Have you ever watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2? Or do you read through the books like they were a tear-stained letter from your ex? J.K. Rowling managed to create some of the greatest villains in fiction history, even considering all of the media she has written. There is a reason why this series will never be forgotten (besides the fact that it’s published in over 65 languages and has been translated into even more).
We have gone ahead and researched the Most Greatest Harry Potter Villains Ranked. This ensures that you understand the Best Harry Potter Villains better before re-watching the movies (We know you’ll do). So, sit back and enjoy as we rank some of your favorite Harry Potter villains. Let’s get straight to the list.
11. Lucius Malfoy
Lucius is one of Voldemort’s most loyal villains in Harry Potter and Death Eaters, serving as the secondary antagonist in the first book/movie (he wasn’t named until the second movie) and deuteragonist by default in the Deathly Hallows. He is a wealthy, well-connected pure-blood wizard and a former classmate of Dumbledores.
Despite his high status and reputation, he is also a petty and cunning bully. He puts fanatical devotion to the cause of blood purity above all else, even the lives of his own family members. This is proven when he handed over his son and wife to Voldemort with barely a second thought.
10. Aragog
Aragog is a giant Acromantula and Hagrid’s pet. He was believed to have been the monster that dwelled in the Chamber of Secrets by students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although initially helpful, Aragog turned dangerous once Hermione Granger tricked him into revealing how to enter the Chamber of Secrets despite his blindness (he communicated by tapping his legs to signal letters and numbers).
Eventually, Aragog was killed by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Fang during Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. For a giant spider who doesn’t speak human language must be really badass. Also, he probably ate a few students over the years.
9. Fenrir Greyback
Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf and the most lethal and notorious of his kind. He works alongside other Death Eaters as one of Voldemort’s inner circle during the Second Wizarding War. He fights in both wars to maintain blood purity and take over The Ministry Of Magic. Being a werewolf, Fenrir has an uncontrollable thirst for blood, and the only way to quench it is by attacking other people, murdering them, and drinking their blood.
He doesn’t do it subtly either; he prefers to maul his victims that they would be thought of as being attacked by another wild animal – such as a bear or panther. He is known for his savage nature and greatly enjoys violence, particularly the taste of blood. Greyback is loosely based on the character of the same name from the novel.
8. Gellert Grindelwald
As a young man, Grindelwald was well known for being handsome and intelligent. His appeal was so great that he attracted many young witches and wizards to his cause. Gellert is one of the famous villains in Harry Potter.
He intended to establish a new world order in which wise and strong rulers would rule over those who they believed were lesser than them. He could be charming when it suited him, but in truth, he could also be cold and ruthless.
7. Nagini
Nagini is one of the last remaining snakes of the species Basilisk. She was added to Lord Voldemort’s collection of faithful servants when he helped her after she was rendered useless after being attacked by a muggle.
She never speaks in human language, only hissing and chattering, but nevertheless shows intelligence as she can understand him perfectly well. She is also the only living being who Voldemort truly cared for, having that connection to her through Horcrux.
6. Peter Pettigrew
Yes, Peter Pettigrew is the same one that Voldemort used to create his first Horcrux. He was an undersized and meek-looking man with gracelessness and nervous habits, such as sniffing loudly, twiddling his fingers, and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
It was revealed in the first book/movie that Peter was never an official member of the Death Eaters, but he is still considered one since Lord Voldemort said so (he couldn’t be more loyal to him). Peter ended up betraying Lily and James Potter to their deaths.
5. Barty Crouch Jr.
Barty Crouch Jr. was a Death Eater who fought in Wizarding Wars and escaped after Voldemort’s initial defeat. He then sent Harry Potter threatening messages through Hogwarts school owls, impersonating his father via Polyjuice Potion shortly before attempting to murder Harry.
He is also the one that cast the Imperius Curse on Mad-Eye Moody during the Triwizard Tournament so he could retrieve Harry’s name from the Goblet of Fire. Barty Crouch Jr. escaped Azkaban with his father, but later on, he ended up dying after being subjected to the Dementor’s kiss for refusing to give Voldemort any information about Harry Potter in Little Hangleton.
4. The Death Eaters
The Death Eaters are a group of Dark Wizards and witches dedicated to the cause of wizard supremacy. They follow Lord Voldemort because they believe that they might be rewarded if magically superior people like them ruled over Muggles and Muggle-borns instead.
Death Eaters dress in black hooded robes or cloaks and wear skull masks over their faces. Many were killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, but a few still managed to escape, such as Peter Pettigrew and Severus Snape (he was never officially part of the Death Eater group).
3. Dolores Umbridge
Umbridge is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts during Harry’s fifth year. She is a fierce and heartless woman who made it her goal to purposely make Harry Potter’s life miserable while she was there. She became a High Inquisitor by order of Minister Cornelius Fudge (who was trying to avoid Dumbledore from informing the public about Voldemort’s return).
Umbridge is eventually captured by centaurs after she attacks Firenze (he was actually asking for help at the time) and then tries to attack Harry under Fudge’s orders. Umbridge was last seen getting dragged off into the Forbidden Forest by the centaurs after they were done with her, gaining a few broken bones.
2. Bellatrix Lestrange
Bellatrix is the most loyal Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters and was among those imprisoned in Azkaban. She also happens to be Sirius Black’s cousin and sister-in-law (she was married to his late brother). She stands in the list of the Best Harry Potter Villains.
She escaped during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries after torturing Hermione Granger while hunting for wand pieces. She later came back to help defend the Malfoy Mansion during the Battle of Hogwarts but ended up getting killed by Molly Weasley after successfully causing Ginny Weasley to have a mental breakdown with one curse.
1. Lord Voldemort
Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, is the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. We can classify him as one of the Best Harry Potter Villains. He rose from his mother’s womb as a shade that could not perform magic or interact with anything around him. Merope Gaunt used a love potion on the boy who would end up becoming her husband three months later (even though he had abandoned her shortly after she told him she was pregnant).
Riddle killed his father and grandparents with the Avada Kedavra curse at 16. He then created more than six Horcruxes (objects that can house bits of one’s soul) before he turned 21. He ended up becoming less and less human and more and more like a snake and then, later on, ended up becoming the most feared Dark Wizard to ever live. Lord Voldemort is defeated after Harry’s supposed death during his fourth year at Hogwarts but comes back because he used Harry’s blood to regain a physical form for himself.
Conclusion
The above are the Best Harry Potter Villains Ranked. As you can see from the list, they each have various backstories and different levels of threats to the safety of Harry Potter and everything around him. Even though they all seem incredibly evil, you can see that nobody is beyond redemption because they never give up on what they believe in. After knowing the Most Greatest Harry Potter Villains Ranked, you can go back and watch the Harry Potter series with totally changed eyes.
