8 Ridiculous Origins To The Names Of Iconic Movie Characters

7. Voldemort Is Pretty Neat Foreshadowing

For the ultimate villain of the biggest multi-media franchise of a generation, there's something incredibly cheesy about Voldemort's name. Not the assumed moniker itself, but the in-universe derivation; it's an anagram of Tom Marvolo Riddle's full name, complete with the worked in the phrase "I am Lord..." as well, just in case he ever needed to make a dramatic reveal.

It makes sense within the context of kids book, but not the epic fantasy Harry Potter became. Thankfully the real world backstory of the name is something a little less silly; although Rowling initially stated it was an original creation, she later confirmed that Voldermort is actually derided from the French phrase "vol de la mort", which means "flight of death" or, in a more contextual translation, "escape from death".

Grandiose and foreboding, it acts as a nice emblem of the Dark Lord's goal - ignoring the obvious (he's capable of unsupported flight and brings death wherever he goes), it encompasses the character's defining fear of his own mortality.

After revealing this, J.K. has actually insisted that it's pronounced Vol-de-more, like how the French phrase is. Yeah, I think you're a $7 billion movie franchise too late there.