Harry Potter: 5 Characters That Could’ve Been A Dark Lord (And 5 That Never Could)

Harry Potter is filled with light, dark, and morally grey characters. No one is purely good or purely evil, and it comes down to which side they decide to be. Almost everyone has their good moments and their bad ones, but not everyone would have been capable of being a Dark Lord.

As Lord Voldemort proved, being a Dark Lord took leadership ability, intellect, passion, drive, motivation, and willingness to do the unforgivable. Not everyone can put their feelings aside to torture others or has the brilliance to create an army of such magnitude. While Lord Voldemort’s actions were never morally right, being a Dark Lord was not an easy task, and only some characters could have pulled it off.

10 Could: Dolores Umbridge

Evil, conniving, and cruel are only three words that describe the awful person that is Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge proved herself to be immeasurably wicked during Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in both film and novel counterparts.

Even though Umbridge is not a Death Eater, she still shares plenty of their beliefs and values. While most anyone saw Dolores Umbridge in a leadership role was during her year at Hogwarts, she likely could become a Dark Lord based on the passion she had for her cause, even if no one liked her as a leader.

9 Never: Neville Longbottom

Neville grew up with his grandmother, Augusta, after Death Eaters tortured his parents to insanity. Even though Neville may not have had the best childhood, that alone would have prevented Neville from dabbling in Dark Arts. Neville never showed leadership potential until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when he reinstated Dumbledore’s Army. Even then, the audience misses Neville’s development as a leader, only showing the result during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Neville killed Nagini and stood up to Lord Voldemort when no one else did. Even if Neville had the following and power to potentially be a Dark Lord, what keeps him out of the running is that Neville would never want to.

8 Could: Bellatrix Lestrange

Bellatrix Lestrange was a loyal Death Eater, and she demonstrated the same qualities and desires as Lord Voldemort. There is no telling that Bellatrix Lestrange would have become a Dark Lord had Tom Riddle never grown up to be one.

However, she certainly had the power and interest in torture and murder. Bellatrix proved to have the same prejudices against Muggles and Muggle-borns as Lord Voldemort did, and looked to him so frequently that Bellatrix could have kept the movement going had she survived the Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix did not hesitate to use Unforgivable Curses, and that gave people a hint not to underestimate her.

7 Never: Ron Weasley

Ron was always against Lord Voldemort’s beliefs and stood firmly and loyally with Harry. While Ron may have his bad moments, he did not have it in him to be a Dark Lord. Ron was almost always against the use of any Dark Magic.

Ron had plenty of dislike against the Slytherins (who he considered evil), but he was not the type to build a plan for a new wizarding world. Ron also did not have the leadership qualities that people would quickly follow. Ron could be quick-tempered and impatient, which would hinder his ability to take over the wizarding world.

6 Could: Hermione Granger

There is no question that Hermione Granger was on the side of good. Hermione was already against Voldemort’s belief system from the start and stood with Harry until the very end. Yet, that does not mean that Hermione would not have had the capability to be a Dark Lord. Hermione was the Brightest Witch of Her Age. Hermione’s wits and brilliance would’ve been enough for her to build on as someone who had a new outlook for the wizarding world.

Hermione’s vision for a future may be drastically different from Lord Voldemort, but there is no doubt that Hermione could strike fear into those that opposed her if she chose.

5 Never: Sirius Black

Although the Black family had lived in similar ways to the Malfoys, Sirius had grown up determined to never be like the rest of his family. Sirius went out of his way to divide himself from his family’s beliefs, aligning himself with Gryffindor House and making friends with James Potter when he started Hogwarts.

Since it was established that Sirius had an aversion to Lord Voldemort’s beliefs, and preferred pranks to violence, it was unlikely that Sirius would ever start a revolution. Sirius believed in fighting against Lord Voldemort, but he was not the type to overthrow an existing government alone.

4 Could: Albus Dumbledore

As the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever feared, Albus Dumbledore held immense power. In his youth, Albus wished to collect the three Deathly Hallows and become the Master of Death, along with Gellert Grindelwald. Dumbledore thirsted for knowledge and power, allowing his drive to overtake the family commitments, eventually leading to the untimely death of his sister, Ariana Dumbledore.

His sister’s death was part of what caused Albus to take a step back from wanting power and sent him on the path of the man he would become later. Had things in Dumbledore’s past happened differently, he would have had the strength and motivation to become an unstoppable force, if Dumbledore let himself go that far.

3 Never: Peter Pettigrew

Peter Pettigrew may have been a Death Eater, but the man was a coward more than a loyal soldier. Pettigrew’s inability to stand on his own, following in the path of the mighty Lord Voldemort, was the cause of many Pettigrew’s troubles. Peter’s personal ideals are not specified regarding how much he believed in Lord Voldemort’s plans for the world. Instead, Pettigrew continued to be with Voldemort simply because he thought Voldemort would keep him alive.

Peter Pettigrew was never considered a leader, only ever a follower, and those are not the qualities that one would find in a Dark Lord.

2 Could: Harry Potter

Like Hermione, Harry had the potential to be a Dark Lord, something that could have occurred had his life played out differently. Although Harry didn’t learn about the Horcrux inside of him until the Battle of Hogwarts, it is tricky to tell how many traits similar to Tom Riddle belonged to the Horcrux and how many were naturally Harry.

With that in mind, Harry’s potential house was Slytherin, and his life with the Dursleys could have brought out a side of Harry that wanted revenge. Harry had the power, the following, and the motivation to accomplish nearly anything he wanted, and it is not unreasonable to believe that had Harry wished to go down a dark path that several others would have followed behind him.

1 Never: Draco Malfoy

Draco may have been a bully at Hogwarts, but being a Dark Lord is way out of his league. Just like Peter Pettigrew, Draco Malfoy became a Death Eater out of fear, and nearly all his actions in the last two installments follow that mindset. Draco had grown up with his parents’ beliefs that being Pure-blood made them better than Half-bloods and Muggle-borns.

At school, Crabbe, Goyle, and other Slytherins would follow Draco in taunting the Gryffindors, but that was likely something they would have done with or without the youngest Malfoy. In the end, when it came down to it, Draco did not have the stomach to go the distance that being a Dark Lord, or even a devoted Death Eater, was willing to go.

About The Author

Lindsay Press
(274 Articles Published)

Lindsay Press is a freelance writer. As a graduate of SUNY Purchase College with a degree in Screenwriting and Playwriting, Lindsay has loved television shows and movies since childhood. In addition, she loves to create stories and enjoys dystopian futures, teen drama, and fantasy worlds.

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