Summary
- Voldemort's Death Eaters are a force to be feared, with some being powerful and others less so.
- Even those under the Imperius Curse, like Thicknesse and Shunpike, played significant roles in Voldemort's plans.
- Not all Death Eaters were equal; some like Draco Malfoy struggled with their loyalty, while others like Bellatrix were fanatical.
The Death Eaters, Voldemort's inner circle of loyal followers, strike fear into the hearts of wizards, witches, and Harry Potter fans everywhere. Harry's journey to stop Voldemort's rise to power is the main storyline of his story. While each book or movie focuses on a separate adventure, they are all united by Voldemort's attempt to regain power in the Wizarding World and Harry's desire to stop him. While Harry is aided by a handful of loyal friends and adults who remember Voldemort's last rise to power, the dark wizard has his followers, known as Death Eaters, to do his bidding.
Even when Voldemort was too weak to act, the Death Eaters he commanded remained an ever-present threat. They moved in the shadows, orchestrating Voldemort's return to life, the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, the downfall of Albus Dumbledore, and countless other plans. As Voldemort returned, Harry found himself facing a variety of horrifying wizards and witches. Death Eaters are not equal, however. Some were largely ineffective, while others posed an almost insurmountable threat whenever they appeared on the scene. The conflicts revealed which Death Eaters were the most powerful and which did not stand a chance.
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Harry Potter: 10 Plot Holes About Death Eaters That Make No Sense
Voldemort and the Death Eaters in Harry Potter came up with several nefarious plots and schemes, but some of these seemed riddled with holes.Stan Shunpike
Unjustly Branded
Poor Stan Shunpike never should have been considered a Death Eater in the first place. Shunpike was the conductor of the Knight Bus introduced when Harry left the Dursleys in Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban. He held that job until he was arrested by the Ministry of Magic and sent to Azkaban under suspicion of being a Death Eater just a few years later.
When news of his arrest broke, Harry was adamant that the man he met certainly wasn't someone who would follow Voldemort. Everyone seemed to know that Shunpike was no Death Eater, but then he was placed under the Imperius Curse during the breakout from Azkaban and was forced to join them. Even though he participated in an attack on Harry while under the Imperius Curse, he only lived through it because of Harry's restraint in defending himself. Shunpike was the most powerless.
Crabbe and Goyle Sr.
The Loyal Followers
Fans were already pretty certain Crabbe and Goyle's family had to be Death Eaters because of how closely they associated with the Malfoy family, who had very carefully escaped punishment for their loyalty to Voldemort after his last rise to power. That fact was finally confirmed in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Crabbe Sr. and Goyle Sr. were both present when Voldemort returned to life in the graveyard where Harry was held and Cedric Diggory was killed.
However, aside from a few brief mentions of their presence alongside other Death Eaters in major battles, very little is known of the actions of elder Crabbe and Goyle. Their participation was not notable at all. They did not seek out Voldemort when he disappeared, avoided Azkaban, and seemed only to take part in Voldemort's plans when all other Death Eaters were present. At the very least, they were loyal followers.