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Who are three potential heroes in The Hobbit, such as Bilbo, Gandalf, and Bard?
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In The Hobbit, potential heroes include Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and Bard. Bilbo grows into a hero through his cleverness and mercy, such as sparing Gollum's life. Gandalf displays heroism by rescuing the dwarves and Bilbo from dangers like trolls. Bard is heroic for defeating the dragon Smaug with his ancestral black arrow. Another hero is Beorn, who, in bear form, plays a crucial role in the Battle of Five Armies, demonstrating immense bravery and strength.
There are other ways in which Bilbo is a hero, too, aside from the obvious saving of the dwarves. If we look at chapter 5, "Riddles in the Dark," we see how Bilbo's encounter with Gollum adds to his heroic traits.
At the beginning, the hobbit and the creature engage in a battle of wits for Bilbo's life. Gollum has lost the ring; Bilbo has stumbled upon it. And it is the ring that ultimately allows Bilbo to make a last-ditch attempt at a riddle to keep him from being eaten. Gollum, however, doesn't see it as fair.
Arguably, it isn't. Asking about an object in a pocket is more of a guessing game than a riddle, and it angers Gollum. Bilbo ends up using the ring to escape Gollum, who is hastily chasing him. Because the ring is on Bilbo's finger, he eventually comes face to face with Gollum...
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at the exit. Bilbo has the advantage; he has a reason to kill Gollum (for trying to eat him), but he doesn't:
He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost.
Instead, he chooses to leap over the creature, to spare him. That type of consideration and thought, knowing when to kill and when not to, is an important quality for a hero to have.
There are many characters in The Hobbit who act heroically. Bilbo grows to become a hero, despite his fears and anxieties. Gandalf saves the lives of the dwarves and Bilbo on multiple occasions, including when he steps in to protect them from the trolls (Bert, Tom, and William). Bard defeats the dragon with his treasured black arrow, which was passed down from his grandfather.
Another hero in the story is Beorn, the shape shifter. At the end of chapter 17, Bilbo sees the eagles, who are coming to help defeat the goblins, and then gets hit by a stone and falls unconscious. In chapter 18, after Bilbo wakes, he finds that the war is over. He learns that Beorn had arrived after the eagles and that his arrival was instrumental in defeating the enemies:
He came alone, and in bear’s shape; and he seemed to have grown almost to giantsize in his wrath. The roar of his voice was like drums and guns; and he tossed wolves and goblins from his path like straws and feathers.
Beorn arrived full of noise and anger towards the enemies; he fought with passion against the goblins:
He fell upon their rear, and broke like a clap of thunder through the ring. . . . Then Beorn stooped and lifted Thorin, who had fallen pierced with spears, and bore him out of the fray.
Beorn acts heroically when he joins the battle against the goblins. He risks his life to try to defeat wicked creatures. Additionally, he rescues Thorin after he is wounded. His bravery helps to bring the battle to its end.