As two of the most iconic bad guys in cinema, Darth Vader and Voldemort are formidable opponents, and fans have been asking the question for years. Who would win if these two dark lords went toe-to-toe? They are both the main antagonists of two of the most popular franchises in pop culture, that being Star Wars and Harry Potter. Ever since their first appearances, they have both cemented themselves as two of the greatest villains of all time.
The two dark lords are surprisingly quite similar, not just by their raw power or fear they both spread throughout their respected worlds. But, they both came from humble beginnings, with Darth Vader living as a slave, and Voldemort living as a young orphan, who both lost their mothers at a young age, and had no relationship with their fathers. At a young age, they were both smart and super-talented, who both tragically and shockingly turned to the dark side and the dark arts and into the villains that we know them to be today.
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While these iconic villains may be similar in origins and powers, if it came down to it, one of the dark lords would certainly come out on top. So with that lets pit the two dark lords against one another and break down which villain would come out on top.
Origins
Before the dark lord of the Sith donned the iconic name Darth Vader, he was known as the powerful Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Anakin was originally a slave before being found by the great Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jin, who sought to train the boy, as the Jedi master believed that Anakin was the Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the force. But, after Qui-Gon's death by the hands of Darth Maul. Obi-Wan Kenobi took on Anakin's training and became the boys Jedi master.
Years later, he is lured to the dark side by Chancellor Sheev Palpatine, and becomes a Sith Lord, claiming the title of Darth Vader. As Palpatine announced the elimination of all Jedi with Order 66, Darth Vader marched upon the Jedi temple and slaughtered every last Jedi, and even a class of younglings. This would later lead to an epic lightsaber battle between Vader and his previous master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. This epic battle ended with Obi-Wan severing Vader's legs and arm, leaving him to burn on the fiery sands of Mustafar.
The Emperor later saved Vader from death, building him intimidating black armor, to keep him alive. After being fully healed, Vader helped Palpatine in ruling the galaxy, and finally eliminating the last remaining Jedi.
Lord Voldemort is a dark wizard of nearly unmatched power, and his rise to power was marked by atrocities so horrifying, that the majority of the wizarding world fears to say his name.
Before "he who shall not be named" claimed his title as the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, he was known as the super-talented, and mysterious young boy, Tom Riddle. Riddle was a troubled orphan who always had a hatred for muggles and muggle-borns, wanting the world to be run by wizards and witches. The boy was soon approached by the great wizard Albus Dumbledore, and invited to attend Hogwarts.
Once graduating from the school of witchcraft and wizardry, he would advance his knowledge of wizardry and learn the dark arts. This knowledge would then be used to wreak havoc and fear upon the wizarding world. Before finally murdering Harry Potter's parents, and attempting to kill a young Harry Potter, but Harry's mother love in fact saved Harry and killed Voldemort instead.
Later, Voldemort would be resurrected by Peter Pettigrew, giving him the horrifying, monstrous look we are used to. His resurrection sparked more fear upon the wizarding world, and his reign as the Dark Lord had only just begun.
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Weapon and Arsenal
The two dark lords boast an impressive and iconic arsenal, with Darth Vader wielding the deadly lightsaber and Voldemort using a magic wand. While by name alone it is clear that anyone would rather go into battle with the mighty lightsaber as opposed to a magic wand, which is essentially just a stick, in the hands of Lord Voldemort, his wand becomes quite deadly.
Lord Voldemort has used three wands in the past, Lucius Malfoy's wand, the legendary and the powerful Elder Wand, which was previously owned by the great Albus Dumbledore, and Gellert Grindelwald, and Voldemort's more iconic white wand, which was made of yew and Phoenix feather, a similar Phoenix feather that made up Harry Potter's wand. For this showdown, we shall say that Voldemort sports his more iconic wand; as we said it isn't necessarily the wand that makes a wizard more powerful; it is their knowledge and abilities of magic that makes them more powerful.
Alongside his wand, Voldemort is rarely seen without his terrifying snake, Nagini. Nagini, is deadly in battle and serves as one of Voldemort's horcruxes, which is why the snake stays so close to the dark lord.
As for Darth Vader, what else do we need to say, the dark lord of the Sith wields the powerful lightsaber that can cut through any object with ease, and deflect even the strongest of projectiles. Alongside his trusty saber, Vader also comes equipped with a planet-destroying ship known as the Death Star, responsible for destroying Alderaan, the home planet of Princess Leia. Even without this ginormous space station, Vader would still reign supreme with his deadly, red lightsaber.
Related: Obi-Wan Kenobi: 6 Best Lightsaber Battles in The Disney+ Series, Ranked
Power and Abilities
Now, we get into the more exciting aspects of the showdown, their abilities, and their raw power. While both are formidable opponents in this regard, there is still one dark lord that will reign supreme.
Darth Vader is believed to be the most powerful force wielder in the Star Wars universe, who was prophesied to be the chosen one and to bring balance to the force. However, this was not the case, Darth Vader instead used his super-powerful force abilities to rule the galaxy. Vader has deflected countless blaster bolts with the lift of his finger, flung hundreds of his enemies against walls, and held down a huge cargo ship from taking off, before ripping it to shreds with the force. But most notably, Vader has force-choked and lifted many enemies, and even his own generals. The power of Darth Vader can truly not be explained; his power is unmatched in the Star Wars universe. Even his master, the Emperor, is terrified of his power; hence why he used Darth Vader to help rule the galaxy and eliminate the Jedi once and for all.
Lord Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards the wizarding world has ever seen, rivaling that of the great Grindelwald. From a young age, Voldemort was already feared by Dumbledore for his power and for how unstable and angry the boy was. His hatred for muggle-borns and muggles, would encourage the boy to learn about the dark arts, wanting to be the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen. Voldemort powers only grew with his age, becoming a stronger and more knowledgeable wizard, and even learning the three unforgivable curses: The Cruciatus curse, which causes unbearable pain. The Imperius curse, which allows the user to control the victims actions, and the most unforgivable curse of them all, the killing curse. With the usage of these unforgivable curses, made Voldemort the most powerful and feared wizard of all time.
Voldemort also has the ability to apparate on will, which is essentially used as a teleport, allowing the user to disappear from one place and appear in another. His ability to apparate will certainly give him an edge in battle.
Winner
Now for the moment you have all been waiting for, who would win this ground-breaking showdown, Darth Vader or Lord Voldemort?
We would have to give the victory to Darth Vader. While the two dark lords seem perfectly matched on their villainy and power, Darth Vader's lightsaber and ability to immediately use the force to choke Voldemort, without chanting any spell would end this showdown in seconds.
A final point to remember is that, Darth Vader slaughtered Jedi and rebels, but Voldemort couldn't kill a young school boy, even when he was a baby. Yes, the power of love is the most powerful magic in the world, but if Voldemort were that evil, he would be able to conjure up an even more powerful spell. While we didn't want to have to use that argument, as it may seem unfair, it is certainly something to take into account.