Highlights
- Lord Voldemort's supporters, known as Death Eaters, were willing and complicit followers of his regime, spreading fear and death throughout Britain.
- Some Death Eaters were forced into service through The Imperius Curse and cannot be blamed for their actions.
- While some Death Eaters were the most evil and loyal followers, there were also those who helped bring down Voldemort and see the error of their ways.
All followers like to be assigned a distinctive nickname to honor their loyalty, and Lord Voldemort's supporters were no different. Accompanied by his menacing band of Death Eaters, You-Know-Who terrorized the nation in the events of the Harry Potter series, spreading fear, suspicion, and death through Britain.
However, numerous Death Eaters in Harry Potter were forced into service and therefore do not qualify as willing advocates; being subjected to The Imperius Curse is hardly cause for blame. The following characters, on the other hand, were willing and complicit followers of Voldemort's regime.
Updated September 2, 2023 by Joe Grantham: Despite only first being mentioned by name in the Goblet of Fire, the Death Eaters play an important role in the Harry Potter series, acting as secondary protagonists. The most iconic Death Eaters in Harry Potter took on even greater roles in certain books, such as Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jnr. in the third and fourth books respectively, and of course, Severus Snape had an overarching presence throughout.
Regardless of their association with the Dark Lord and evil, a number of Death Eaters managed to see the light, and so this list details both the most evil Death Eaters as well as those who helped bring down their former master.
12 Walden Macnair
Status: Assumedly an Azkaban Prisoner
Walden Macnair is one of the first Death Eaters that readers are introduced to, although at the time they do not know it. Macnair first appears in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as an executioner for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, and his anticipation to execute the hippogriff Buckbeak more than hints at his evil disposition.
During the closing events of the following book, Harry finds out that Macnair is a Death Eater when he rejoins the Dark Lord's ranks in the graveyard. Walden Macnair popped up plenty of times throughout the rest of the series whenever Death Eaters were involved, and the fact that he was placed in charge of recruiting the giants, a task he succeeded in unlike Rubeus Hagrid, shows that he was a trusted and highly competent disciple.
11 Igor Karkaroff
Status: Death By Death Eaters
Igor Karkaroff is a former Death Eater who was quick to turn on his fellow accomplices to secure his release from Azkaban after Lord Voldemort's first fall from power. In the intervening years, he managed to secure himself the position of headmaster at one of the other wizarding schools in the Harry Potter universe, Durmstrang.
When Voldemort finally returned, Karkaroff, knowing he would not be forgiven for giving away the names of other Death Eaters, fled for his life. Igor Karkaroff's body was eventually found in a shack with a Dark Mark cast above, implying that he was murdered by his former Death Eater allies.
10 Antonin Dolohov
Status: Death by Filius Flitwick
Antonin Dolohov has such an intimidating aura that even fellow Death Eaters are afraid of him. He particularly enjoys inflicting pain on Muggles, mixed-bloods, and Voldemort haters. Apart from his sadism, Dolohov is also an astute wizard and duelist who is proficient at nonverbal magic, capable of besting even the incredible Mad-Eye Moody. As a result, he is unconcerned with being outnumbered on the battlefield.
Lupin's killer (who also murdered Molly's two brothers) was forced into submission by Professor Flitwick during the Battle of Hogwarts. In the end, he got what he deserved.
9 Fenrir Greyback
Status: Assumedly an Azkaban Prisoner
It is thanks to werewolves like Fenrir Greyback that Lupin had such a hard time being accepted by society. This honourary Death Eater goes full beast mode whenever he gets the chance. His life's mission is to forcefully expand the werewolf population, and he even manages to get a taste of Weasley's blood (although, thankfully, the curse didn't stick).
Even though Voldemort unsurprisingly accepts Fenrir and his pack into the Death Eater folds, he doesn't deem them worthy enough to receive the Dark Mark. With a stroke of luck, Ron and Neville team up during the Battle of Hogwarts and defeat the bloodthirsty werewolf before he can contribute further to the death/wolf toll.
8 The Carrows
Status: Azkaban Prisoners
Alecto and Amycus Carrow are the sinister siblings at the forefront of the Dark Lord's domination. They were (presumably) some of the first Death Eaters to rally to Voldemort's side when he "returned" to the land of the living. During Snape's reign over Hogwarts, Alecto assumed the position of Professor of Muggle Studies, where she spread her hateful ideologies to the students. Meanwhile, Amycus stuck to the Dark Arts path, teaching and torturing the kids.
Hogwarts arguably sees its darkest days during the Deathly Hallows with the Carrows in charge as Deputy Headmasters. The Cruciatus Curse was a common punishment for menial indiscretions. The siblings were overpowered and restrained before the final fight began at the Battle of Hogwarts, preventing further deaths in their wake.
7 Corban Yaxley
Status: Assumedly an Azkaban Prisoner
During Voldemort's return to power, Yaxley turns Pius Thicknesse into a puppet and gains authority over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Division, where he could put his bigotry to use. With his newfound power, he and his bosom buddy, Umbridge, would actively seek out muggle-born witches and wizards and put them on trial, before unceremoniously sending them to Azkaban for not being pure-blooded.
Yaxley gets to witness Dumbledore's last moments firsthand, after mercilessly taunting Draco to deal the final blow but stepping aside when Snape claims the "honor." Smart move. The last time fans saw Yaxley, he had been incapacitated by George Weasley and Lee Jordan during the Battle of Hogwarts.
6 Barty Crouch Jr.
Status: 'Death' by Dementor's Kiss
Barty Crouch Jr. was an unexpected Voldemort supporter, having grown up in a respectable home with his father, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. However, Barty Jr. knew where his allegiances lay early on. His Death Eater days began when he was just a teenager, only to be captured after torturing the Longbottoms. Barty Jr.'s loyalty was borderline delusional, and he often chastised other followers for not sacrificing enough for their Lord.
Barty Jr. defied the odds by breaking free from Azkaban's clutches but was imprisoned by his father. However, he escaped and managed to defeat one of the greatest Aurors of all time, before taking his place under the cover of Polyjuice Potion, as the DADA Professor in the Goblet of Fire.
5 Regulus Black
Status: Death by Inferi
Generally speaking, the Blacks were known to be Muggle-hating, Dark Arts enthusiasts who had no qualms with Voldemort's regime. It seemed only natural for Regulus to make his family proud by joining the Death Eater ranks. His elder brother, Sirius, was disowned for defying the "natural order," which arguably urged Regulus towards darkness to escape the same fate.
Regulus was a devout Death Eater by all appearances; however, he was secretly plotting the Dark Lord's demise. When Voldemort began hiding Horcruxes, the youngest Black brother stole Salazar Slytherin's locket, essentially dooming his master's assumed immortality, before sacrificing himself to the Inferi, taking his deception to his grave.
4 Peter Pettigrew
Status: Death by Self-Strangulation
The spineless traitor Peter Pettigrew also goes by Scabbers or Wormtail, depending on who's asking. It is unclear exactly when Peter became a Dark Lord fan; however, he was likely recruited for his connections to the Order of the Phoenix, as opposed to actively seeking Voldemort out.
Not only did he sell out his friends and get them killed, but he also framed another childhood friend for murder. Although Peter has barely any admirable characteristics, he is a proficient Animagus and kept up his ratty facade for over a decade without raising suspicion. As fate would have it, Peter is literally killed by his own hand, inadvertently saving Harry in the process.
3 Severus Snape
Status: Death by Lord Voldemort
Despite a subsequent life of repentance, Severus Snape was nevertheless a Death Eater, and thanks to his extraordinary bravery and skills in Occlumency, Lord Voldemort considered him among his most loyal servants. Snape was persuaded by the Dark Arts from a young age and many of his fellow Slytherins whom he was friendly with went on to become Death Eaters and perhaps helped recruit Severus himself.
As a Death Eater, Severus was the one to overhear the prophecy relating to Lord Voldemort and an unborn child, and while he came to regret it when he found out the consequences, Snape relayed this information to his master.
2 Lucius Malfoy
Status: Forgiven of Past Crimes
Lucius Malfoy was a wealthy and influential pure-blood wizard who had a reputation for dabbling in the Dark Arts, fueled by his purist mentality. Lucius managed to avoid losing his respectability following Voldemort's first fall from power, and resumed with his life, almost as if nothing had happened.
Even though Lucius was essentially the flawed mind behind the Chamber of Secrets debacle and actively participated in the Quidditch World Cup terrorism, he did not seem as enthusiastic as the other Death Eaters upon the Dark Lord's return. After failing his master at the Ministry in an attempt to recover the prophecy, Lucius was punished in the worst way possible with his son Draco being assigned a suicidal mission. Finally understanding the value of human life, each of the Malfoys eventually aligned with the good guys, before Draco ended up dead, or worse.
1 Bellatrix Lestrange
Status: Death by Molly Weasley
Bellatrix Lestrange is arguably the most intriguing Death Eater of the lot, a natural-born delinquent with little self-restraint and unwavering loyalty to her Lord. Unbeknownst to many, Bellatrix bedded Voldemort and produced an heir named Delphini (aka Delphi), who pops up in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. It's safe to say that there is little Bellatrix wouldn't do for her Master, not that she seems to mind death and destruction in the slightest.
Along with torturing the Longbottoms and Hermione, murdering her niece, Tonks, and the helpless Dobby in cold blood, Bellatrix has turned many innocent lives upside down, merely for her enjoyment. Azkaban is too good for this villainess, so Molly takes her out of commission for good.