The Harry Potter series gained fame for its strong character development. Readers fell in love with Harry and his close friends, Ron and Hermione, as they uncovered Hogwarts’ myriad of secrets. The franchise’s primary villain, Lord Voldemort, also made for a strong overarching antagonist, driven to rid the world of Harry Potter—a prophesied child destined to cause his downfall.

Voldemort’s origins were slowly revealed in the novels, providing details into his past and how he became the Dark Lord that the Wizarding World feared. He was powerful and made himself almost impossible to destroy, but his one major mistake was his failed attempt to kill Harry as an infant. Harry’s mother stopped the attack, which destroyed Voldemort’s physical form, and he went into hiding to regain strength. Voldemort’s place in the series was essential, but many might wonder what events had led him down the path of evil and destruction.

Updated On May 27, 2024 by Jenny Melzer: Lord Voldemort is one of the most vivid villains to have emerged from literature and film in the twenty-first century, having left a mark on fans of the Harry Potter franchise as bold as the lightning bolt scar he left on the titular character when he was just a baby. While it is often the way of storytellers to dig deep into a villain’s history to show the root causes for their dark deeds meant to provoke sympathy, Tom Marvolo Riddle is one villain who was born to darkness. Examining his history does little to make viewers sympathetic to his cause, but understanding the factors that led to his relentless efforts to exterminate those he deemed less than pure adds a layer of depth to Harry Potter’s story fans will never forget.

Numerous Factors Led To Tom Riddles Descent Into Darkness

Tom Riddle’s Very Existance Began As An Act Of Deception

A tough childhood with significant trauma is a typical origin story for many antagonists, eventually turning them into villains. However, Voldemort’s unfortunate origins began before his birth, and his upbringing provided reasons he hated himself and the world. The story began when Voldemort’s mother, Merope Gaunt, entranced his father into a romantic relationship, using a love potion to seduce him.

Merope Gaunt and Tom Riddle Sr. were married while he was under her spell, and she conceived the child who would later become Lord Voldemort. When the enchantment wore off, however, Tom Riddle Sr. abandoned his pregnant wife. While in labor, she staggered into Wool’s Orphanage, where she gave birth and died within the hour, leaving him to be raised by muggles. She left him with nothing about his true heritage, save for his father and maternal grandfather’s names, and the hope that he would grow to be as handsome as his father. With no one to claim him as their own, Tom grew up feeling abandoned and unloved.

Tom Riddle Always Knew He Wasn’t Like The Other Children

He Took Great Satisfaction From The Torment & Suffering Of Others

The Muggles who raised him in the orphanage knew nothing about his mother beyond her name. Without knowledge of the Wizarding World, they couldn’t explain his heritage or the reasons he was different from the other children. They could only classify his behaviors as strange and unnerving, and knowing he disturbed others only seemed to bolster his growing superiority complex. As young Tom recognized his differences from the other children in the orphanage, he grew obsessed with having power over them. Deep down, he knew he was unique, and in his earliest displays of elitist behavior, he rejected the approval of his Muggle peers, even tormenting them to prove his superiority over them.

I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want without touching them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make them hurt.—Tom Riddle, Age 11

Tom’s feelings of superiority were validated when Albus Dumbledore arrived to inform him of Hogwarts and assure him he could bond with other young wizards like himself. Dumbledore quickly realized Tom was much more powerful than most his age, so he kept a close eye on Tom throughout his development, hoping acceptance might heal him. Unfortunately, Tom’s foundation of hatred was already established, and he would hold onto the wounds he developed for the rest of his life. Discovering his Muggle father had abandoned him only served to stoke the fire of hatred he would come to aim at all Muggles.

Once at Hogwarts, Tom was sorted into the Slytherin House, and he networked with classmates and instructors. People were impressed with him, and the only authority figure questioning his morality was Dumbledore. However, Tom became obsessed with learning more about his parents and discovered the high-status family on his mother’s side. He was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and the knowledge caused him to despise his parents for severing his connection to his heritage.

As the mystery of his origins was revealed, Tom decided to separate himself from his father’s last name and go by Lord Voldemort. As Slytherin’s Heir, Tom also wanted to rid the school of Muggle-born children, so he released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets and blamed Rubeus Hagrid once he had failed. Tom was more determined than ever to make his mark, but he realized he needed a much larger army and a more concrete plan. So, he created a group of followers and set a path to develop Horcruxes, making it much harder for other wizards to kill him.

At 16 years of age, Tom sought out the magical side of his family, discovering his grandfather had died. He learned more about his parents and their relationship from his uncle and became enraged. Out of pure hatred for his father, Tom tracked down and murdered him and his grandparents. He used their deaths to create his second Horcrux and officially released any ties he had to goodness. He had become pure evil, and his alliance lay with darkness.

Voldemort’s Rise to Becoming Harry Potter’s Dark Lord

Voldemort Used Fear And Hatred To Lift Himself Into Power

After graduating from Hogwarts, Voldemort wanted to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, where he could be on the train and recruit young wizards for his army. Unfortunately, he was denied the position, so he devised a murderous plan to seek out unique artifacts he could turn into Horcruxes. He again asked for the teaching position ten years later but was denied and confronted by Dumbledore, who knew of his secret plan. So, Voldemort shifted his energy into preparing for the First Wizarding War.

Voldemort recruited many followers who called themselves Death Eaters. Some followed him willingly, while others were forced into submission. Throughout his childhood, adolescence and early adulthood, Voldemort had slowly risen to an intense level of violence. His followers committed crimes of destruction and mayhem worldwide. As a result, people feared him and became too afraid to speak the name he’d given himself. They worried even uttering “Voldemort” would make him appear. So, he became “You-Know-Who,” “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” and “Dark Lord.”

Tom Riddle’s rise to power was a fascinating franchise element, creating a world that fans wanted to explore further. Before Harry Potter’s story began, Voldemort had already lived an entire life of abandonment, betrayal and vengeance. The initial trauma from his childhood led to the false identity he developed in his teenage years when he decided to rewrite his story and identity. He wanted to rid the world of those who had hurt him, and he’d almost succeeded before the prophecy of Harry’s birth stopped and eventually destroyed him.