Sorry, Tom: Grindelwald Was a Better Villain Than Voldemort (It Didn't Help Fantastic Beasts Though)

The Harry Potter series didn't escape this fate, either. It's been years since the discussion about Voldemort and Grindelwald started, and it recently reinvigorated because of the Fantastic Beasts movies.

We recently analyzed the two wizards and found out which of them was more powerful.

Now, let's go through the five reasons Grindelwald was a better villain — yes, we already dropped the suspense in the headline, so there's no point in pretending. We know he's better. And we'll prove it.

Death

Voldemort was famously terrified of dying: the man even split his own soul multiple times to ensure he won't be destroyed for good. Ironically, in the end, he lived less than a normal wizard would've, but that's beside the point.

Grindelwald, on the other hand, never feared death.

Even when he knew he was about to die, he just laughed in his murderer's — Voldemort's — face. His pursuit of the Deathly Hallows proves it further; Grindelwald never tried to avoid death.

Elder Wand

Voldemort never became the true master of the Elder Wand, even though he desperately tried to. He didn't understand how to earn its loyalty and in the end, it became one of the reasons for his fall.

Grindelwald, however, was the Wand's master. Since he initially just stole it from its owner, it means that he figured out how to tame it later on. This brings him more points for better understanding magic — and wielding a powerful artifact.

Followers

The Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, could be split into two categories: the absolutely insane maniacs and the people who serve him as they are scared for their lives. Needless to say, this is not the best or most loyal gang.

All of the Acolytes, on the other hand, joined Grindelwald voluntarily as they shared his ideals or believed in him. Unlike the Death Eaters, the Acolytes loved their leader and were ready to follow him anywhere — they were much more loyal.

Geography

Voldemort was feared by many — but only in Magical Britain. Wizards from other countries (even from Europe) didn't really know about him, which makes him something of a local celebrity.

Grindelwald's geography was far wider: at one point, he controlled half of Europe. Apart from that, he operated and had allies in different countries, and his name is known to way more people.

Defeat

Voldemort was defeated quite a few times. Even if we don't count each destroyed Horcrux as a defeat (though we should), he was annihilated twice and prevented from coming back to life twice. And that was done by a kid.

Grindelwald was a fearless conqueror who never knew defeat until his famous last duel. What's important, it took an entire Albus Dumbledore in his prime to finally put an end to Grindelwald's reign, so he was pretty powerful, to say the least.

However, the fact that Grindelwald was seemingly so superior didn't really help the Fantastic Beasts, did it? The new series is not exactly loved by the fans and it didn't perform the expected wonders in theaters.

But the real box office profits were the friends we made along the way, as one might say — it's still good to have at least seen Grindelwald on the big screen.