” The 'bitter loss' mentioned here is referring to the death of King Theoden, but it seems that Gandalf believes he 'could have averted' the death, and thus defeated the Witch King, if his mind had not been distracted by other problems.
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).
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.
He was originally Mairon, a Maiar of Aulë the Smith, and he only joined Morgoth after the Dark Lord's first penance. Thus, Sauron wasn't in Morgoth's service when the Balrogs chained themselves to a terrestrial form.
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.
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).
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.
Knocking Ecthelion's sword out of his hands, Gothmog prepared to strike at him, but, as he raised his axe, Ecthelion ran forward at the Balrog lord, ramming his pointed helmet into the beast's chest and forcing both of them into the Fountain of the King.
Possibly. With Anduril, he could have killed it; however he'd be greatly overmatched, and could have been injured or killed by its whip.
The Balrog did not have the innate power to destroy the Ring. Only if he had the strength of will to cast it into the Cracks of Doom would he be capable of destroying it, which is highly unlikely.
Peter Jackson certainly makes the assertion in the theatrical and extended editions of the Hobbit movies that Smaug and Sauron are not only well aware of each other, but are planning to ally with each other. Smaug even seems to have detailed knowledge of Sauron's coming plans.
In the end Tolkien stated that there were probably "at most" seven Balrogs: In the margin my father wrote: 'There should not be supposed more than say 3 or at most 7 ever existed. '
Smaug's vanity is too strong for him to side with anyone. He is more compelled by fear of loss than hope of gain. Besides he only has his biding in mind when he exacts anything upon anyone.
Answer and Explanation: Yes, Sauron knew about the balrog in Moria, as did Saruman, Sauron's lieutenant. However, Sauron did not attempt to recruit the Balrog to his side. The Balrog is a supernatural being who is on a similar level with Sauron.
However, in the Tolkien novel, Gandalf actually never knew about the Balrog. All he knew was that Moria had been evacuated because of something called Durin's Bane, and that it still lurks inside. And while he does know that Orcs attacked the Dwarven kingdom, it was many years ago, and so he hoped they were gone.
The Balrog went back to sleep after its rampage but was awoken nearly 1000 years after by the Fellowship of the Ring, which was traveling through Moria on their quest to destroy the One Ring.
This is a fascinating rendition of Saruman. In moments throughout the text, he seems torn. On one hand, he has a fear of the terrible Nazgul, having finally beheld them with his own eyes. This makes him want to turn away from the service of Mordor and return to the path of goodness with Gandalf.
Galadriel (Cate Blanchet)
She was so powerful, in fact, that she bore one of the three elven Rings of Power, Nenya. There are many tales regarding the powers of Galadriel, which makes it difficult to distinguish what her magic truly is.
His age and experience are directly opposed to Pippin's youth and ignorance. For a very long time, Gandalf does not seem to approve of Pippin. He is mean to Pippin though he is only sparingly gruff to the others.