# Why Didn’t Grindelwald Recruit Tom Riddle? - Harry Potter Theory

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/harry-potter-theory-5483111/why-didn-t-grindelwald-recruit-tom-riddle-harry-potter-theory
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/harry-potter-theory-5483111/why-didn-t-grindelwald-recruit-tom-riddle-harry-potter-theory.md
Podcast: [Harry Potter Theory](https://stenobird.com/podcast/harry-potter-theory-5483111)
Published: 2026-06-22T17:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AUSBM8032710585.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/AUSBM8032710585.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/harry-potter-theory-5483111/episodes/why-didn-t-grindelwald-recruit-tom-riddle-harry-potter-theory
Duration seconds: 1326

## Resource

A while back I made a video called ‘Why Didn't Voldemort Try to RECRUIT Grindelwald?’, and basically- the focus of that video was why Voldemort never made any attempts to recruit an imprisoned Grindelwald at Nurmengard. On both occasions that Voldemort rose to power, Grindelwald was sitting in a locked tower, so it always felt a bit peculiar to me that he wouldn’t have tried to recruit the most powerful resource at his disposal..Especially at times when things weren’t looking particularly good for him. But in today’s video, I want to explore a different timeline that I FEEL has entirely different dynamics, one in which Grindelwald, at the height of his power, recruited a young Tom Riddle. I think this arrangement is far more likely, far more plausible and far more dangerous. I’d also like to put forth a bold statement: the version of Voldemort that we got in the existing timeline Is NOT the most dangerous version. Topics Covered In This Video: What if Grindelwald recruited Voldemort? Why didn’t Grindelwald recruit Tom Riddle? Why didn’t Grindelwald and Voldemort team up? Grindelwald and Voldemort alliance explained Young Tom Riddle and Grindelwald timeline explained Could Grindelwald have recruited Voldemort before 1945? Tom Riddle at Hogwarts during Grindelwald’s rise to power How old was Voldemort during Grindelwald’s war? Why young Voldemort was more recruitable than old Voldemort Grindelwald’s ideology vs Voldemort’s ideology The Greater Good vs Voldemort’s quest for power Why Grindelwald and Voldemort were different kinds of Dark Wizards Would Voldemort ever truly serve Grindelwald? Would Grindelwald see through Tom Riddle? Tom Riddle’s Horcruxes in an alternate timeline What if Voldemort never disappeared after Hogwarts? Could the Death Eaters have formed under G…

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