A powerul
Wizard who turned to the
Dark Side. 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' is the perfect
villain. He is responsible for the murder of
Harry Potter's parents, and from that moment is destined to fill Harry with
fear and nervousness. Although strong in the
Dark arts, he failed to kill Harry as a baby. Surely the thought of You-Know-Who brings Harry out in
chills for one reason; that one day there must be a face to face
confrontation.
Some comparisons with Darth Vader are obvious. Powerful, turned bad, name begins with V. J.K. Rowling even uses the term, "the Dark Side".
He was educated (along with most Wizards and Witches) at Hogwarts. He was in dark and scary Slytherin house. Apparently, anyone who ever turned to the Dark arts was in Slytherin.
Out of interest, Voldemort carries a 13.5 inch wand made of yew, with a Phoenix Feather core.
Thanks to Dhericean for additional info.