HBO’s Harry Potter Can Officially Fix a 24-Year-Old Voldemort Problem the Movies Ignored

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I’ve been following the new HBO series, and it’s definitely sparked a lot of debate! Some people feel like we’ve seen this story told too many times already, which I get. But what’s exciting to me is that the show seems committed to really following the books – including characters and storylines the movies left out. There are changes happening, though, especially with Lord Voldemort. They’ve cast the actor to play him, but HBO isn’t saying who it is yet. What’s really got fans buzzing are the set photos that seem to show a flashback scene of Voldemort killing James and Lily Potter, potentially in the very first season!

With the show giving more depth to many characters from the Harry Potter series, fans are eager to see the origins of Lord Voldemort explored. While Voldemort is driven by immense ambition and portrayed as purely evil, it’s important to remember that evil doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It develops from something innocent, and that was true for Tom Riddle Jr. as well. Although Ralph Fiennes brilliantly played Voldemort, the performance sometimes made him seem like a fantastical villain rather than a complex person with a tragic past. Showing the human side of Voldemort is crucial to understanding why he became who he was, even if it doesn’t justify his terrible actions.

Voldemort Was Not Responsible for His Inability to Feel Love

Even before he was born, the seeds of his villainy were sown. He was the son of Merope Gaunt, a descendant of Salazar Slytherin from one of the last remaining members of the once-proud House Gaunt. Despite their connection to Hogwarts’ founders, the Gaunts were largely outcasts, known for their erratic and often cruel behavior – exemplified by Merope’s father, Marvolo, and brother, Morfin. Merope desperately wanted to escape her family’s difficult circumstances, as she had been ridiculed for seemingly lacking magical talent. When Marvolo and Morfin were imprisoned in Azkaban, Merope finally found freedom, and her magical abilities began to develop.

Merope’s father and brother disapproved of her relationship with a Muggle man who lived close by, but they couldn’t stop her from becoming involved with him. Unable to attract Tom Riddle Sr.’s attention naturally, Merope resorted to using magic – Harry didn’t know the specific spell, but Dumbledore thought it was a love potion. While the story doesn’t definitively say what Merope did, many fans agree with Dumbledore’s idea, as it emphasizes how Voldemort’s character was always destined to be the way it was.

As a film enthusiast, I’ve always found Merope Gaunt’s story so tragic. She actually managed to bewitch Tom Riddle Sr., even marrying him and running off to London with him. When she got pregnant, she apparently decided to break the spell, hoping – maybe naively – that he’d genuinely fallen in love with her or wouldn’t abandon his child. Sadly, as soon as the magic wore off, he left her, leaving her completely alone and broke in the city. She ended up selling Slytherin’s Locket, but she was still deeply depressed. Abandoned by her family and the man she’d magically bound to her, she just lost the will to live. It’s a really heartbreaking backstory that adds so much depth to the character of Voldemort.

Merope gave birth to her son on December 31, 1926, and sadly passed away within an hour. She named him Tom Marvolo Riddle. Like Harry, Tom grew up without parents, as he was an orphan. However, Voldemort’s beginnings were unique: he was conceived while his mother was under the influence of a love potion. J.K. Rowling explained that the relationship between his parents wasn’t based on genuine love. She also suggested that if Merope had lived and raised Tom with love, his life could have been very different.

Voldemort Never Had the Same Support System as Harry

Tom Marvolo Riddle believed his mother had abandoned him, and this may have been true. She left him at an orphanage, possibly because she knew she wouldn’t live long, or because she didn’t want to raise a child with a man who had treated her badly. Regardless, Voldemort’s lack of love extended to his parents; he murdered his father and grandparents in 1943 and rarely spoke of his mother, implying a deep disconnection. Given the circumstances of his birth, it seems Voldemort was always destined to struggle with understanding love and connection.

Tom Riddle first discovered his magical abilities as a child while living at the orphanage. He could move objects with his mind, control animals, and demonstrate other impressive powers. Because he was incapable of love, Riddle learned that fear was the most effective way to control people, and he used it throughout his life. He truly understood his powers only when Dumbledore told him about Hogwarts. While Dumbledore warned him against stealing and cheating, this actually caused Riddle to completely change how he presented himself. Despite being wary of the boy, Dumbledore perhaps should have monitored the future Voldemort more closely.

When Tom Marvolo Riddle arrived at Hogwarts, he quickly became well-liked, carefully presenting only his most appealing traits. Everyone – students and teachers alike – admired him, except for Dumbledore. However, Riddle had to return to the orphanage each summer, a place he truly hated and feared. While Harry found comfort in his friendships with Ron and Hermione, which helped him cope with the Dursleys, Riddle constantly had to face and relive the difficult reality of his upbringing.

Voldemort gathered a group of followers who were drawn to him for different reasons: some sought safety, others wanted to share in his power, and still others simply enjoyed his cruelty. Unlike the close, supportive friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Voldemort’s relationships resembled those of Draco Malfoy and his sidekicks – he was the leader, and they were devoted followers. Without love or genuine connection, it was inevitable that Voldemort would become a villain.

Humanizing Voldemort Doesn’t Make Him Less Despicable

Tom Marvolo Riddle, later known as Voldemort, had a deeply troubled past. Growing up without a stable family and experiencing abandonment left him unable to feel love, a consequence of a magical mistake made by his mother. It’s possible his mother, Merope, understood the risks of the love potion she used, but she was too caught up in her infatuation to care. Essentially, Voldemort’s evil stemmed from a complete lack of love in his early life. Even those who seemed devoted to him, like Bellatrix Lestrange, were more attracted to his power and the mystery surrounding him than to him as a person.

While his difficult past might offer some explanation, it doesn’t justify Voldemort’s terrible actions. He callously killed many people, including members of the original Order of the Phoenix, and even harshly punished and killed his own followers for minor offenses. Villains are often more compelling when they show some loyalty to their allies, but Voldemort only cared about himself. He was consistently selfish, greedy, and cruel, and this made his portrayal in the films feel like an over-the-top caricature.

It’s a shame the original films didn’t explore the reasons behind Voldemort’s actions, instead portraying him as a simple villain. While his evil is undeniable, understanding his past adds depth to the story. Someone incapable of love wouldn’t recognize its strength, and it was love – Lily’s, Dumbledore’s, and Snape’s – that ultimately protected Harry and led to Voldemort’s defeat. If the new Harry Potter series shows us Voldemort’s backstory through flashbacks, fans will likely be satisfied. He’ll remain a villain, but his motivations will finally make sense.

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2025-11-02 06:37