Voldemort may be the main villain of the Harry Potter series but he certainly wasn't the only one. After being introduced in the fifth film and witnessing some of the crimes she commits, it soon became clear that Bellatrix Lestrange was one of the most despicable characters in the entire series.
While some villains in the series have some redeeming qualities or complex backstories, Bellatrix loves to embrace the darkness that consumes her. In fact, she was so villainous, she would even commit some of the most heinous crimes against her own family. Bellatrix committed a long list of crimes throughout the movies but there were some that were worse than others.
Torturing Neville's Parents
Bellatrix Lestrange may not have featured in the movies as much as the other characters but she still managed to have a big impact on some of the main characters, particularly Neville Longbottom. In Order of the Phoenix, Neville tells Harry about how Bellatrix tortured his parents by using the Cruciatus Curse, to the point that they didn't even recognize him anymore. Before viewers are even properly introduced to the character, Neville's story makes it clear just how relentless Bellatrix can be.
She shows no remorse over her past either as she revels in taunting Neville about his parents when she meets him. Bellatrix remained a keen user of the Cruciatus Curse and seemed to delight in the suffering of others, finding a lot of amusement in the trauma she created for the Longbottoms. Torturing Neville's parents was unforgivable but this wasn't the end of Bellatrix's crimes.
Killing Her Own Cousin
Bellatrix was responsible for killing Harry's best father figure, Sirius Black. She ruthlessly killed her cousin during the battle at The Department of Mysteries. She didn't show any guilt after she'd committed the crime either, laughing with glee about what she'd done.
Bellatrix cruelly taunted Harry about Sirius' death on more than one occasion, including right after she'd killed him. Despite Sirius being family, Bellatrix was delighted to have killed him, famously singing 'I killed Sirius Black.'
Forcing Snape To Make An Unbreakable Vow
When Voldemort instructed Bellatrix's nephew, Draco, to kill Dumbledore, she couldn't help but involve herself. Unconvinced by Draco's capabilities, she pressured Snape into watching out for him and committing the murder himself.
Not content with Snape's word, Bellatrix pressured him into making an Unbreakable Vow. She carefully manipulated the situation to ensure that Snape would have to take the Vow, from her perspective, leaving him with no choice but to kill Dumbledore. While she was most likely acting on Voldemort's orders here, this clearly showed how manipulative and calculated Bellatrix was.
Trashing The Great Hall After Dumbledore's Death
The Great Hall was a central part of the movies and it always felt like somewhere the characters would be safe. However, Bellatrix showed that wasn't strictly true in The Half Blood Prince.
Not content with overseeing Dumbledore's death, Bellatrix went on to trash The Great Hall, smashing the windows and putting out the iconic floating candles. There was no purpose to her destruction here, she simply did it because she could. Wrecking a safe haven like The Great Hall for her own enjoyment was truly despicable.
Setting Fire to The Burrow and Hagrid's Hut
Bellatrix was particularly destructive in the sixth film, not only trashing The Great Hall but also setting fire to two of the most significant Harry Potter locations. She made short work of sending The Burrow and Hagrid's Hut up in flames, jumping up and down with joy after seeing what she'd done.
Bellatrix didn't care about who was inside these properties and reveled in the fact that she was destroying people's homes. The character's lack of compassion and disregard for other people is what makes her one of the worst villains of the series.
Torturing Hermione
When The Golden Trio are captured and taken to Malfoy Manor in the seventh film, Bellatrix proves how cruel she can be when she tortures Hermione, carving 'Mudblood' into her arm.
Bellatrix is not only hurting Hermione physically but berating her for who she is. The scene clearly shows how prejudiced The Death Eater is; she clearly sees Muggleborns as inferior. Considering Bellatrix's history, torture seemed to be her chosen method of interrogation and she certainly reveled in carrying it out.
Killing Dobby
Arguably the most unforgivable thing Bellatrix did was killing the loveable Dobby. The house-elf hadn't been seen since the second movie when he showed up in The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 but his return was unfortunately short-lived. Dobby came to Harry and the others' rescue; however, just as they were escaping, Bellatrix threw her knife and the poor house-elf got the receiving end.
Killing Dobby solidified Bellatrix as one of the most villainous Death Eaters in Harry Potter. At this point, she had already killed Sirius but killing someone as innocent and loveable as Dobby was irredeemable.
Attacking Ginny After Fred's Death
Bellatrix clearly had no understanding for sympathy or empathy, which could be seen when she attacked Ginny after Fred's death at The Battle of Hogwarts. Bellatrix gleefully attacked Ginny and seemed to find it hilarious when Mrs. Weasley came to her aid, looking down on the grieving mother.
Bellatrix may have sorely underestimated Mrs. Weasley but she clearly knew how young and inexperienced Ginny was. Attacking and perhaps even killing children was a line she obviously wasn't afraid to cross. At this point, Ginny had just lost her brother and would have been no match for Bellatrix but the latter seemed delighted in knowing she had the upper hand.
Killing Her Own Niece
Many characters were killed during the final Harry Potter movie, including Lupin and Tonks. Although the characters died off-screen, die-hard fans will know that Bellatrix was responsible for killing Tonks.
While it wasn't mentioned in the movies, Tonks was Bellatrix's niece which makes her death even more tragic. It was already clear that Bellatrix had no problem about killing her own family members but Tonks was a young mother with the rest of her life ahead of her. This was just another case of Bellatrix taking away a young child's parent, something which she clearly celebrated in doing.
Being Voldemort's Most Loyal Follower
Bellatrix was Voldemort's most loyal and trusted follower. The Death Eaters did many shameless things and Bellatrix committed (or was at least present) for most of them.
During The Battle of Hogwarts, Bellatrix fought at Voldemort's side and killed many of Voldemort's enemies. As shown through her manipulation of Snape, she always ensured Voldemort's instructions were carried out, regardless of how difficult or immoral they were. Bellatrix proved herself to Voldemort on many occasions and as he was the most feared dark Wizard of all time, serving alongside him was arguably the worst thing she ever did.