Harry Potter/Characters/Death Eaters

Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes)
Real name Tom Marvolo Riddle. The Evil Overlord of the wizarding world in Britain, he fears no one but Albus Dumbledore. Before his downfall, some ten years before the main plot of the first book, he killed hundreds, if not thousands, of people and gathered a huge band of followers, known as "Death Eaters." He tried to kill one-year old Harry Potter after murdering both of his parents, but failed due to The Power of Love. The rebounding curse hit him instead, but he remained alive due to.

After rising again and seizing power, Has something of a snake fetish, and can talk to snakes. Furthermore, he's outright insane and creepy. If you haven't noticed, drawing tattoos of skulls vomiting a snake isn't a sign of optimal mental health.

19 years later,.
 * Animal Eyes: His eyes are stated to resemble that of a snake. Like the snake-like slitted nostrils, it is strongly implied that these features were the result of his creating seven Horcruxes.
 * Arch Enemy: To Harry and Dumbledore, and probably to the entire Wizarding and Muggle worlds.
 * Aristocrats Are Evil: His title "Lord Voldemort" is merely an anagram of his real name, but he is the heir of a noble title from his Muggle father's side of the family tree (though he considers this title beneath him).
 * Ax Crazy
 * Badass
 * Badass Grandpa: Was 71 by the final book, though he had been a disembodied spirit for 14-odd years of his life, during which he did not age physically. He also doesn't look the age, being an example of more specifically Evil Makes You Ugly rather than Evil Makes You Old.
 * Badass Long Robe
 * Bad Boss: It is very clear that most of his underlings—including even those who joined the Death Eaters to satisfy their sadism—obey him out of abject terror. As punishment for failure, he is not above sending their children to what he thinks is certain death, even having a fit and killing whoever happens to be nearby. He has a nasty habit of holding onto grudges. If you upset him thirteen years ago, expect him to find and kill you.
 * Bald of Evil
 * The Beautiful Elite: See Tall, Dark and Handsome, below.
 * Belated Backstory
 * Berserk Button: Unless you happen to be Harry Potter, don't use the name "Tom Riddle" in his presence if you value your life. The first time he really lost it was when he found out that Harry was destroying his Horcruxes. Also, do not lie to Lord Voldemort. He won't necessarily flip out if you do, and anyone in a position to want to lie to his face is probably about to be killed anyway, but it's certainly not wise to try if you can avoid it.
 * Big Bad
 * Black Cloak: Although it's more of a really dark green color in the fifth and seventh movies.
 * Blitz Evacuees: Tom Riddle attended Hogwarts during World War Two. Luckily for him, the Blitz only lasted from September 1940 to May 1941, so assuming he stayed at Hogwarts during Christmas break, he was safe.
 * Bond Villain Stupidity: Harry Potter is unique in this regard, as it successfully justifies its villain's Bond Villain Stupidity. Voldemort is one of the most knowledgeable wizards of all time (perhaps apart from Dumbledore), but he's not particularly wise with the magic he wields, particularly the older branches of magic. This might be because, as a Muggle-raised, he sees magic and power as the solution to any problem, or, alternatively, because has some potentially negative side-effects.
 * Boomerang Bigot: One of the goals of the Death Eaters was the elimination or marginalization of any wizard who wasn't pure-blooded, especially if they were Muggle-born, but Voldemort himself was a half-blood.
 * Moreover, being a half-blood is probably the reason he is so powerful in the first place. He comes from a long line of powerful and dangerous wizards, but by the time he came along most of their power had been diluted by constant inbreeding. If his father wasn't a Muggle he probably would be just as pathetic as his uncle or grandfather. That said, their side of the family is probably why he is so messed up in the first place, so the trope may be justified- he is literally too Ax Crazy to notice his own hypocrisy, or maybe just to care.
 * Breaking Speech: To Ron in Deathly Hallows, via his Locket Horcrux.
 * Broken Ace: As mentioned before, he was Head Boy at Hogwarts and admired by nearly every professor except Dumbledore.
 * Casting Gag: His 11-year old self is played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, Ralph Fiennes' nephew, in the sixth film.
 * Catch Phrase: "Do not lie to Lord Voldemort. He knows...he always knows..." Note that aside from this catchphrase, Voldemort is not otherwise a Third Person Person.
 * The Chessmaster: He orchestrated a complex but successful plot to get Harry right from under Dumbledore's nose. He systematically murdered powerful members of the ministry of magic and the order starting in Book 6, and took control of the Minister of Magic's closes advisers and men. With his position, he silently overthrew the entire wizarding government. Also, he places traps for Harry throughout Deathly Hallows (Bathilda Bagshot's house, anyone?) showing he knows his enemies' thought processes. Not to mention his way of taking advantage of the shunned beasts of the wizarding world and making them a part of his already huge army, something Dumbledore could not even persuade them to do. Book 2 anyone? Diary Riddle leaves clues, and attacks Harry's closest friends in order to lure him to the Chamber, just so he could meet him.
 * Child by Rape:
 * Child by Rape:

.
 * Creepy Child: As a kid, he was a creepy orphan who often tormented the other kids at the orphanage. Two of them even went permanently mute after what he did to them. He went around torturing little kids, killing bunnies, and stealing toys for goodness' sakes!
 * Creepy Long Fingers
 * Crippling Overspecialisation: Comes back to bite him. He considers the only real tool he ever needs is the killing curse, and when this doesn't work on Harry (for various reasons) his attempted solutions consist of trying the same thing again with different wands. He also ignored areas of wizarding knowledge that could have helped him attain his goal of immortality, as seen in the last book.
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy:
 * Heck, he was even Dangerously Genre Savvy long before that: For starters, he created six horcruxes, whereas most wizards created one, possibly as insurance in case someone does try to destroy one of the horcruxes.
 * Dark Messiah
 * Devil in Plain Sight: Throughout his life, he had a talent for being charming, despite the fact that he was bad, bad news.
 * Does Not Like Shoes: In the films
 * Do Not Call Me Tom
 * The Dreaded: Lord Voldemort, AKA "You-Know-Who" and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." He is even quite fond of using his own name in all his sentences, such as "DO NOT LIE TO LORD VOLDEMORT", just to get the message that he's high and mighty across.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Because Voldemort has no concept of love or mercy and fails to understand their value, he doesn't see how such emotions could possibly threaten him.
 * Evil Counterpart:
 * He is Dumbledore's match in terms of magical abilities and cunning (though arguably not in wisdom).
 * Voldemort is also Harry's in terms of growing environment and personality. While Harry is born from the loving union between his parents, Voldemort is born from the completely loveless (and magically forced) union of his own parents. Also, Harry's parents, in an ultimate act of love, sacrificed themselves so that Harry may live, while Voldemort's father abandoned him and Voldemort's mother died due to despair, leaving her son all alone in the world (which explains Voldemort's inability to understand love). Personality-wise, Harry and Voldemort are courageous and smart; however, while Harry goes out of his way to help his friends, Voldemort uses people for his own ends and throws them away when they are no longer useful.
 * Evil Genius: He is the mastermind of the takeover of the wizarding world, he manipulates all of his followers into playing power games to get in his favor, and he concealed his evil nature from all of the adults around him during his school years while orchestrating many dangerous incidents in which he and his followers were never properly connected to. And this is all under everyones nose, as well as Dumbledore, and even Dumbledore could never prove he did any of it. He is also regarded as "the most brilliant student to ever enter Hogwarts". He made his first horcrux while in Hogwarts, and hoodwinked information out of many people, as well as framed Hagrid for the killing of a girl, while simultaneously receiving an award for saving the school. He is pretty damn smart. If only he was less arrogant, he may have gone so much further...
 * Evil Makes You Ugly: Snake eyes, flat face, no nose... in the movies, he has long, rotting fingernails, disgusting teeth, and looks like a corpse.
 * Evil Old Folks: See Badass Grandpa.
 * Evil Overlord
 * Evil Sorcerer
 * Expy: Of Adolf Hitler and Darth Vader/Sidious.
 * Fan Nickname: "Voldy". Although Peeves calls him this In-Universe after
 * Fate Worse Than Death: A trope beyond his comprehension; for him, nothing could be worse than death. Turns out.
 * Faux Affably Evil: As a Hogwarts student. He managed to fool nearly everyone there except Dumbledore, even being named Head Boy for his efforts. No longer the case by the time of the book, though any of his supporters can tell you he's still quite charismatic. In both cases, though, it seems to be an act to gather supporters and flunkies, and sycophants to feed his ego.

Before and during the Battle of Hogwarts, he tries to cultivate a "benevolent dictator" image for himself, claiming that he wants to avoid spilling magical blood, when in reality, he doesn't care how many people are killed as long as Harry is ultimately one of them. Few people buy it.
 * Failure Is the Only Option: Laser-Guided Karma strikes every single one of his attempts to kill Harry. When he killed Lily Potter, he had just signed a contract with fate for being destined to lose.
 * Finish Him!: What ensues usually isn't pretty.
 * Freudian Excuse: He was conceived . However, Voldemort himself doesn't seem too concerned about this.
 * On his mother's side, the Gaunt/Slytherin bloodline has been affected by generations, even centuries, of incestuous inbreeding, which both diluted the magical potential of the family and produced a bunch of batshit insane nutcases. His grandfather and uncle were both terribly messed up, and his mother, who was physically and verbally abused by both of them, had her own serious issues. That Voldemort's father was a Muggle, ironically enough, was the reason for his own phenomenal magical potential, but it is heavily implied that it was his genes that made him into a psychopath.
 * Good Hurts Evil: For a long time, was physically incapable of touching Harry because of a magical spell based on Harry's mothers' love for him; trying to do so was enough to kill at least Quirrell, when he was his host. He gets over it.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper
 * Hellish Pupils: In the books only, although in the fourth movie his pupils were slits for a brief time after his resurrection.
 * Hero-Killer
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: Voldemort could hold some sort of record for this.
 * I Have Many Names: Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the Dark Lord.
 * Immortality Seeker: Life-long goal.
 * It's All About Me
 * I Was Quite a Looker: At least before he started making Horcruxes.
 * I Want Them Alive
 * Knight of Cerebus
 * Large Ham: Seems to have slipped off of a sanity (or ham) slope near the end.
 * His now-infamous "NYAAAAAAH!" in the movies. Ralph Fiennes has said that he initially tried not to go over the top with Voldemort, but soon realized that there's pretty much no other way to play the character.
 * There are a few brief mentions, especially in the seventh book, that "Voldemort screamed," which could be interpreted as the Big Nyaah.
 * Yeh-heh-heh!"
 * Leave Him to Me: Every time he comes across Harry. Although he's proven himself quite incompetent when it comes to Harry, he must be the one to kill Harry Potter. (As he even says in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1). However, considering that his Avada Kedavra curse has only hit Harry once, it makes sense that he would feel that Harry is no longer protected against him (especially when he actually possessed the blood of Lily and James Potter and thus also won't end up having the Avada Kedavra curse backfire on him like it did the last time). I mean, come on, he's some kid whereas Voldemort is an extraordinary wizard.
 * Like Father, Like Son: He not only looked more like his father than he did his mother, but he also turned out like him in personality. From what we are shown and told of him, Tom Riddle Sr. is rude, snobbish, selfish, and doesn't take kindly to magic, and the closest we see to a non-coerced romantic relationship involving him is this one scene we see of him riding with Cecilia, whose relationship with him is not confirmed to be romantic or nonromantic. His mother, on the other hand, was a rebel against her family's Fantastic Racism and a Yandere to boot. As much as he takes pride in his heritage and magical abilities inherited from his mother, and quick as he is to call his father unworthy, Voldemort's signature qualities are all signs that he took after his father. He only cared about himself, wasn't a nice person, and was a bigot. Even though Tom Riddle Sr. and Voldemort's directions of bigotry were polar opposites, you can't deny that bigotry is a trait they both had in common.
 * Living Lie Detector: In a very chilling way. He can invade the minds of anyone standing before him, and read their innermost thoughts or show them visions.
 * Looks Like Orlok: Except without the pointy nose...or any nose at all, for that matter.
 * Manipulative Bastard: In his very first appearance, he's trying to use Harry's emotions against him to get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone, switching almost effortlessly from angry and threatening, to calm flattery. The second book might have been the most triumphant example of his ruthless manipulative skills, the fourth book had him use the terror his Death Eaters had of him to keep them under his control, the fifth book had him, the sixth book showed him doing it to everyone around him in the Pensieve flashbacks, and forcing  . He was using  . Of course, this also showed how little he understands love and compassion; otherwise, he would have realized that  . Seventh book had him attempting to goad Harry into coming to face him to die by  . It worked  . Pretty much any time he's talking, he's being this.
 * Meaningful Name: "Vol de mort" is approximately French for "flight of death/from death." Alternatively, "voleur de mort" would be "thief of death." The letters in "I am Lord Voldermort" can be rearranged to read his actual name.
 * Meaningful Rename: He renamed himself to "Voldemort", because he didn't want to use the name of his Muggle father.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Quite!
 * Narcissist
 * Never My Fault
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
 * Noodle Incident: He apparently did something to two of his fellow orphans while on a trip to the seaside (which was apparently bad enough to render them permanently mute), but what he did precisely is never revealed.
 * The Noseless: The closest thing to a nose he has is the snake-like slit nostrils on his face. It's strongly implied that this as well as the serpent eyes were the direct result of his creating Horcruxes.
 * Nothing Is Scarier: Invoked: When he had the Ministry of Magic in his pocket for most of book 7, Fred and Kingsley had this little exchange: "You-Know-Who's strategy of remaining in the shadows is creating a nice little climate of panic..." and "The air of mystery is creating more terror than actually showing himself."
 * Obviously Evil
 * Only Known by Their Nickname
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Justified in this case. Thanks to, Harry Potter was the only one capable of matching up against Voldemort,.
 * Only Mostly Dead: What he is in the first few books.
 * Parental Abandonment: While he doesn't come off sympathetic, his incestuous background and parental neglect does explain why he's so messed up since his childhood.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: He is the (or at least a) wizarding equivalent of Hitler, after all.
 * Power Parasite: A surprisingly milder version - he stole Dumbledores' Elder Wand to serve as its new master. Didn't quite turn out that way, thanks to Harry.
 * Pride
 * Psychopathic Manchild: For a start, he's obsessed with getting revenge on a small boy, because of what said boy did when he was a baby (or, worse, just because of the boys reputation for defeating him as a baby). Besides that, he never admits he's wrong, throws violent tantrums when things don't go his way, constantly blames others for his own mistakes, and has acted pretty much the way he does for most of his life.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the books only; the films let Ralph Fiennes keep his blue eyes while playing the character.
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
 * Self-Disposing Villain:
 * Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: By choosing Harry, he set in motion the chain of events that brought about his downfall.
 * Self-Made Orphan
 * Shipper on Deck:
 * Shut Up, Kirk:
 * Sissy Villain: Comes across as this in the film versions.
 * Smug Snake: Almost literally.
 * Social Darwinist: This philosophy is delivered by Quirrell in the book and himself in the film. "There is no good and evil; there is only power and those too weak to seek it."
 * The Sociopath: Let's see: Consummate Liar, casual manipulation of everyone around him, a history of childhood cruelty, remorseless violation of the rights of others, and an inability to understand love? That's Voldemort, all right.
 * Soft-Spoken Sadist: Any aspect of his character emphasized in Fiennes' version of him. He generally speaks in a soft and polite (if very creepy) voice, and as for the sadist part, see above.
 * Soul Fragment:
 * Soul Jar: The Horcruxes in general.
 * Speak of the Devil: People fear his Voldemort alias so much they refer to him as "You Know Who" or "He Who Must Not Be Named."
 * Take Over the World: His ultimate goal, along with attaining eternal life. Really original.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome: In his teenage years. His beauty is more remarked on than that of any other character—including Love Interests and Veelas.
 * Teen Genius: In the flashbacks to his teen years.
 * Too Clever by Half: He can go head to head with Dumbledore. That speaks for itself. Though Dumbledore beat him, it had to do more with Dumbledore's wisdom and his understanding of love and Voldemort's personality.
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm: In the final book, he installs puppet regimes at Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic.
 * Villain Ball: He winds up holding this repeatedly. He's certainly got more tricks up his sleeve than Avada Kadavera, but the Killing Curse is quite clearly his Weapon of Choice.
 * Villainous Breakdown: While Harry’s focus sharpens the crazier things get, Voldemort is noticeably unbalanced by unexpected occurrences, a combination that winds up screwing him over repeatedly. To count:
 * His bafflement and fear at the unexpected Priori Incantetem episode allows Harry to mentally overpower him and flee, while he stubbornly refuses help.
 * He completely flies off the handle and murders an entire room full of followers when he realizes Harry knows about the Horcruxes, simultaneously dropping the mental guard that prevented Harry from reading his thoughts, thus aiding him in finding the last Horcrux.
 * His utter denial at how badly his situation got at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts leads him to kill himself with his own attack, even after Harry gave him a detailed explanation of exactly how and why he’d end up killing himself if he went through with that attack.
 * Villain with Good Publicity:
 * Not him per se, but his wizard supremacist views are endorsed and backed by Ministry propaganda in the last book.
 * In his later school years, he was made Prefect and then Head Boy as well as receiving an award for Services to the School while he was opening the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing the Basilisk on innocent students, and pinning it on Hagrid.
 * Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Of course, this is just typical of Voldemort's nature as an overconfident sadist, and he likely believed Snape to be.
 * Winds of Destiny Change: That curse he put on the Defence Against the Dark Arts Teaching post and how it works across the books would earn him a degree in this subject,
 * Would Hurt a Child: His initial downfall is the result of him trying to kill a one year old boy. Later on, he
 * X Meets Y: Word Of Goddess says that he's a combination of Adolf Hitler (genocidal madman, who deep down is what he hates) and Josef Stalin (megalomaniac willing to do anything for power who changed his name).
 * You Have Failed Me...: If you're lucky, after you've ticked off Voldemort, he'll kill you without putting you through the Cruciatus Curse first.
 * We Can Rule Together: Hints at this with Harry in the first book, then plays it straight with Neville at the end of the seventh book.
 * We Can Rule Together: Hints at this with Harry in the first book, then plays it straight with Neville at the end of the seventh book.

Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter)
Next to Voldemort, Bellatrix is the Death Eaters' head honcho, and she's one mean Death Eating queen. She was one of the few females in the group, as well as among the most dangerous and sadistic of Voldemort's followers. At the end of the First Wizarding War, Bellatrix and her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, his brother Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr. tortured Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom to the point of insanity searching for information on Voldemort after his first downfall. Bellatrix was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban for the crime, but escaped in the 1996 mass break-out, along with nine other Death Eaters. She participated in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, making it a particular goal to kill any relatives who were members of the Order of the Phoenix, including. She was.

""The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo.""
 * Adaptational Attractiveness: In the books, she was quite a looker before she was imprisoned in Azkaban, but in the movies, she's played by Helena Bonham Carter.
 * Arch Enemy:
 * Set up as this to Neville Longbottom, particularly in the climax to The Order Of The Phoenix.
 * However, to the disappointment of Neville's fanbase, it's instead Molly Weasley who disposes of Bellatrix at the end of The Deathly Hallows. Word of God always said Molly was the one who was going to kill Bellatrix.
 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Ax Crazy
 * Badass: By virtue of being a Hero-Killer.
 * Baby Talk: To Harry in the Department of Mysteries:


 * The Baroness
 * Cassandra Truth: Bella is the only Death Eater who doesn't trust Snape, even going so far as to tell her sister, Narcissa, that she believes Voldemort is "mistaken" in trusting him. Considering Bella's feelings about Voldemort, her deep mistrust of Snape is pretty damn telling. However, it does say in Book 6 that many of the Death Eaters spoke behind Snape's back, but Bellatrix was probably the only one to confront him. But Bellatrix's suspicions were not based on just distrust, she was insanely jealous of Snape's position with Voldemort, which is why she grills him with questions, which he has already been asked by Voldemort himself.
 * Character Exaggeration: Bellatrix is much more obviously deranged and maniacal in the films, and probably even more sadistic. In the books, she's more serious and focused.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Bellatrix Lestrange loves this.
 * Combat Sadomasochist
 * Dark Action Girl
 * The Dragon: To Voldemort.
 * Evil Counterpart:
 * To Hermione Granger. Especially in the movies, where there are more physical similarities between Emma Watson and Helena Bonham Carter than the book versions.
 * And to Sirius Black, as well. She's the psychotic, muggle-hating counterpart to Sirius Black, a good man and White Sheep who was falsely accused of betraying the Potters.
 * Fantastic Racism: Like all the other Death Eaters, she has an incredibly narrow-minded view of the people she persecutes.
 * Foil: To Molly Weasley, according to Rowling. Narcissa could also be seen as her foil; they share the same cause, but Narcissa's devotion to her husband and son and desire to protect them above all else are what keep her from going as far as her sister does. It's even lampshaded in some scenes where Narcissa is reluctant to let Draco take on certain tasks and Bellatrix can't understand why.
 * For the Evulz: She delights in torture, violence, and destruction.
 * The Fundamentalist
 * Green-Eyed Monster: By Half-Blood Prince, Snape has replaced Bella as Voldemort's favorite. She doesn't take this well. Heavy emphasis on the "monster" part.
 * Goth: Her clothes are never described explicitly in the books, but in the films, she dresses in very Gothic clothes (Helena Bonham Carter, who is a Perky Goth, has mentioned that she chose the clothes herself), complete with a corset, black eyeliner and dark lipstick.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: Even by Death Eater standards, it really doesn't take much to set her off.
 * Hate Sink: Fans would like to cast Avada Kedavra on her for killing Sirius and bunch of other horrible deeds. Though considering that Avada Kedavra doesn’t work when you have respect for life, it probably wouldn’t kill her.
 * Hero-Killer: Despite preferring torture above murder, she does kill several characters.
 * I Was Quite a Looker:
 * She used to be very attractive, but after years in Azkaban, her face became "gaunt and skull-like".
 * Naturally, the movies avert this. Completely.
 * Karmic Death: Bellatrix might have lived a little longer, had she not tried to kill Ginny and mocked her very pissed-off mother as she jumped to her defense. This doubles as a Death by Irony, considering that Bellatrix killed Sirius when he underestimated her abilities. Later, Bellatrix is killed when she.
 * Kick the Dog: Repeatedly.
 * Large Ham: Helena Bonham Carter devours the scenery during all of her scenes. It's delicious.
 * Laughing Mad: See Evil Laugh (or rather "Loony Cackle") below.
 * Loony Cackle: Just listen to her in the movies, especially during the battle between
 * Meaningful Name: "Bellatrix" is the feminine form of "warrior" in Latin. It's also the name of a star in the Orion constellation.
 * Morality Pet: Apparently her younger sister Narcissa, who is the only person she seems to care about, at least in a non-creepy way. Bellatrix being who she is, however, and given how she treats relatives who stray from the family tradition, this "caring" likely lasts only as long as Narcissa is loyal to the Dark Lord.
 * Obnoxious In-Laws: Like all the other members of the House of Black, Bellatrix has an extremely close-minded view of the people she deems are beneath her and it is in her nature to show nothing but contempt with those who disagree with the family's said views, such as Sirius, her own sister Andromeda and her brother-in-law Ted Tonks. By the beginning of Deathly Hallows, she goes on to say that she has nothing to do with her "niece" Nymphadora.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: Especially when she's carving "Mudblood" into Hermione's arm in the penultimate film.
 * Psycho Supporter
 * Sanity Slippage: Fourteen years in Azkaban leaves a few psychological scars, even for Bellatrix, who wasn't exactly sane to begin with.
 * She Cleans Up Nicely: In Order of the Phoenix, she goes from this to this
 * Slasher Smile: Has this in the movie.
 * The Sociopath: Textbook example, just like her boss.
 * Throwing Your Knife Always Works:
 * Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Pre-Azkaban. Though in the movie, she retains this.
 * Torture Technician: She was sent into Azkaban for   to find out Voldemort's whereabouts, and is noted by Dumbledore to enjoy "playing with her food". In fact, the Cruciatus Curse seems to be her signature MO, though she isn't afraid to use more mundane methods of torture, as implied in Deathly Hallows.
 * Troll:
 * "I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!"
 * "What will happen to your children when I've killed you? When Mummy's gone the same way as ?"
 * The Unfettered
 * Yandere: Bellatrix is madly obsessed with Voldemort and will do anything for him. He exploits this mercilessly.
 * The Unfettered
 * Yandere: Bellatrix is madly obsessed with Voldemort and will do anything for him. He exploits this mercilessly.

Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs)
Draco's rich, well-connected daddy. Despite being Obviously Evil, Lucius is a Villain with Good Publicity for the majority of the series. Though a Death Eater, he is not particularly loyal and will not hesitate to turn his back on Voldemort to save his own skin.


 * Anti-Villain: By the time of Book 7, he's closer to this trope than a full out villain, especially when His short time in Azkaban between Book 5 and Book 6 probably also helped as well.
 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Badass Long Hair
 * Badass Long Robe
 * Blond Guys Are Evil
 * Brainwashed: Lucius uses this as a ploy to get out of being arrested.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * The Dragon: At first; after his failure in Order of the Phoenix, he gets replaced by Snape (a Dragon with an Agenda) and Bellatrix (a straight example) for the remainder of the series.
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones and Pet the Dog: The redeeming trait of the Malfoys is that, even though all three are Death Eaters, they are a close family who genuinely love each other.
 * Heel Face Turn
 * Jerkass
 * Karma Houdini: Despite everything he's done throughout the series, he never gets what he deserves. This is primarily due to . Probable subversion, however, as Jason Isaacs believes he will be estranged from society and his family, never completely forgiven for what he put them through.
 * Love Redeems: Let's face it, the only thing that prevents him from being a complete villain is the fact that his love for his family hugely outweighs his loyalty to Voldemort.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste: It is hard to find an aspect of his appearance that does not simply scream "Wealthy Douchebag".
 * Not Brainwashed: After Voldemort's first defeat, Lucius (like many others) claimed that he had been coerced against his will into supporting him. It prevented him from being formally punished, but according to Hagrid, a lot of people long suspected the truth.
 * Only Sane Man: Especially when working along Bellatrix and the more Ax Crazy Death Eaters.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: Draco apparently inherited his Fantastic Racism from his father.
 * Pragmatic Villain: Compared to some of his more Ax Crazy fellow Death Eaters, the fifth film demonstrates that Lucius is seemingly the only one focused on the original goal of retrieving the prophecy while the other Death Eaters seem more intent to drop this in favour of killing Harry. Lucius actually seems sincere when he claims he will let Harry go in exchange for handing over the prophecy.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money: So very much.
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the final movie, with his family.
 * Smug Snake
 * Sharp-Dressed Man
 * Sword Cane: His wand is concealed in his silver-topped cane.
 * Too Dumb to Live: In the second movie, he attempts to use the Killing Curse on Harry right outside of Dumbledore's office.
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Until Book 6, that is.

Narcissa Malfoy (Helen McCrory)
Narcissa is a pure-blood witch, the wife of Lucius Malfoy and the mother of Draco Malfoy. She is the youngest sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks. Although never officially a Death Eater herself, Narcissa believes in the importance of blood purity and supports her husband in following Lord Voldemort during the First and Second Wizarding Wars.


 * Aristocrats Are Evil
 * Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: Narcissa and Lucius, whose marriage, from the fans' point of view, may simply have been one of convenience until the opening scene of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * Big Fancy House: Against her will, Voldemort uses her house as a headquarters, making her and her husband extremely uncomfortable.
 * Blondes Are Evil: ; however, Narcissa is generally snobbish towards others.
 * Defeat Means Friendship:, or, at least for the time being...
 * Evil Matriarch: Her personality is slightly similar to that of her son, Draco. She complains about Harry and his friends to a shopkeeper, asking why they serve "their kind."
 * High Heel Face Turn: Narcissa's is a major example.
 * Hot Mom: Harry notes her to be a very beautiful woman; however, from what he saw, her beauty is somewhat marred by her donning an expression that suggests that she was sniffing dung whenever she was in the company of those she considered her inferiors.
 * Karma Houdini: According to Word of God, the reason the Malfoys never got their comeuppance was in large part due to.
 * Mama Bear: She is fiercely devoted to her family, and will do whatever it takes to protect them.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Take a wild guess what the root word of her first name is.
 * Rich Bitch
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money: Narcissa values wealth and power as much as Lucius does.
 * Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the movie, she walks away with Draco and Lucius at the start of the climatic final battle and never looks back.
 * Smug Snake

Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew (Timothy Spall)
Former Marauder, who.

"Ron: I let you sleep in my bed!"
 * Alliterative Name
 * All of the Other Reindeer: Even the teachers occasionally got in on the act. As one of the Marauders, though, he joined in on bullying Severus Snape.
 * Bloodbath Villain Origin
 * The Bully: Towards Severus Snape as a Marauder.
 * Crouching Moron Hidden Monster: He's painted as a poorly-skilled wizard, much like Neville Longbottom, who needed to rely on his friends to scrape by in school. However, he becomes an Animagus and keeps in the disguise for twelve years, he , casts a fully-functional Killing Curse with Voldemort's wand, and brews at least two incredibly difficult Dark potions to keep Voldemort alive and help him regain his body, respectively.
 * Dirty Coward
 * The Rat Was The Mastermind: In Prisoner of Azkaban.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Neville. He was a friend of his generation's Power Trio, had a reputation as a poor student, and had more potential than anyone gave him credit for. When Harry first sees a picture of him, he feels that Peter even looks a little like Neville.
 * Evil Former Friend
 * Fridge Horror: Pettigrew has been watching over all the Weasley boys since they were eleven. Now think about how many times you've changed in front of your pets and thought nothing of it...


 * Oh, it's much worse. At least once, it is mentioned that Ron.
 * Gonk: In the films.
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: See Karmic Death, below.
 * It's All About Me: He only cares for his own safety.
 * Karmic Death: Voldemort's rebirth potion requires "flesh of the servant, willingly given"; Peter cuts off his hand, and Voldemort rewards him with a silver hand.
 * : Assumed in the films, thanks to being deemed too disturbing for a PG-13 movie. Of course,.
 * Not So Harmless: Considered to be a bit of a dunce, Wormtail not only managed to become a Animagus at the age of 15, a impressive feat even with help, but was skilled enough to join the Order of the Phoenix, which included such powerful wizards as Moody and Dumbledore. He was cunning and sly enough to be a spy for the Death Eaters and discreet enough to deflect suspicion from everyone, even Dumbledore. After the fall of Voldemort, his escape plan bordered on Magnificent Bastard, as he accused Sirius of betraying James and Lily for all those around them to hear, created a massive explosion that killed 12 innocents and faked his death by slicing one of his fingers off and transforming into a rat, leaving Sirius behind to be framed while he spent 13 years hidden with a wizarding family. He was skilled enough to cast the powerful Killing Curse with a wand that was not his, and he was capable of brewing several complicated potions that gave Voldemort his corporal form again. Not So Harmless, is he?
 * Only Known By His Nickname: Mostly people just call him Wormtail.
 * The Quisling
 * Red Right Hand: How Sirius figures out that Peter is still alive and has been hiding as for years: . The largest piece of Pettigrew found by the Ministry was his left index finger.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: So Voldemort makes Peter Snape's assistant in Half-Blood Prince. And by this time, Snape knows that . However, this is the extent of the knowledge: what Peter did to piss off Voldemort that much (assuming he knew or cared about Snape's grudge), and what did Snape do to Peter is unanswered.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: So Voldemort makes Peter Snape's assistant in Half-Blood Prince. And by this time, Snape knows that . However, this is the extent of the knowledge: what Peter did to piss off Voldemort that much (assuming he knew or cared about Snape's grudge), and what did Snape do to Peter is unanswered.

Bartemius Crouch Junior (David Tennant)
The son of Barty Crouch Sr., a famous Ministry official who was a Knight Templar "hero" in the first war against Voldemort. Apparently as an act of youthful rebellion against his inattentive father, Barty Jr. joined the Death Eaters and came to see Voldemort as a Parental Substitute. Along with Bellatrix Lestrange, he participated in the attack on the Longbottoms and was subsequently sent to Azkaban by his father. Later, however, his father smuggled him out of prison as a last favor to his dying wife, but imprisoned him in their home.

He remained there for years until the Quidditch World Cup, where he broke free, casting the Dark Mark. He rejoined Voldemort and, during Harry's fourth year, impersonated Mad-Eye Moody. He rigged the Triwizard Tournament in Voldemort's favor, making the Goblet of Fire accept Harry as a champion, giving Harry tips to win, and making the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey that would take Harry to Voldemort. When his father was becoming suspicious, Bartemius Crouch Junior killed Bartemius Crouch Senior. "Barty Jr" worked perfectly as a mole until after Harry returned from the graveyard, upon which he dragged Harry off for interrogation. He was followed and defeated by Dumbledore, who made him reveal himself and confess his involvement. He was subsequently subjected to the Dementor's Kiss before he could be put on trial.

In The Film of the Book, he was portrayed simply as a Psycho Supporter with his Freudian Excuse eliminated. The filmic Crouch, Jr. has a signature tongue flick, which was improvised by his actor.


 * Affably Evil
 * Badass: He's earned the title
 * Byronic Hero: Like father like son. Also a villanous example.
 * Chekhov's Gunman
 * The Chessmaster
 * Consummate Liar
 * Cool and Unusual Punishment/Disproportionate Retribution: Visits this upon Draco while disguised as Moody. Six words: "Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret." What was Draco doing? Attempting to hex Harry when his back was turned. Though, it could be just because he's a Malfoy.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: No doubt due to his own visit to Azkaban, the subsequent Hell under his father's Imperius Curse, and why he was there in the first place (torturing the Longbottoms for information that could revive his Not Quite Dead master), Barty has an intense loathing for Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban and didn't bother to look for or revive Voldemort, thereby betraying their Lord.
 * This loathing of the Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban is almost hypocritical—we see at the trial that while his fellow Death Eaters are accepting their sentences, fully expecting Voldemort to break them out of there, he was sobbing and insisting that he was innocent and that they'd gotten the wrong person. Of course, it's always possible that he would have gone back to looking for Voldemort if they had set him free...
 * Evil Genius: He is very intelligent, and it is he who played a major part in Voldemort's return. For context: if there's any truth to his father's ramblings, Barty Jr. earned twelve OWLs; Hermione, the gold standard for intelligence and "brightest witch of her age," earned eleven.
 * Arguably the horrifying result of what can be accomplished by a competent Death Eater.
 * Evil Gloating: Oh, does he get his fair share of it..
 * Evil Mentor: Strangely subverted. While in his Moody disguise, he teaches his students about the highest-grade dark curses in ways that were almost certainly completely illegal. However, his lessons are useful and instructive and Harry even learns to fight off the powerful Imperius curse completely thanks to him. Despite being thoroughly evil, Crouch ends up being one of the most competent and helpful teachers Harry ever runs into and his lessons have no negative or morally ambiguously results. It can be argued that this was a result of him either playing the role of Moody FAR too well or simply not caring about whether the kids were properly trained or not.
 * Most likely the latter; no matter how good Harry and his friends were at magic, Voldemort was going to kill them anyway. (The fact that Harry managed to survive was due more to a Spanner in the Works than his own magical strength.) And Dumbledore might have seen through the disguise if Crouch Jr. had done anything suspect (i.e. not teach Harry as much defense against curses as Moody would have) before Voldemort's resurrection; better for the plan to Go Horribly Right and make Harry stronger than to let the plan fall apart completely.
 * Evil Teacher:
 * Fate Worse Than Death
 * Framing the Guilty Party: It appears that Crouch, Jr. was tried in a Kangaroo Court, but was actually guilty anyway. This is a Red Herring designed to trick the reader into thinking he was innocent.
 * Fridge Horror: It can be argued that all the nice things that he does for Neville (complimenting him on his Herbology skills, giving him books, making sure he was feeling okay etc.,) can be seen as horrifying when you realise  A lot of people who sympathise with him, however, still think he was being genuinely nice to Neville—see Pet the Dog, below.
 * Freudian Excuse
 * Good Is Dumb: He certainly thinks so: "Decent people are so easy to manipulate."
 * Ho Yay: Seems to like Voldemort a bit too much.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Voldemort's cleverest follower is actually a Time Lord!
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick: Seriously, this man was more efficient than all the other Death Eaters put together. He even managed to fool Dumbledore for over a year.
 * I Have No Son: His father disowns him at his trial.
 * I Need You Stronger
 * I Never Said It Was Poison: Mentions the graveyard, tipping Harry off. (This occurs only in the film.)
 * Knight Templar: Ironic, considering how his despised father was one. Nevertheless, Barty, Jr. fits this as well since he seemed to truly believe in the righteousness of the Death Eater cause with zealotry perhaps equaled only by Bellatrix Lestrange. In contrast, Death Eaters such as Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew serve Voldemort almost entirely out of self-interest.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Not So Harmless
 * Pet the Dog: Gets one with Neville. After shaking him to his core by demonstrating the Cruciatus Curse—the one used to drive the Longbottoms insane—in class, he calls Neville up to his office and gives him a book on herbology (Neville's favorite subject and only strong suit). In fairness, part of this ties into Barty's Evil Plan: The book he gives Neville contains information which would have served Harry well in the Second Task, which Barty planted to make sure Harry stayed alive until Voldemort needed him.
 * Psycho Supporter: In both the book and the movie, but in the movie, it was made more obvious.
 * Sanity Slippage: In the film, when his starts to lose his cool (and when the Polyjuice potion starts to wear off), he gets an ominous twitch.
 * Tragic Villain: His actions aren't at all justifiable, but he's motivated by his daddy issues, if that makes it any better.
 * Treacherous Advisor: He plays this role with Harry throughout the Triwizard Tournament, going from giving him subtle but effective hits to flat out rigging things in his favour. As a small subversion, he has every intention of helping him win. The problem is that him winning isn’t a good thing.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: His mother and Winky loved him, but that was apparently not enough to make up for his failure to get his father's approval, which he in turn sought from his replacement father figure, Voldemort. Rowling addressed this indirectly in an interview, noting that "That's where evil seems to flourish, in places where people didn't get good fathering."
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: The movie implies that he is sent to Azkaban, which might be a case of Spared by the Adaptation. In the books,
 * When You Coming Home, Dad?
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
 * Yandere: When it comes to Voldemort, he's on a par with Bellatrix.

Antonin Dolohov

 * Hero-Killer: He killed Fabian and Gideon Prewett in the 1st war. During the Battle Of The Department Of Mysteries in the 5th book not only he almost killed Hermione with a spell that inflicted brutal internal damage but he also defeated Moody. In the Final Battle, according to Word of God, All in all, he seems to have the second highest kill count next to Bellatrix among the Death Eaters.
 * Torture Technician: According to Karkaroff, he was this during the 1st war.

Regulus Arcturus Black
Sirius Black's younger brother. Unlike Sirius, Regulus fully approved of his family's fascination with the Dark Arts and pureblood supremacy and went as far as to join the Death Eaters' ranks. However, he quickly discovered that Evil Is Not a Toy and tried to back out, ultimately resulting in his death.
 * Determinator:.
 * Different As Night and Day: He and Sirius.
 * The Dutiful Son: Looked upon as such by his parents.
 * Evil Is Not a Toy
 * Nice to the Waiter: Regulus was nice to Kreacher the house elf, earning Kreacher's loyalty and admiration. Interestingly, his brother Sirius, who is on the side of good from the start, treats Kreacher like crap.
 * Posthumous Character
 * Nice to the Waiter: Regulus was nice to Kreacher the house elf, earning Kreacher's loyalty and admiration. Interestingly, his brother Sirius, who is on the side of good from the start, treats Kreacher like crap.
 * Posthumous Character

Yaxley (Peter Mullan)
One of the inner-circle Death Eaters. He helps orchestrate Voldemort's coup by placing an Imperius Curse on Pius Thicknesse and becomes a central figure in Voldemort's new regime.


 * Bad Boss: Is this to the Ministry officials, if his attitude torwards Reg Cattermole is anything to go by.
 * The Don: Peter Mullan's portrayal gives off this impression. Naturally, it's made him a hit with the fans.
 * Knowledge Broker
 * Ominous Walk: In Deathly Hallows: Part I.

Amycus and Alecto Carrow (Ralph Ineson and Suzie Toase)
A brother-and-sister team of obnoxious, lopsided-looking Death Eaters, Amycus and Alecto are present at the Astronomy Tower when, and following Voldemort's coup, become Defense Against the Dark Arts (Amycus) and Muggle Studies (Alecto) professors at Hogwarts. They were last seen


 * Curb Stomp Battle: In the film,
 * Evil Teacher: They are Death Eaters, after all.
 * Fantastic Racism: Hardly out of order for a Death Eater, but as Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto literally makes a career out of this.
 * Giggling Villains
 * Ironic Name: There is nothing amicable about Amycus.
 * Offstage Villainy: Neville says they "make Umbridge look tame", but in terms of what we actually see, she's worse by far.
 * Sadist Teacher: According to Neville, they are even worse than Umbridge.
 * Siblings in Crime
 * Torture Technician: Deliberately placed at Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows to scare and beat the next generation into line with Voldemort's way of thinking. Other Death Eaters torture too, but these are the ones who do it for a living.
 * Torture Technician: Deliberately placed at Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows to scare and beat the next generation into line with Voldemort's way of thinking. Other Death Eaters torture too, but these are the ones who do it for a living.

Fenrir Greyback (Dave Legeno)
Fenrir Greyback is a massive, dangerous werewolf. He has been around for many years, and is the werewolf who bit and converted Remus Lupin. He is one of the few who not only accepts, but embraces his lycanthropy, and tries to bite and convert people on any occasion.


 * Big Badass Wolf
 * The Brute
 * The Dreaded
 * Foil: To Lupin. Lupin is fearful of harming those around him, and is constantly seeking ways to hide or repress his inner wolf. Greyback gleefully embraces the monster within, even when not in that form, and is known for sticking close to his targets so that he can get to them at point blank range when the full moon hits.
 * I'm a Humanitarian
 * I Have You Now, My Pretty: Treats Hermione this way.
 * Meaningful Name: Fenrir was a gargantuan wolf in Norse Mythology who ended up eating Odin during Ragnarok.
 * Our Werewolves Are Different
 * Psycho for Hire: He is not actually a Death Eater, as Voldemort would never officially let one into their ranks. However, he does accompany them on several of their missions, and serves as their liaison with the Snatchers. In other words, he is like a mercenary.
 * Werewolf
 * Werewolf Theme Naming
 * Werewolf
 * Werewolf Theme Naming

Scabior (Nick Moran)
Scabior is a member of the Snatchers, a loose group of mercenaries hired by Voldemort to hunt down those who violate his reign of terror. His particular band of Snatchers captures Harry, Ron and Hermione. After consulting with Fenrir Greyback, Scabior takes the Trio to the house of Malfoy. He wants to keep the Sword of Gryffindor for himself, so when Bellatrix Lestrange tries to take it from him, he resists, and she knocks him out.

Scabior's role was expanded in The Film of the Book, where he has become the leader of the Snatchers, and takes a perverse interest in Hermione. His sarcasm has been downplayed in favor of his creepy qualities, and his confrontation with Bellatrix is extended. Also, he is seen near the beginning as one of the people dragging captives into the Ministry of Magic. His plaid pants have become a minor meme in the fandom.


 * Ascended Extra
 * Deadpan Snarker: [to Harry] "What happened to you, ugly?" [to Greyback] "No, not you."
 * Funetik Aksent: He has a written Cockney accent in the book.
 * I Have You Now, My Pretty: In the film, he takes this role from Fenrir Greyback.
 * Funetik Aksent: He has a written Cockney accent in the book.
 * I Have You Now, My Pretty: In the film, he takes this role from Fenrir Greyback.

Walden Macnair (Peter Best)
Buckbeak's would-be executioner in Prisoner of Azkaban. Later revealed to be a Death Eater.

""Macnair, remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath; no wonder they were gettin' on so well.""
 * All There in the Manual: Peter Best is credited as "The Executioner" in the third film and "Death Eater" in the fifth film (he's the one holding Luna). Based on the books, it can be assumed that both characters are Macnair.
 * Ax Crazy: Complete with ax. According to Hagrid:


 * Brainwashed: Like Lucius, he pulled this defense to avoid Azkaban.
 * The Brute
 * Chekhov's Gunman: A minor one. He later turns up as a Death Eater, but he doesn't have any further importance and is basically just a Mook.