The Harry Potter series features many iconic elements that have become a staple of pop culture, and Death Eaters are no exception. These cult-like followers of Voldemort are notorious for being powerful, savage wizards who possess formidable magical abilities and a ruthless determination to carry out the Dark Lord's bidding. Their actions and reputation have led to them being feared by the wizarding community.
However, there are some Death Eaters in Harry Potter who, despite their position of power, are surprisingly weak. Some of them lack the skills to stand up to the most basic wizards, and their incompetence is a source of frustration for Voldemort and other Death Eaters. In fact, some of these Death Eaters are so weak that most fans of the series don't even know who they are.
10 Crabbe Sr.
It's only a given that the father of someone as dimwitted as Crabbe would not be the most efficient Death Eater around. This lack of wits and common sense makes Crabbe Sr. nothing more than a common foot soldier who doesn't really have anything special to offer.
His most notable moment in the series comes during The Goblet of Fire, when he was gearing up to cast the Killing Curse on Hermione. Thankfully, this didn't transpire, and everyone's favorite heroine played a vital role in taking down Lord Voldemort a few years later.
9 Gibbon
A fairly unknown Death Eater, Gibbon is a name that most people won't even know of unless they check out the books. Even then, his presence is so forgettable that it can easily be assumed that this Death Eater is anything but useful.
His death also comes in a rather comical manner, as the recipient of an errant Killing Curse that was cast by a fellow Death Eater. He barely carved a legacy for himself and is just known for being on the wrong side of history.
8 Jugson
For what it's worth, Jugson is one of the few people on this list who actually tried to make a name for himself. During the battle in the Department of Mysteries, he split off from the group of Death Eaters and tried to capture Harry on his own.
For his efforts, he was rewarded with a Petrificus Totalus curse cast by The Boy Who Lived, incapacitating him in no time at all. He was captured and sent to Azkaban soon after, although he did manage to escape and participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. But even in that fight, his presence was so underwhelming that no one knew what he even did.
7 Walden Macnair
For a person who managed to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic after his stint as a Death Eater, it's almost impressive just how useless Walden Macnair was. A particular lowlight of his tenure comes from his failure to execute Buckbeak when the Hippogriff was destined to die after Malfoy's incessant complaints.
During the battle of Hogwarts, he served as a way for Hagrid to show just how useful he could be in the proper circumstances. The half-giant flung him into a wall at full force, knocking him out and rendering him ineffective for the rest of the battle.
6 Mulciber
While he may be one of the earliest Death Eaters under Voldemort, not much is known about Mulciber. Perhaps that is as good a sign as any of just how useful this character really is.
It's not even known if he was alive during Voldemort's second resurgence, and the fact that the Dark Lord simply did not care about his presence proves just how disposable Mulciber really was. He's nothing more than a footnote in the dark history of the Death Eaters.
5 Nott
Another member of the early guard, Nott did not seek out his master after Voldemort's defeat at the hands of an infant Harry Potter. While he was forgiven and taken back into the group, he was far from effective in this role.
He was nothing more than a footsoldier who ended up injured during the Battle of Hogwarts. His fate is unknown, showing just how little everyone cared about Nott...including the author herself.
4 Augustus Rookwood
The most notable thing that Rookwood is known for as a Death Eater is being captured not once, but twice. The first instance happened when Igor Karkaroff, the Headmaster of Durmstrang, outed him as a spy in the Ministry of Magic.
Rookwood participated in the battle that occurred in the Department of Mysteries and got imprisoned again. He was rescued only to be incapacitated by Aberforth Dumbledore during the Battle of Hogwarts, following which many people surmise that he was imprisoned for a third time, which would be a great bit of poetic justice indeed.
3 Evan Rosier
Evan Rosier is a Death Eater mainly known for bolstering Moody's rise as one of the best Aurors around. He was infatuated with the Dark Arts from an early age and supported Lord Voldemort from the very moment he graduated from Hogwarts.
However, after the First Wizarding War drew to a close, Moody hunted him down and killed him mercilessly. It was a fitting end to a Death Eater, although he did permanently damage Moody's nose before meeting his end.
2 Thorfinn Rowle
Thorfinn Rowle left a trail of destruction in his wake as a Death Eater, burning Hagrid's cabin and using the Cruciatus Curse on Harry during the infiltration of Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince. He also goofed up quite a bit here, with a careless cast of the Killing Curse missing its mark and hitting a fellow Death Eater instead.
Later on, when the main trio was seeking out Voldemort's Horcruxes, they were ambushed by Rowle and Antonin Dolohov. This turned out to be a failed attempt to capture The Boy Who Lived, with Hermione altering his memories to add insult to injury.
1 Selwyn
While Selwyn was mentioned a few times during the events of Harry Potter, he was notably absent from the Battle of Hogwarts despite being an active Death Eater. His last contribution to Voldemort's cause came when he tortured Luna's father to figure out where Harry was.
It's possible that he was so weak that Voldemort considered him a liability in the conflict. Of course, knowing the Dark Lord's track record, he would have wasted no time in killing such useless members without a care in the world.