Face-Off: Darth Vader vs. Lord Voldemort

Whenever I picture a young Voldemort (previous name Tom Marvolo Riddle) I always picture him as that kid who used to throw rocks at bird and play with the carcasses of dead squirrels. We don’t have the wide picture of his origin that we do Vader, but watching what flashbacks there are of him in the movies (both done best in HALF-BLOOD PRINCE), we can gather he was always a dark kid from a dark family and he was destined to be a monster. Into adulthood, and into the prime evil as we know him, he was a dark wizard who, like a cult leader, was able to lure people to his side with charisma and prophesizing. He has an unnerving origin that leads into his purely evil character arc as an adult – and what we have for his story is very, very accessible to all age groups. Nothing wrong with that at all, but in the realm of this competition, I get a full picture of where Vader came from, while I always want to more about Voldemort. Maybe we can get a dark, f**ked up prequel series on Netflix that explores his decent into evil. Wouldn’t that be sort of amazing?

• HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (2005)
• HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007)
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 (2010)
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 (2011)

There’s a lot about Voldemort’s look that is a bit off-putting – in a good way, of course. There’re the sharp teeth, the forked tongue, and the intense, dark, soulless eyes. All these elements are used to unsettling effect when Ralph Fiennes is really letting loose and feeling that evil mojo. When he’s being rather casual, though (as far as “casual” goes for a master of the dark arts), it’s easy to see why his look has become an overall snicker-stock ever since he showed his face in GOBLET OF FIRE. Between the nostril slits, bald head and greasy, snake-like skin he looks a bit like an Orc that escaped from Mordor, improved his posture and learned how to style himself. The goal was to make him look like a man-snake (snake-man?), and someone who has become increasingly less human as he delved deeper into his evil ways. That is totally understandable and I 100% get it, but this is what you get when you mesh a guy with a reptilian look, and for every time it’s totally unnerving (more props to Fiennes), it’s still just a tad bit silly. Just a tad, but still.

Like every wizard in the magical world, Voldemort has a wand. Per the Pottermore site, his is thirteen and a half inches, yew, phoenix feather and even shares its core with Harry Potter's wand, which is something that comes in to play in the final book and last two movies. It’s got a cool, white finish and gnarly design, but there’s no presence to it, especially compared to Vader’s weapon. We all see the green blasts that emit from it, but all wands become a bit of a blur when the fighting gets going. Where Voldemort makes up for it is his supreme skills in the dark arts, using his wand as a mere conduit for his immense, world-ending abilities. This is best demonstrated in the battle between him and Dumbledore in ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, as he conjures fiery snakes and sends shards of glass hurling at his enemies. The movies did an excellent job showcasing his powers, illustrating why he’s baddest wizard of them all.

Oh, Ralph Fiennes, what a genius you are. Like Heath Ledger as Joker, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal, Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched and so many other famous movie villains, the key to Voldemort’s long-lasting standing as one of the greatest ever lies solely in Fiennes masterful work as the baddie. He steps into the menacing, unforgiving nature of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with an ethereal, serpent-like physicality and chews every piece of dialogue with rage and theatricality. There is no else around who could do the part with equal parts intensity and sheer rewatchability as Fiennes, and I pity the poor soul who has to tackle the character should they ever do a prequel/spinoff/reboot down the line.

Quotes:

• “I'm going to kill you, Harry Potter. I'm going to destroy you. After tonight, no one will ever again question my power. After tonight if they speak of you, they'll only speak of how you begged for death. And how I being a merciful Lord… obliged.” – GOBLET OF FIRE   
• “Don’t you turn your back on me, Harry Potter! I want you to look at me when I kill you! I want to see the light leave your eyes!” – GOBLET OF FIRE
• “You have to mean it, Harry. You know the spell. She killed him. She deserves it.” – ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
• Dumbledore: "It was foolish for you to come here tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way."
  Voldemort: "By which time I will be gone and you shall be dead."
• "You're a fool, Harry Potter, and you will lose everything." 
• “Spoken like a true politician. You will, I think, prove most useful, Pius.” – DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
• “Avada Kedavra!” – DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
• “Nagini… dinner.” – DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
• Snape: “You have performed extraordinary magic with this wand, my Lord, in the last hours alone."
  Lord Voldemort: “No, I am extraordinary, but the wand… it resists me.”
• “Harry Potter, the boy who lived… come to die.” – DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2         
• “Harry Potter is dead!” – DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2
• “Now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us… or die.” – DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2

Moments:

• Rebirth – GOF
• Taunting Harry – GOF
• Battling Harry – GOF
• Torturing Sirius – OOTP
• Voldemort v. Dumbledore – OOTP
• Council of Death Eaters – DH P1
• Midair Fight with Harry – DH P1
• Claiming the Wand – DH P1
• Slaughtering Folks – DH P2
• Raining Down Destruction – DH P2
• Killing Snape – DH P2
• Killing Harry – DH P2
• Fighting Across the Castle – DH P2
• One Final Duel – DH P2

He-Must-Not-Be-Named is the ultimate name in evil for an entire generation of young viewers, all of whom terrified by his appearance while watching him on the big screen. Mix that in with Fiennes’ timeless work and you have a villain that has a strong footing in the zeitgeist, and one that will endure for a long time yet. Like Vader, the name Voldemort immediately calls to mind one of the baddest villains ever to hit the screen, even for people who haven’t watched all the movies. But does his legacy have the same weight to it as Vader’s? Is he some fans’ favorite character, even though he should be rooted against at all times? To that, the answer is no. A legendary villain? No doubt. He’s certainly tortured enough wizards and caused a few nightmares to earn that distinction. But he’s just not at Vader’s level, no matter how many wizards he’s killed. But let’s give it another few decades and return to this topic then.

From the earliest moments we spend with Harry the picture is painted of Voldemort as his one, true nemesis. Harry is known as the Boy Who Lived, the power of his mother’s love causing Voldemort to perish when he tried to kill the baby boy. Once that angle is put down the stage is set for their final battle that comes to a head in an epic finale to make all finales. Along the way Voldemort, like Vader, attempts to bring Harry over to the darkness – or just flat out kill him – as he invades his mind and lies in wait for a moment to strike. We don’t really see this dynamic come to fruition until GOBLET OF FIRE, which from that point on finds Harry on the back foot as he tries to shake the Dark Lord. Harry faces a lot of threats throughout his adventures, but Voldemort will always have a special place in his mind, and one that may never go away completely. That’s some long-term villainy for you.