The Reason Grindelwald Was More Terrifying Than Voldemort

In the Wizarding World, there's no single wand more remarkable than the powerful, and equally dangerous, Elder Wand, making whoever wields it nigh unstoppable. It grants its owner abilities unlike anything a traditional wand had the strength manifest, and, as a result, it's effectively impossible for any wizard or witch to control it successfully. However, for Gellert Grindelwald, who spent much of his formative years working with and studying it, the object has proved the perfect tool to enact his malicious plans.

As discussed by Screen Rant writer Pri Rosa, Voldemort and Grindelwald both deserve recognition as remarkably sinister men, but the latter's familiarity with the Elder Wand makes him the marginally scarier of the two. By the time Grindelwald started running roughshod across the Wizarding World as an adult, he had full control over the wand, and, by proxy, access to dark magic that no other wizard could contend with. It took Dumbledore, Grindelwald's childhood friend and lover, to do what no one else could: defeat him, and revoke his weapon, in a duel for the ages.

For comparison's sake, Voldemort held the Elder Wand for a brief period, but failed miserably to harness its power, much less achieve his planned Muggle genocide. He ultimately fell at the hands of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and, in the end, stood no chance of coming anywhere close to Grindelwald's level with the Elder Wand. This makes it incredibly clear who the true "big bad" of the franchise really is.