Lord Voldemort

Born Tom Marvolo Riddle on New Year’s Eve 1926, this dark wizard represents the series’ primary antagonist and embodies the destructive power of unchecked ambition. Raised in a Muggle orphanage after his witch mother died in childbirth, he displayed extraordinary magical abilities from an early age, often using them to intimidate and harm other children. His mixed heritage—descending from the ancient pureblood Gaunt family through his mother and a Muggle father who abandoned them—became a source of deep shame that would drive his later obsession with blood purity.

At Hogwarts, Riddle excelled academically whilst carefully cultivating a facade of model behaviour that fooled most staff members. Sorted into Slytherin House, he gathered a devoted circle of followers and began researching the darkest forms of magic, particularly the creation of Horcruxes to achieve immortality. During this period, he opened the Chamber of Secrets, resulting in a student’s death, yet managed to frame another pupil for the crime.

After leaving school, Riddle worked briefly at Borgin and Burkes before disappearing to further his dark studies. He eventually returned as the self-styled Lord Voldemort, leading a terrorist campaign against the wizarding world with his Death Eaters. His reign of terror was marked by the systematic persecution of Muggle-born wizards and the murder of anyone opposing his vision of wizard supremacy.

Ralph Fiennes brought this character to chilling life on screen, portraying him as a being whose pursuit of immortality had stripped away his humanity along with his original appearance, leaving behind pale, snake-like features that reflected his corrupted soul.