Top 5 Harry Potter Villains Who Outdid Voldemort In Evil
Some of them may surprise you, but the older you get, the better you understand their crookedness.
Harry Potter has become a legendary story for a reason. At its core, J.K. Rowling's creation is a classic fairy tale with a hero's journey and an archetypal evil that is defeated in the end. However, between the clear protagonist and antagonist, there is a wide range of characters, from the most noble individuals to the most sinister sociopaths. And it's this complexity that makes Rowling's story stand out from other fairy tales.
Today we want to discuss the dark end of that spectrum. While Voldemort embodies the ultimate evil (he's so monstrous that he even loses his human face), several other Harry Potter characters occasionally display such malevolence that we forget for a minute who the real big bad is. Here are five examples.
Gilderoy Lockhart
Secret Evil
Although he may seem like an unexpected addition to this list, Gilderoy Lockhart is undoubtedly an underrated villain. As we grow older, we come to understand that the most insidious evil often masquerades as heroism.
Upon closer inspection, the flamboyant Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher turns out to be more than just a pompous windbag. He is a serial killer of sorts who steals the lives and accomplishments of others to fabricate his own glory. Fortunately, Ron's broken wand ensured that Lockhart got a well-deserved taste of his own dark magic.
The Carrows
Radical Evil
Who are the Carrows, you ask? Well, they may be forgettable, but they are in fact one of the most vicious wizarding families, deeply entrenched in pure-blood supremacy. As part of the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight, the Carrows have been devoted practitioners of the Dark Arts for centuries and have raised several notorious villains, most famously Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Voldemort's loyal Death Eaters.
During the Dark Lord's reign, these two served as teachers at Hogwarts, spreading anti-Muggle propaganda and punishing students with the Cruciatus Curse, which sounds like the stuff from a dreadful dystopia.
Dolores Umbridge
Lawful Evil
Characters like Gellert Grindelwald and Bellatrix Lestrange are the clear villains meant to scare young readers, but for adults, Dolores Umbridge is far more terrifying. Evil cloaked in lawfulness is arguably the most pernicious and destructive form.
Under the guise of Ministry of Magic authority, Umbridge established a true tyranny at Hogwarts. She reveled in the pain and chaos she inflicted, all the while hiding behind rules and regulations. At least Voldemort was indifferent to the suffering of his victims. Umbridge took joy in it.
Ekrizdis
Mad Evil
Ekrizdis is the dark wizard who created the Dementors in the 15th century. His story is fodder for nightmarish legends. A powerful sorcerer, he isolated himself on the island of Azkaban, practicing the darkest forms of magic. When he lost his mind, he began luring Muggle sailors to the island, torturing and killing them in gruesome magical experiments.
When Ekrizdis finally died, the wizarding community discovered the island. They found more than just dementors. The other things were so horrible that they have never been revealed to the public. The very thought of it sends shivers down your spine.
Fenrir Greyback
Chaotic Evil
Perhaps the most hideous character in the Potterverse is the werewolf Fenrir Greyback. In theory, his mission was to gather a formidable army of werewolves to conquer the wizarding world. In reality, this was merely an excuse for his insatiable bloodlust. The phrase 'specializes in children' sums up the depth of Greyback's depravity.
He inflicted pain on many key characters in the Harry Potter series and fatally wounded Lavender Brown. It's a real shame that Remus Lupin didn't get to kill him, as it would have been a fitting retribution, considering Greyback was the one who turned Lupin into a werewolf. Sadly, in the films, Greyback survived while Lupin did not, denying us that poetic justice.