Bellatrix Lestrange was crazed, cruel and unpredictable, which made her the perfect wing-woman for Voldemort.
A Bellatrix Lestrange character illustration.

She was one of the most terrifying characters from the books and actor Helena Bonham Carter brought this formidable Death Eater to life in menacing style.

Devoid of emotion, bloodthirsty and with a higher regard for the Dark Lord than her own family, Bellatrix was perhaps the only other character to match You-Know-Who on the nastiness scale. Don’t believe us? How about...

When she broke out of Azkaban

Our first glimpse of Bellatrix in the Order of the Phoenix movie made a lasting impression. The image of Bellatrix perched in her cell caressing her Dark Mark with her tongue, then standing crowing in the ruins of Azkaban, will be burned on our eyelids forever.

When we saw that ‘Wanted’ poster

Could a photograph be any more menacing? When it featured a ranting and raging Bellatrix thrashing against her chains, no. It couldn’t.

Every time we heard that crazed cackle

There are insane laughs, and then there’s Bellatrix Lestrange’s manic, merciless mirth at anything involving pain, suffering and acts of pure evil. One is significantly more bloodcurdling than the other.

And that vile baby voice

The laugh is bad enough, but the mock-baby voice she taunted Harry with in the Ministry of Magic was twisted – showing her total contempt for him and his general humanity.

Bellatrix casting a spell and holding the Sowrd of Gryffindor

When she taunted Neville Longbottom

Poor Neville had spent his whole life knowing that Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus and Barty Crouch Jr were responsible for the torture and permanent incapacitation of his parents, Alice and Frank. Her joy in reminding him what she did to his family was chilling and cruel.

We will never, ever forgive her for Sirius

He may have died with a smile on his face but her triumph at Harry’s distress and self-satisfied smirk showed just how much pleasure she took from killing her cousin. Don’t even remind us how she shrieked, ‘I killed Sirius Black.’

Her woman-to-woman chat with Hermione

We winced as we saw the sick pleasure Bellatrix took in having a real live Muggle-born to interrogate and torture at Malfoy Manor. The way she treated Hermione while the others were trapped downstairs was genuinely horrifying.

The unprovoked attack on The Burrow

Taking advantage of Harry being away from Hogwarts and Dumbledore’s protection, Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback launched an attack on The Burrow, mocking Harry once more about Sirius’s death to lure him away from safety and attacking members of the Order – culminating in setting fire to the Weasleys’ home.

Narcissa and Bellatrix at Spinners End

Her willingness to sacrifice Draco

Nothing took priority over the Dark Lord in Bellatrix’s book. When a desperate Narcissa turned to Snape, begging him to help protect her only son from the suicide mission he had been set, Bellatrix was indifferent, telling her sister that she and Draco should be honoured to have been chosen for the task.

Her joy in the aftermath of Dumbledore’s death

While the rest of us were horror-struck at the demise of Dumbledore, the unrestrained joy that Bellatrix demonstrated as she fired the Dark Mark into the sky sent us cold. Add to that the gleeful way she rampaged through the school destroying everything in her wake, and you’d be hard pushed to find one redeeming feature about Voldemort’s best lieutenant.

Her volunteering to kill Harry to ingratiate herself with Voldemort

Bellatrix asked to be allowed to attack and kill Harry on his final journey from The Burrow, knowing that this act would see her honoured above all other Death Eaters.

RIP, Dobby

How DARE she. How VERY DARE she.

Bellatrix Lestrange casts a spell in the Ministry of Magic.
Harry Potter to Fantastic Beasts