Category: Cinema 31
So I was just kinda going through the differences and the similarities of several star wars characters to several harry potter characters. I then decided to make the ultimate comparison between lord voldemort and darth vader. I guess the question then becomes who then is the most evil of the two?
I'd be interested to see what everyone's answers are.
I'll put mine soon too, but I just figured for now I'd put out the question and get a few responses.
So which is more evil, vader or Voldemort, and why?
voldemort because he wasn't turned to the dark side he became it. where as vader came back in the end and he was deceived.
I have to agree. Vader was pretty evil, but for one he was turned to the dark side, deceived ... And he came back in the end.
I guess Voldemort had his reasons too, but he totally sunk into being evi8l and never came back out again.
Voldemort. He totaly lost himself in the dark side, he wasn't turned to it.
Vader: So Voldemort, how goes it?
Voldemort: Oh, you know, dark and magical as always. I’ve just discovered a new way to cheat death.
(Grumbles in a low tone)
Damn boy who lived….
Vader: Yeah, you are one evil son of a bitch… Hey, what’s that in your hand?
“Voldemort: Why, it’s a magic wand.
Vader: Ah, so, it’s like a lightsabre?
Voldemort: Not quite.
Vader: How does it work, magic crystals, laser?
Voldemort: no, I say a bunch of gibberish that’s supposed to sound like Latin, and then I point at something, and then puff, my will is done.
Vader: Oh, do you make the Latin gibberish up on the spot?
Voldemort: nope, you go to school for it for about 10 years to learn it.
Vader: hmmm…
Voldemort: what do you mean hmmm?
Vader: I was just thinking… I went to school to learn my craft also.
(Extends lightsabre)
This is a sort of magic wand too.
Voldemort: Oh really, it’s very pretty, nice and red. May I touch it?
Vader: That’s precisely what I want you to do. Now here, hold it by the red tip.
Voldemort: (reaches a bony pale hand out)
Oh, this is so exciting; I’ve never held such a pretty wand before. Hey DV, you think I can maybe get one of these for myself---
(there is a loud buzz. A bony hand falls to the floor).
Vader: hihihihi!
Nice! Anyway, Voldemort was definitely more evil, mostly because the concept of Voldemort was more real than Vader. In the Harry Potter series, it was always people who could be real, besides the magical part. Star Wars, we're just talking about aliens, nothing you can really emotionally attach to. So Voldemort was definitely more evil.
ah, but that's not true. There is more to star wars actually than a bunch of aliens and droids. There's actually a whole emotional thing going on here between certain characters, especially if you read more deep into it.
I'll tell you who I think is more evil though, and give you guys a little something to think about.
This is not only between vader and voldemort but maybe you can see a few interesting similarities between some of the characters from each series respectively.
Symbolically at least aren’t there compelling parallels between the two major characters – Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter?
Both are the prodigal sons, and fabled among their peers. Both are indentured with the direction of good and both are sanctified with insight and untapped strength, influence and power. They both carry similar weapons of choice (wand vs light saber) and both are encouraged to delve into the recesses of their minds to unleash an inner force.
Similarly – their right hand man (or woman as happens to be the case - Hermione Granger vs Princess Leia) have similar attributes – and whose roles appear to be to the strength behind the facilitation of power for both lead characters.
Then there’s the third wheel.
In the Star Wars chronicles – its Han Solo, in Harry Potter – its Ron Weasley.
Both characters have inherent flaws – but both are there when the collective ‘whips are cracking’ and both have a strong allegiance to their respective leading men.
Then we have the spiritual leaders – Obi-Wan Kenobi (although I'm tossing that one up between him or Yoda.)and Albus Dumbledore.
Needless to say – their roles and musings are so analogous that I find it hard to separate the two.
Of course there’s the unsung hero – enter stage left - the follicly endowed Chewbacca and the equally hirsute - Rubeus Hagrid.
Once again – both have an unquestionable (and unshakeable) resolve for the principle player and both lay claim to have saved the skins of our male protagonists on more than one occasion – mostly without fanfare.
And last but certainly not least the villainy of it all.
Even though the board originally said vader vs lord voldemort I would be more inclined to say that voldemort was perhaps more similar to emperor palpetine, and Vader to Lucius Malfoy.
Why Vader to Lucius you say?
Well for one just like Luke and Harry had the right hand people, as do Voldemort and Palpetine. Anakin/Vader was to Palpetine, as Lucius was to voldemort.
Not to mention both had a neverending craving for more and more power in my oppinion that they could never cwench.
Why Palpetine to Voldemort?
Both studied the darker powers that be, both were very powerful, and both in some way or another killed the ones that taught them to hone their power.
And not to mention even after Palpetine died as both the real Palpetine from being thrown in the reactor of the deathstar, and in later books his clones died again, he never went back to the light and always stayed with the dark side. He always chose to be evil, chose to have tyranical power, and chose to have an empire of only the ones he thought were good enough to be in his empire, which could sort of in a way be compared to voldemort, his horcruxes, and his lust for destroying the halfblooded wizards.
Perhaps others will agree?
Jess
But Lucious was disgraced in the final book. Wouldn't it make more sense to say that Bellatrix Lestrange was Voldemort's right-hand woman then?
Losers, the pair of 'em! Definitely Voldemort though. Dark from the moment he was conceived if you ask me.
Jen. Look at what he had for his mother, his uncle, even his Grandfather
Jen..
I agree with dez's last post. Bellatrix would've been a better choice then lucius for that comparison.
Voldemort was not evil, he was just stupid. I mean, who goes after a baby, and fails? Yeah, I know, love and sacrifice and love and all that trash... He is a failure, I mean come on. The one thing that I will say is that we are presuming that voldemort was actually a bad guy. I mean sure, the author made the magical community look like a Utopia, but was it really? Wasn't it just a bit oppressive?
How can voldemort be more evil than Vader? Wasn't Vader consumed by the dark side?
Voldemort doesn't even have a personality. He's just that generic villain who magically succeeds in terrorizing an entire people, but fails to stop a bunch of kids.
He's a bad guy from a Scooby doo cartoon.
He's more like Dr. Claw, from the old inspector Gadget cartoons.
He’s not scary.
Vader is scary!
He can kill you with his weapons, his hands, and the force.
And he does not fail!
What’s voldemort going to do without his wand?
Ohh, a pet snake! How scary, please don’t eat me giant snake!
Ok, now I’m just trying to insult Voldemort.
This is childish.
I shall stop.
*slaps voldemort on the back of the head and runs off laughing*
And according to the emperor and the empire so was anakin/Vader in later books.
His redemption in a sense, disgraced him from emperor palpetine's graces.
Not to mention I just hate bellatrix, lol. She killed my fav char in hp so yeah I have issues with her, lol.
This is the one thing that annoys me with star wars actually is there are so so so many books, but only 6 movies. Lol.
Jess
Lol omg that is brilliant, lol.
The thing is though, imagine how much more powerful vader would have been though had he not been burned up by the volcano while fighting ObiWan.
As I said I would be more inclined to relate voldemort to emperor palpetine and I had seen this survey on the net and thought I'd put it on the zone to see the oppinions of others.
Jess
hm, vader or voldomort, vader, look at him,
the emperor or voldomort, the emperor, hands down, voldy can't shoot lightning from his fingers, can he!! no. for me I say no contest there.
harry to luke, deffenatlly,
hmmm... i no only a few of you may no him, but how about adding jerric or carnor jacks to the questio, i mean they both wanted domination, jacks basically illed his superior (palpatine) so that he could try to gain power, wait scratch that idea i don't think it works! palpatine beats voldimort easily! he can make him lose his wand, then keep blasting him and choking and slashing at him all day long!
I think Voldemort is technically more evil, but he's not nearly as interesting of a character. He was evil pretty much from day one. There were traces of it ever since Dumbledore met him as Tom Riddle. There was no complexity to him, he was simply an evil character: always was bad, always would be.
Vader is more interesting to me because he's more complex. Yeah, he's definitely evil, definitely a bad ass, but he wasn't always that way. I remember when I saw the original trilogy, I was like, how did someone go from being a good guy to such a bad one? I like the back story of how he got there. True, the two movies that told Vader's story, Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, were horribly done. But the character of Aniken/Vader is extremely well created.
That, and George Lucas had somewhere to take the character of Vader. You didn't really know what was going to happen with Vader in that first trilogy. You knew the good guys would win, but I thought Vader would simply be killed. It was a twist to redeem him at the end. With Voldemort, you knew from the second the prophecy was revealed that he was going to have to die. Neither Voldemort or Harry could live while the other one survived, and, contrary to some speculation, it was clear that Rowling wouldn't kill Harry. She killed just about all the other good guys, though. Bleh.
Anyway, nice topic, and i've enjoyed reading people's posts.
i wanted harry to dye!!! it would have been more interesting!
I'd have to say voldemort
I agree she did kill too many of the good guys in the final book, but overall definitly good reading.
I think Voldemort had undiagnosed psychopathy. ;)
But yeah, I think Voldemort was more *evil*, but less *interesting.* His backstory wasn't even very interesting to me.
Vader was cool, and I loved his backstory. Also, as a sidenote, the book Phantom Menace was way better than the movie. Terry Brooks is amazing.
Alison
Voldemort
Why so?