The most powerful of the three Unforgivable Curses, Avada Kedavra is the killing curse that Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort) always used when he was at the height of his power.
While Voldemort used the curse time and again, we rarely saw his Death Eaters use it. Instead, some opted for the Cruciatus Curse (Torture Curse) or the Imperius Curse (Total Control).
Therefore, you may be wondering why Voldemort’s followers didn’t use the killing curse to the same extent.
Lord Voldemort was incapable of feeling any love or human emotion. This lack of emotion made him indifferent to using Avada Kedavra on his victims. He also used it to show off power toward adversaries and followers alike. He could kill them with a wave of his wand.
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Who Is Lord Voldemort?
Born as Tom Marvolo Riddle on December 31st, 1926, Lord Voldemort attained great power in the 1970s with two goals in mind. He wanted to drive the wizards out of hiding so Muggles could serve them, and he sought immortality.
But what made Voldemort so evil? Before his conception, his mother, Merope Gaunt, either used the Imperius Curse or concocted a love potion, Amortentia, which she gave to Voldemort’s father, whose name was also Tom.
After Merope and Tom Sr. were married for a year, she became pregnant and stopped using the potion or the curse on her husband. Merope did this believing, or hoping, that Tom Sr. loved her.
But when he discovered what she had done, Tom Sr. abandoned her and returned to his rich parents in Little Hangleton.
Using the potion or curse, along with Tom Sr. abandoning his family, symbolized Voldemort came from a “loveless union.” But there was more to the story. Merope was so heartbroken over Tom Sr. leaving her that she grew depressed and her powers also may have ceased.
Because of her broken heart, depression, and potential ceasing of her powers, Tom Sr.’s abandonment became too much for Merope to bear, and she ended up dying after giving birth.
In other words, Merope chose death over raising her son, though she lived long enough to name him Tom, after the boy’s father, and Marvolo, after her father.
Tom grew up in an orphanage, where he never felt love from any of the orphans or those who ran the place. Hence, the younger Riddle grew up never understanding the concept of love, and his lack of understanding this human emotion stuck with him during his time at Hogwarts.
Thanks to this lack of understanding of love or even companionship, he committed his first murders when he was still a student at Hogwarts, which set the stage for the power and immortality he would seek shortly afterward.
What Is Avada Kedavra?
Before we elaborate more on why Voldemort uses Avada Kedavra, let’s first understand what it is. Avada Kedavra is also called “The Killing Curse,” since it instantly kills anybody it hits, assuming there is enough power behind the wizard who cast it.
In Chapter 14 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Mad-Eye Moody, stressed this point, stating he’d get a “nose-bleed” if Harry and his class of Fourth-Year students pulled out their wands and uttered the words Avada Kedavra.
Few witches and wizards can block the curse, and nobody can directly block it. For example, when Voldemort tried to kill Harry on October 31st, 1981, Lily Potter’s sacrificial protection forced the curse to rebound upon the Dark Lord.
In the Fantastic Beasts series, Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore both blocked the curse that Gellert Grindelwald fired at the latter’s son. This only happened because two powerful family members blocked the curse to save another family member.
In Goblet of Fire, Harry blocked it since his wand shared a core from the same phoenix as Voldemort’s. This state, called Priori Incantatem, prevents wands with cores from the same exact animal to duel one another.
Dumbledore also blocked the curse when Voldemort tried to kill Harry with it in Order of the Phoenix. The Headmaster caused a wizard statue to spring to life, which kept the curse from hitting Harry.
Avada Kedavra is also one of the three Unforgivable Curses, along with the Imperius Curse and the Cruciatus Curse. If one is caught using any of the three, they will be sentenced to life in Azkaban.
Why does Voldemort Always Use Avada Kedavra?
As the most evil wizard in Harry Potter incapable of feeling love or any human emotion, Voldemort has no problem using Avada Kedavra for quickly killing anyone who stands in his way.
He will also use the other two Unforgivable Curses, controlling opponents with the Imperius Curse and torturing them with the Cruciatus Curse.
However, he only uses these curses when he has someone under questioning, like Bertha Jorkins (off-screen) in Goblet of Fire. However, once Voldemort gets the information he needs, he kills them with Avada Kedavra.
But Voldemort uses Avada Kedavra for more sinister purposes. Remember, the curse requires powerful magic, and it’s impossible to block except under specific circumstances, which we outlined earlier.
Therefore, Voldemort always uses Avada Kedavra because it also represents a show of force against his opposition. But it also shows those loyal to him, and even those contemplating resisting him, that he can kill anyone at any time with a simple wave of the wand.
He also uses the curse to weaponize his magic. Voldemort has done this in several ways, like his Horcrux creations, which he can only make if he kills another. These render him immortal unless they are all destroyed.
So not only do his Horcruxes tethering him to the mortal realm give him incredible defense, but his frequent use of Avada Kedavra gives him powerful firepower offensively. And nothing, like the Stupefy (stunning spell) or Petrificus Totalus (body-bind curse), comes close to it.
Why Do Death Eaters Rarely Use Avada Kedavra?
While we don’t know how often the Death Eaters use Avada Kedavra during the First Wizarding War, we know many of them quickly abandoned Voldemort after he disappeared when he failed to kill Harry.
These Death Eaters claimed they were under the Imperius Curse, like the Malfoy family. When they reintegrated themselves into mainstream Wizarding Society, they had far more to lose because had they cast a spell like Avada Kedavra, they would have landed in Azkaban for life.
Plus, many of these witches and wizards held a high status in the Wizarding World once the Ministry cleared them of all Death Eater-related charges. Take the Malfoys, who were one of the richest families.
Lucius had to keep himself in the Ministry of Magic’s good graces, and he did this by giving gold to good causes, like St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in Goblet of Fire. This act made him Minister Cornelius Fudge’s invited guest at the Quidditch World Cup.
Death Eaters and Avada Kedavra in the Second Wizarding War
Lord Voldemort was “reborn” in 1995, but even afterward, his Death Eaters were not using the killing curse because, since the Ministry didn’t believe Voldemort returned, his Death Eaters hid in plain sight.
There is one scene, for example, in Order of the Phoenix, when Lucius Malfoy is meeting with Cornelius Fudge. To keep up his respected status in the Wizarding World, someone like Lucius couldn’t risk using Avada Kedavra even shortly after Voldemort returned.
However, it is implied the Death Eaters use Avada Kedavra off-screen in Half-Blood Prince. Hannah Abbott’s mother was found dead during the novel’s events. Amelia Bones, who appeared in Order of the Phoenix, was also murdered.
These murders could have been Voldemort’s work, as he was not present during the novel. But we know the Death Eaters were wreaking havoc not only in the Wizarding World but also in the Muggle World, as we found out in Chapter 1 of Half-Blood Prince.
The series also mentioned a few times that Death Eaters killed Muggles for fun during the First Wizarding War, and the same thing was possibly true in the Second Wizarding War following Order of the Phoenix’s events, regarding their off-screen actions in Half-Blood Prince.
Death Eaters Using Avada Kedavra
On occasion, Death Eaters use Avada Kedavra, like Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) when he killed Cedric Diggory in the Little Hangleton Graveyard. However, you don’t often see Death Eaters using the curse.
In the movies, this is different, as Lucius Malfoy raised his wand and uttered, “Avada–” in the closing moments of Chamber of Secrets. However, Jason Isaacs, who played Malfoy, admitted this was an ill-fated ad-lib.
In Deathly Hallows, Vincent Crabbe used Avada Kedavra during the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Crabbe’s father was a Death Eater while Crabbe was simply loyal to them.
Voldemort and Avada Kedavra
Voldemort uses Avada Kedavra because he has no regard for human life, thinks the curse is a show of force, and is indifferent to Wizarding Law. It’s also a way for him to weaponize his magic, and show that he is powerful enough to kill anyone he wants.
The Death Eaters will use Avada Kedavra on occasion, and possibly more often, considering their off-screen actions in Half-Blood Prince, and since they killed random Muggles during the First Wizarding War.
However, the Death Eaters never used the curse in the years between the First and Second Wizarding Wars (1981 to 1995/96.).
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.