Harry Potter: 5 Reasons Why Voldemort Is A Sympathetic Character (& 5 Of His Most Redeeming Traits)

With the entire world of fiction, there are very few villains that are more powerful, more iconic, and more irredeemably evil than the dark lord himself, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Most know him as Voldemort or He Who Must Not Be Named, but this orphan boy that Dumbledore plucked from a lonely existence and thrust into the magical world became that world’s largest and most dangerous threat.

However, not everything about Voldemort is absolutely awful. Despite the fact that he’s committed to pure evil, there are some elements to his character that are redeeming, and others that actually make the audience feel sympathy for him.

10 A Sympathetic Character: He Was Terrified Of Death

Despite everything that Voldemort accomplished and despite every monstrous thing that he did, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for him when taking into consideration that all of his effort and energy stemmed from one simple and entirely human fear; the fear of death.

Voldemort ripped himself apart and nearly destroyed the entire wizarding world because he was afraid to die, and that is an incredibly relatable feeling for many.

9 A Redeeming Trait: He Fought For His Position

Although Tom Riddle did ultimately come from one of the oldest and most powerful wizarding bloodlines in the world, it’s not as if he got to yield much benefit from that at the start.

While he was talented and naturally gifted, Tom actually had to put in the work to gain all of the status and position that he did at Hogwarts, which is an admirable quality in it’s own right.

8 A Sympathetic Character: He Was Completely Alone

It doesn’t seem as if Voldemort had any interest in companionship, and he seemed to only measure the people around him in terms of what he could gain from them.

However, there is an element of tragedy in that. The thought of this infinitely powerful being who would have lived forever (if he’d had his own way) spending an eternity completely by himself is a sad thought, even for someone like Voldemort.

7 A Redeeming Trait: He Was Charismatic

While it’s clear that many of Lord Voldemort’s followers only follow him because they have a natural inclination towards dark magic and Voldemort’s end goal would allow them to freely be their worst selves, it’s clear that Voldemort has had a strong charismatic hold over people ever since he was young.

He managed to get away with a lot at Hogwarts and he managed to gain a legion of followers through his own compelling nature.

6 A Sympathetic Character: He Was Orphaned

One of the major questions around Tom Riddle is what kind of a person he would have been had he been loved or cared for by his parents.

He would have been born into a nightmarish situation either way, but if his mother had survived childbirth it’s possible that they could have given each other the love that no one else had ever given them, and it’s possible Voldy wouldn’t have become the dark lord in the first place.

5 A Redeeming Trait: He Was Self-Reliant

It seems unlikely that someone like Voldemort would ever sincerely trust anyone anyway, however the fact that Voldemort not only managed to gain as much power and status as he did, but that he did it all on his own, is actually incredibly impressive.

Voldemort could have become the most powerful wizard in the world had he not devoted himself to evil, and he nearly became that anyway despite the fact that he was so cruel.

4 A Sympathetic Character: He Was The Product Of A Loveless Union

One of the overarching themes of the entire Harry Potter series is that love is the most powerful magic of all, so it’s obviously incredibly meaningful that Voldemort was conceived through a love spell.

Voldemort never got to know his mother, as she died shortly after he was born. But what is so sad is that as a result of his mother’s desperation for love, Tom was born into two families who hated each other and didn’t think twice about abandoning him.

3 A Redeeming Trait: He’s Clever

Voldemort is lacking in many arenas, but it can’t be said that he’s lacking in intelligence. Yes, he uses his exceptional cleverness in the worst ways possible, but the fact that he managed to accomplish so much and figure so many things out with almost no one being the wiser is very impressive.

When he was still a child he was sussing things out that even most adult wizards couldn’t grasp.

2 A Sympathetic Character: He’s Incapable Of Love

Voldemort was literally created because of a false love, and it would appear that his mother’s love spell had a massive impact on who Tom Riddle became.

It seems as if Voldemort was born incapable of loving anyone, and despite all of the monstrous things he did, it’s hard not to pity him when he literally had no chance at real happiness.

1 A Redeeming Trait: He Was Ambitious

Lord Voldemort’s ambition may have nearly destroyed the wizarding world, however there are very few wizards in history who have had the kind of ambition and global goals that Voldemort had.

Not to mention, even those who have fantasized about reshaping the magical world never had the power or gumption to do it, and Voldemort clearly wasn’t lacking when it came to that either.