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Original poster

Is Voldemort the most rubbish villain ever?

20 replies

25kilopumpkin · 20/10/2011 23:14

I reckon Lord Voldemort is a rubbish villain. He is evil, so it seems, just because he is. Thoughts ladies?

OP posts:
whattheactualjeff · 20/10/2011 23:19

Well there's backgrd to LV isn't there? Was he not Tom Riddle the disturbed boy who Dumbledore rescued and brought to Hogwarts, and then erm... stuff happened, christ need DS here to tell me.

I think yabu, and he is actually rather good. I do wish PROfessor Snape wasn't on his side though [again need DS to explain to me].
HTH [hsmile]

bubbleschimp · 21/10/2011 00:31

but but but snape isn't actually on his side!

betheldeath · 21/10/2011 00:35

Oh no! You said his naaaaame!

He is all kinds of shit scary.

Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 21/10/2011 01:42

Bubbleschimp is correct -spoileralert as if anyone hasn't read them - Snape is more of an "independent". A bit like a management consultant?

OP posts:
Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 21/10/2011 01:45

...and you see, he is a bit pointless really? Once you think about it there is NO good reason, it's just to be contrary really Wink "naughty step this minute". Still think he is about if I ever see a lamppost stir into life mind...Blush

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MrsDreadfullyMorbidMausoleum · 21/10/2011 01:51

Isn't he the best villain because he gives a shit for no-one except himself?

Not Snape or Bellatrix, not his Death Eaters, not his mother (because she gave up and died) not his father (muggle), no one.

He's v.scary to me!

Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 21/10/2011 02:18

But mrsdmm not giving a shit isn't all that big and clever? Scarey yes but, well, what's his plan? His policy, his manifesto if you will? I mean he's scary sure, but just because he's nuts...I need better reasons to read/write 9 looooong booksWink

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fraktious · 21/10/2011 05:12

My cousin (9) told me at great length about Hitler who was apparently 'just like Lord Voldemort really'. I though that was quite a sensible parallel... So I vote he's scary!

On a deeper level HP can be seen as a struggle against a magical apartheid/genocide.

Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 21/10/2011 05:18

Ok, I forgot about the mudblood genocide stuff, probably as I always considered it something of a side issue for himWink . But yes, that's good, very good. So is it ethnic cleansing then that motivates him ?

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Witchathulu · 21/10/2011 05:32

I think his main aim in life is to be as powerful as possible - again, much like Hitler, he has this lust for power that equals no-one else (in his world). He slaughters not just mudbloods, but anyone who doesn't fall in with his commands - James Potter and Neville LongBottom's parents, Sirius - they're all pureblood, iirc. His ultimate plan has always been to take over the Ministry and become the most powerful wizard, own the most powerful wand, have the biggest army of Dementors and Death Eaters etc. etc. He is scary, precisely because of the parallel with Hitler, his disregard for the value of human life and relationships, and his absolute lust for power and control. I think what's particularly scary is also that it's insinuated that he's always been this way, that even if he'd had loving parents and friends, he would have turned out the same. I think. Or maybe that's not the point, maybe it's the opposite - that he became that way because of a lack of love. But then, Harry didn't have much love in his life until he was 12, and so that similarity they have between them is one of the reasons he's always so afraid he's going to turn out like Voldermort. I think, possibly... :o

Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 21/10/2011 05:39

Wow! Obvious psychopath I know that. Anyway, have to say find him a tad tedious, on the whole. Wonder if same was said of Hitler?

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Witchathulu · 21/10/2011 10:19

Probably :o

Witchathulu · 21/10/2011 10:32

Oh and let's not forget the parallel of Voldermort enslaving/using all the other races of beings - centaurs, giants, goblins, dementors etc, which had been ostracised and enslaved by the wizard community. And his infiltration into the muggle world, killing hundreds with his attack on the bridge, and his next aim was to wipe out all Muggles, as seen by the statue he replaces in the Ministry of Magic, which shows wizards subjugating muggles, with the phrase "Magic is Might".
Snape's not only NOT on LV's side, but is instrumental in training Harry to defend his mind against LV, and engineers things with Dumbledore so that Harry receives the information that he has to die in order to kill LV at the right moment in time.
Hth :o (can you tell we're HP fans in this house, at all!?)

quirrelquarrel · 21/10/2011 16:16

The not killing purebloods thing does pop up from time to time- in the last final battle, he says about "not spilling one drop of magical blood", or sacrificing, or something, "if you give me Harry Potter". Obviously he's not below using it as a bargaining tool...

What always annoys me is- WHY on earth doesn't Dumbledore tell Fudge about Voldemort putting in an appearance in Harry's first year?! Surely that would be of utmost importance. And that was when Fudge was being useless and sending Dumbledore owls every week asking for advice, so it'd be well received. Ugg yes it is very annoying.

nooka · 24/10/2011 05:47

I think he is a rubbish villain because although he is apparently incredibly powerful he is in fact very easily defeated and really turns into a total damp squib. Plus he is an 'evil because he is evil' baddie which to me is just quite boring (lots of fantasy is based on this premise but I think it's very lazy). But then I think that J K Rowling isn't very good with complexity as lots of her plot lines are left unexplained (and some of them to me are fairly inexplicable, or only which very twisted logic).

Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 24/10/2011 06:25

Yeees Nooka! " evil because he is" is my thought BUT you have to admit some of these explanations are very good....

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nooka · 24/10/2011 06:32

I think that the interesting explanations are filling in around the gaps, and that shouldn't really be necessary. I like greyer characters that feel more real personally (I don't think that Harry or Dumbledore are up to much either character wise either). However I know lots of people love everything Potter and good for them. I'm sure I love a fair few books with plenty of plot holes too :)

Magneto · 24/10/2011 06:44

He isn't evil because he is evil, his Mum effectively showed him that muggles are weak and useless by dying when she could have used magic to save herself for her baby's sake. His dad showed him that muggles are prejudiced and fickle by abandoning his mother when he found out what she was. His mum also showed him that magic rules over muggles by the fact that she was able to enslave his father using a love potion. His life lessons showed him that magic was powerful but humanity is weak.

Then take into account that very much like Harry, voldemort was nothing in the muggle world but a celebrity in the wizarding one (famous ancestors and all that).

the point is that Harry could have been voldemort, hence the whole "equal" thing with the prophecy.

Original poster
25kilopumpkin · 24/10/2011 06:56

I think I'll leave it there and pick it up again when DS is ready in a couple of years, you have mostly convinced me ish

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Aftereightsaremine · 24/10/2011 07:10

Dd (12) is a great HP fan & tells me Voldemort is actually really scary. He is essential to the books which after all is aimed at children.

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