Lord Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle, is the primary antagonist of the *Harry Potter* series and the archenemy of Harry Potter. A half-blood wizard obsessed with blood purity, he is widely considered the most powerful and dangerous Dark wizard of all time. As the leader of the Death Eaters, he sought to conquer the wizarding world, achieve immortality through the creation of Horcruxes, and eradicate Muggle-born witches and wizards. His story is inextricably linked with Harry's due to a Prophecy that foretold his downfall, leading to his first defeat and eventual final demise at the Battle of Hogwarts.
Tom Marvolo Riddle was born on 31 December 1926 to the pure-blood witch Merope Gaunt and the Muggle Tom Riddle, Sr.. Merope, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, tricked the wealthy Tom Riddle Sr. into a relationship, likely using a Love Potion. When she ceased using the potion in the hopes he had genuinely fallen for her, he abandoned his pregnant wife. Heartbroken, Merope sold Slytherin's Locket, a family heirloom, and gave birth at Wool's Orphanage in London, dying shortly after naming her son. Riddle grew up in the orphanage, a strange and cruel boy who was aware of his unique abilities. He used his nascent magic to torment other children, demonstrating an early affinity for control and sadism. In 1938, Albus Dumbledore visited the orphanage to invite him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Dumbledore became the first person Tom could not intimidate.
At Hogwarts, Tom Riddle was sorted into Slytherin House. He was a charismatic, brilliant, and seemingly model student, eventually becoming a Prefect and Head Boy. Secretly, he explored his lineage, discovering his descent from Salazar Slytherin and his ability to speak Parseltongue. In his fifth year, he opened the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing the Basilisk within, which resulted in the death of a student, Myrtle Warren (Moaning Myrtle). He framed Rubeus Hagrid and his Acromantula, Aragog, for the crime. During this time, he used Myrtle's death to create his first Horcrux, preserving a piece of his soul within his old school diary. He gathered a group of followers from Slytherin, who were the precursors to the Death Eaters. He also learned about Horcruxes in-depth from Professor Horace Slughorn, revealing his ambition to split his soul seven times.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Riddle briefly worked at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. He used his position to track down two more of Slytherin's and Hufflepuff's heirlooms. He murdered Hepzibah Smith to steal Slytherin's Locket and Hufflepuff's Cup, turning them into Horcruxes. He then vanished for a decade, travelling extensively, delving deeper into the Dark Arts, and undergoing significant magical transformations that made him less human in appearance. He reemerged as Lord Voldemort, a name he created from an anagram of his full name, “Tom Marvolo Riddle” (I am Lord Voldemort). He gathered his Death Eaters and began the First Wizarding War. His reign of terror lasted for eleven years, marked by widespread fear, disappearances, and death. Voldemort was so feared that most of the wizarding community referred to him only as “You-Know-Who” or “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”. In 1980, he learned of a Prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney that predicted the birth of a child with the power to vanquish him. He interpreted this to mean the son of either the Longbottom or Potter families. He chose to target the Potters, and on 31 October 1981, he attacked their home in Godric's Hollow. He murdered James Potter and then Lily Potter. However, Lily's loving sacrifice created a powerful magical protection over her infant son, Harry Potter. When Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on Harry, it rebounded, ripping Voldemort's soul from his body and destroying him physically. A fragment of his soul latched onto Harry, the only living thing in the room, making Harry an unintentional Horcrux.
Reduced to a wraith-like form, Voldemort fled to a forest in Albania, where he spent years in hiding, possessing animals to survive. In 1991, he possessed Professor Quirinus Quirrell and attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone to regain a body, but was thwarted by Harry Potter. In the summer of 1994, he was found by Peter Pettigrew, who helped him create a rudimentary body using a potion involving Unicorn Blood and Nagini's venom. With the help of Barty Crouch Jr., he orchestrated Harry's capture during the Triwizard Tournament. On 24 June 1995, in the graveyard of Little Hangleton, Voldemort used a dark ritual involving the bone of his father (Tom Riddle, Sr.), flesh of his servant (Peter Pettigrew), and blood of his enemy (Harry Potter) to create a new, full body.
Upon his return, Voldemort summoned his Death Eaters and began the Second Wizarding War. For the first year, the Ministry of Magic refused to accept his return, allowing him to operate in secret. After a dramatic duel with Albus Dumbledore at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, his return became public knowledge. Voldemort's primary goals were to kill Harry Potter and achieve true immortality. He took control of the Ministry of Magic in 1997, installing a puppet minister, Pius Thicknesse. He also sought the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows, believing it would make him unbeatable. He tracked it down and stole it from Dumbledore's tomb. His downfall came during the Battle of Hogwarts on 2 May 1998. As the battle raged, Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger successfully destroyed his remaining Horcruxes: Hufflepuff's Cup, Ravenclaw's Diadem, and Nagini. Voldemort unwittingly killed the part of his own soul residing in Harry, believing he had killed his nemesis. However, Harry survived. In their final confrontation, Voldemort's Killing Curse, cast with the Elder Wand, rebounded upon himself once more, as the wand's true allegiance was to Harry. With all his Horcruxes gone, Tom Riddle died permanently.
As a young Tom Riddle, he was described as tall and handsome, with dark hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. After his transformations, his appearance became monstrous and serpentine. His skin was chalk-white, his face was waxy and skull-like, with red, glowing eyes that had vertical, cat-like slits for pupils. His nose was as flat as a snake's, with slits for nostrils, and he had long, thin, spider-like fingers. Voldemort's defining personality trait was his profound fear of death, which drove his quest for immortality. He was a megalomaniac, obsessed with power, and a psychopath incapable of love, friendship, or remorse. He was exceptionally cruel and sadistic, enjoying the pain and fear of others. Despite his obsession with pure-blood supremacy, he was a half-blood himself, a fact he deeply loathed and concealed. He was also incredibly arrogant, which often proved to be his greatest weakness, as he consistently underestimated the power of love, loyalty, and self-sacrifice.