Top 10 Most Evil Harry Potter Villains

Kicking off our list is this Death Eater baddie who participated in both the First and Second Wizarding Wars alongside Lord Voldemort. Like most, if not all of Voldemort’s supporters, Yaxley was a strong supporter of Pure-blood wizards, and despised both half-bloods and Mudbloods alike. As the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Yaxley helped Voldemort infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. He also went head-to-head against Harry, Ron, and Hermione when the trio used Polyjuice potion to get inside the Ministry and steal the locket from Dolores Umbridge.

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#9: Professor Quirrell

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Who said villains had to be physically intimidating? No one would have suspected this stuttering professor to actually be the main villain of the first film, until we discovered that he was actually sharing his body with Voldemort. Taking a sabbatical to gain experience, Quirrell actually searched the world for Voldemort, believing he would be able to learn new magic from the Dark Lord. Quirrell made several attempts on Harry’s life, including jinxing his broomstick during a Quidditch match. Harry would eventually thwart Quirrell’s attempt to obtain the Philosopher’s Stone for Voldemort, resulting in the professor’s death.

One of the nastiest supporters of Voldemort, Fenrir Greyback was a werewolf and semi-Death Eater who was obsessed with turning as many people into werewolves as possible. Greyback preferred to attack children, as he intended to one day take over the world with a werewolf army. He was despised by almost all of the Death Eaters because of his half-breed background and because of his implied sexual perversions. He affected the lives of many major characters, including Remus Lupin, Bill Weasley, and Lavender Brown.

Being a Death Eater almost assures you have a spot on this list, but Lucius Malfoy took it to a whole other level when he slipped Tom Riddle’s diary to Ginny Weasley in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in an effort to ruin Arthur Weasley’s career. A cruel bigot who believed in the superiority of pure-bloods, he played a major role in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries when Voldemort sent him to recover a prophecy. Lucius would eventually defect from Voldemort when he realized the Second Wizarding War was lost, which we believe makes him even more of a snake.

You could argue that Bartemius Crouch, Jr. was the man responsible for bringing Lord Voldemort back to life in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”, as he infiltrated Hogwarts under the disguise of Alastor Moody and manipulated the Triwizard Tournament so Harry would win and be transported to the Little Hangleton graveyard. This allowed Peter Pettigrew to perform a ritual with Harry’s blood that restored Voldemort’s physical body. Crouch remained one of Voldemort’s most loyal supporters even after his first defeat, and was one of the Death Eaters who reportedly tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom to the point of their going stir-crazy.

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#5: Peter Pettigrew

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While Peter Pettigrew is far from an intimidating villain, he was the catalyst for the entire series when he betrayed his friends James and Lily Potter by revealing their location to Voldemort, resulting in their deaths. Furthermore, Pettigrew faked his own death and framed another one of his friends, Sirius Black, for the murder, causing Black to be arrested and placed in Azkaban. Pettigrew also played a large role in helping Voldemort return to physical form. His cowardice and disloyalty makes him one of the most despicable villains on this list.

While Voldemort is without a doubt the main antagonist of the entire series, Harry has no bigger rival than Draco Malfoy. Coming from a powerful magical family, Draco looks down on the mixing of blood, and constantly harassed Hermione for being a “Mudblood” while also criticizing the Weasleys for being poor. While Draco became somewhat of a pitiable character towards the end of the series, he was the prototypical schoolyard bully throughout and was always a thorn in Harry’s side.

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#3: Dolores Jane Umbridge

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The central villain of the fifth instalment of the “Harry Potter” series, Dolores Umbridge was corrupt, brutal, and manipulative – essentially everything you don’t want from a person in a position of power. Assigned to Hogwarts by the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge to act as a spy, Umbridge brutally tortures Harry and other students and eventually has Dumbledore removed as Headmaster. Later in the series, Umbridge was in charge of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission and persecuted countless Muggle-born witches and wizards for allegedly stealing magic.

Without a doubt the most loyal supporter of Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange was also one of the nastiest characters in the entire series. She participated in the torture of the Longbottoms following Voldemort’s first defeat, and remained loyal to him even after being placed in Azkaban. After escaping the prison, Bellatrix continued right where she left off by murdering Sirius Black at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. She also tortured Neville and Hermione, murdered Dobby, and was involved in the destruction of both Hagrid and the Weasleys’ homes. Yeesh.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Dementors

- Gellert Grindelwald

- Amycus & Alecto Carrow

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#1: Lord Voldemort

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He Who Must Be Number One. Was there any doubt who our top pick would be? The main antagonist of the series, Voldemort was there from the beginning, when he murdered Harry’s parents, to the end, when he waged war on Hogwarts. Not only did he try to murder Harry at every turn, he wanted to rid the magical world of anyone he deemed “unworthy”, specifically those of mixed blood. Sound familiar? Voldemort embodies the evil characteristics of every person on this list, and is unquestionably one of the most famous villains of all-time. Plus, just look at him – he doesn’t even have a nose!

Do you agree with our list? Who is your favorite Harry Potter villain? For more terrifying Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.