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When the Harry Potter books were released, they broke records, set precedents, and garnered a huge fan base. When the film adaptations were released, the series made epic fantasy the new money-maker. Audiences laughed, sobbed, and gasped as they followed Harry Potter and his friends' adventures. Even now, eleven years after the last film came out, the series is still shaping and influencing modern culture and entertainment.
Safe to say, the Harry Potter franchise will remain a timeless classic. However, even the most universal story can’t escape its roots entirely. In many ways, the stories are a product of their time, as evidenced by how some characters are written. Some characters fall into harmful or outdated tropes, and others never received the treatment they deserved.
Updated on August 26 by Andrea Sandoval: There are plenty of characters that people love from the Harry Potter franchise. However, with time, fans have grown disappointed in some of them because their behaviors no longer align with the views of 2023. We updated this list to include some characters that fans don't love today as much as they did before.
20 Remus Lupin
Harry's third-year Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and one of the Marauders, Remus Lupin was supposed to be one of the good guys. The well-behaved counterpart to James and Sirius, Remus seemed like the more grounded and wise Marauder. However, Remus proves the audience wrong in his relationship with Tonks.
For several months, Remus pushed Tonks aside, believing himself dangerous to her. What's more, when Tonks got pregnant, Remus was willing to abandon her to go on an adventure with Harry, until the latter made Remus see reason. Fans have a hard time now forgiving Remus for these slip-offs even if he was struggling with the fact that he was a werewolf.
19 Lavender Brown
Ron’s first girlfriend, Lavender Brown, is giggly, air-headed, and easily influenced. Despite being a background character, she is a true Gryffindor who fought against Voldemort's army during the Battle of Hogwarts. Because of her potential, many fans agree she deserved more screen time, rather than being relegated to the "other girl."
There was also controversy over Lavender's actor in The Half-Blood Prince. In previous films, Lavender was played by Black actors, Kathleen Cauley and Jennifer Smith. For the last two films, Lavender was recast once more, this time as white. This drew criticism for not allowing a major character to participate in an interracial relationship and for the lack of racial representation.
18 Sirius Black
For a very long time, Sirius Black was one of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter series. He was smart, and handsome, and was a part of the coolest group in Hogwarts, the Marauders. However, in recent times, people have found Sirius's character problematic.
Sirius Black used to bully Severus Snape, simply because he didn't like him. As an adult, Sirius didn't outgrow this attitude and continued his old vendetta against the Slytherin. What's more, Sirius often pressured Harry into breaking the rules and would shame him for not acting like his father. These moments have made Sirius less lovable for the fandom.
17 Petunia Dursley
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Petunia Dursley is a cold, hostile, and spiteful person. Her physical appearance is described as "horse-like" and "ordinary," something Petunia desperately wanted to be. Having a person’s appearance match their personality is a tradition in fairytales and children's literature. However, modern society is quickly realizing that looks don't indicate a person's character, and viewers aren't satisfied with one-dimensional characters.
Unfortunately, not much complexity is given to Petunia in the books or the films. Her backstory is that she was jealous of her sister for having magic. Scenes were filmed that would’ve given Petunia depth in The Deathly Hallows: Part 1, but they were cut. This is a shame because Petunia could've served as a compelling antagonist.
16 Hagrid
Most Harry Potter fans surely grew up loving the goofy and charming yet clumsy gamekeeper at Hogwarts, Hagrid. However, as fans of the series grow older, it's becoming more and more obvious that Hagrid has some undeniable flaws that constantly put Harry in danger.
Hagrid's love for dangerous creatures puts Harry in danger a couple of times. Harry getting rid of Norbert, facing Aragog, and taking care of Grawp are some of the instances where Hagrid doesn't measure the level of danger. What's more, Hagrid's drinking problem ended with him revealing important information in The Sorcerer's Stone. As kind and loyal as Hagrid can be, he can also be careless and impulsive, and it could have cost Harry his life.
15 Dudley Dursley
Like his mother, Dudley Dursley’s appearance is meant to match his character. He is a spoiled, greedy, and nasty boy who constantly hurts Harry's feelings. His parents would often neglect Harry and favor Dudley.
Dudley Dursley is one antagonist whose physical appearance and weight are supposed to be an extension of his nasty personality. Thankfully, society has become more critical of such characters and fatphobic sentiments. Dudley was redeemed in the end, but it’s unlikely he could have existed in the first place without inciting a negative reaction.
14 Cho Chang
Cho Chang was a Ravenclaw student who's mainly known for dating Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter. This character was the object of many misogynistic instances, such as Harry judging her harshly for always crying (when she was mourning her ex-boyfriend, Cedric Diggory).
Furthermore, Harry also complained about Cho choosing a romantic place for her date, mocking this kind of girly attitude. This becomes more problematic when taking into account that Cho is the only East Asian character in the series, and she's mostly used to pull off misogynistic jokes.
13 Albus Dumbledore
Although Rowling’s declaration of Dumbledore’s sexual identity was seen by many as a triumph for the LGBTQ+ community, she received criticism for announcing it after the fact instead of addressing it directly in the books. Years later, she garnered more criticism for queer-baiting fans in the new film series, Fantastic Beasts, instead of directly confirming it onscreen.
Thankfully, Dumbledore and Grindelwald's past relationship was finally confirmed in The Secrets of Dumbledore. However, LGBTQ+ fans are still calling for a positive same-sex relationship in the Harry Potter universe, one that's healthy and doesn't end in tragedy.
12 Gilderoy Lockhart
Harry's second-year Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart turned out to be a phony. He was supposedly a heroic figure who had gone on several adventures, but in reality, Lockhart had stolen other people's credit and deleted their memories. When Lockhart unadvisedly casts the obliviate spell with Ron's broken wand, Lockhart completely loses his memory and sense of self.
In the book, when Harry encounters Lockhart in St. Mungo, the character is treated like a joke. Lockhart continues to be self-centered and childlike, but it's obvious that he's no longer himself. As antagonistic as Lockhart had been before the accident, this new version of Lockhart didn't deserve to be treated as a joke, and it's now considered problematic.
11 Bellatrix Lestrange
Bellatrix Lestrange is a murderous, pure-blood extremist and Voldemort’s most loyal supporter. Eccentric and cruel, Bellatrix is the Death Eater with a reputation for being "crazy." Helena Bonham Carter plays up this aspect, making Bellatrix an iconic movie villain. Giving villains qualities that are associated with mental health conditions is nothing new.
However, as society’s knowledge and understanding of mental health conditions grows, it's no longer acceptable to write a character off as "crazy." Villains may still have mental illnesses and disabilities, but they should be portrayed with accuracy and sympathy. Heroes are also being portrayed as living with mental health conditions, which helps lessen the surrounding stigma.
10 Fleur Delacour
Fleur Delacour first appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when she becomes one of the Champions of the Triwizard Tournament. However, instead of portraying her as the strong, intelligent character she must be, the series mostly features Fleur as an attractive and shallow girl.
When she first appears, Fleur is constantly objectified, since all the boys become magically attracted to her thanks to her veela inheritance. On top of that, Ginny and Hermione make fun of Fleur for her French accent, mostly out of jealousy. Nowadays, audiences are above pitting women against each other and judging a character only on their looks.
9 Barty Crouch Jr.
Aside from Bellatrix Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr. is another Death Eater who's labeled as "crazy." In the books, he is described as a "raving lunatic with an insane smile." In the films, he flicks out his tongue and growls a lot.
Animalistic mannerisms and behaviors are another way writers code a character as having a mental health condition (for example, the wife from Jane Eyre is described as a "clothed hyena"). Both Barty and Bellatrix are born from the association of mental health conditions and evil, which has aged poorly.
8 Molly Weasley
Molly Weasley is the nurturing yet stern motherly figure in the books. She is a no-nonsense type of woman who puts all of her energy into keeping her children out of trouble. However, even though Molly is a loving and kind mother, the books don't develop the character beyond this.
Readers now are disappointed to see such a two-dimensional female character in the Harry Potter series. Even when Molly is fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts, the only moment where her battle skills are highlighted is in regard to defending her daughter. Molly could have been a way more complex character beyond her role as a mother.
7 Angelina Johnson
Angelina Johnson plays for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and eventually becomes the team’s Quidditch captain. She’s also one of the few canonically Black characters in the Harry Potter universe, and the only canonically Black woman. This has raised many questions for Harry Potter fans on how racial diversity works in the wizarding world.
The Harry Potter series has received criticism for having so few Black wizards and witches. The films were even more problematic. Although Fred Weasley was her boyfriend, Angelina was reduced to a non-speaking background character instead of being a fleshed-out witch. This is problematic, as she's the only Black witch.
6 Fred & George Weasley
For years, Fred and George Weasley were considered some of the funniest characters in Harry Potter. While this is undoubtedly true, some of these characters' behaviors have been highlighted as problematic. George and Fred constantly make fun of other people, often hurting their feelings. Even though there's nothing wrong with some healthy bickering, Fred and George often cross the line.
For example, Fred and George tend to bully Ron, especially when he earns their mother's approval. They also turn against Hermione when she's only trying to protect Gryffindor students from their candies, as this is her job as Gryffindor's prefect. Audiences today know better than to consider the Weasley twins role models.
5 Hermione Granger
As a member of the Golden Trio, Hermione has become an idol for bookish fans everywhere and one of the most recognizable feminist icons of the early 2000s. Intelligent, loyal, and passionate about equality, Hermione is a cool character.
However, Hermione's characterization is largely imperfect. In the books, she frequently falls into the "not like other girls" trope. Hermione’s a "nerd' who goes through an "ugly duckling" transformation and is upheld as the superior love interest. In the films, Hermione’s shown as a perfect student who's actually rather mean. Hermione is still cool, but she wasn’t written as well as audiences remember.
4 Ron Weasley
Most fans of Harry Potter loved Ron for being a kind and loyal friend. However, in retrospect, people now have a hard time forgiving the character for certain things he did. Ron could be petty, selfish, and self-centered. For example, in The Sorcerer's Stone, his mean comment about Hermione drove the girl to cry in the bathrooms.
What's more, Ron was constantly jealous of Harry's "success," and he even spent most of his fourth year at Hogwarts without talking to Harry. On top of that, Ron abandoned Harry and Hermione in the middle of looking for the Horcruxes. Fans now see that Ron wasn't as loyal as they thought.
3 James Potter
For four and a half books, Harry idolized his father. He wanted to know and be like his father and understandably enjoyed hearing stories about his dad from teachers and family friends. Then, Harry found a memory of James bullying Snape, and everything turned upside down.
Since then, James Potter has been one of the most controversial characters in the Harry Potter universe. With so much contradictory information and little explanation given by Rowling, it doesn’t look like fans will understand his character any time soon. Bullying is a real problem and issues arise when “good” characters are actually bullies.
2 Ginny Weasley
Ginny Weasley is Ron Weasley's little sister who, at the beginning of the series, had a crush on Harry. Her character traits get determined by her role as the romantic interest. At first, Ginny was cringy for showing her feelings for Harry, and later, when Harry developed feelings for her, she became a "cool" character.
What's worse, Ginny's given the role of damsel in distress when Harry doesn't allow her to come with the Golden Trio on their journey to look for the Horcruxes. Ginny has aged even more poorly in the films, where she barely has any dialogue or important scenes. Hopefully, a Harry Potter reboot will give Ginny Weasley an actual voice.
1 Severus Snape
Snape exists in a grey area between villain and hero. On the one hand, Snape had a bad childhood and gave his life protecting the love of his life's child. On the other hand, he joined Voldemort's cause and harmed a lot of people.
The biggest area of controversy, though, is Snape's love for Harry’s mother. His feelings, while genuine, are also unhealthy. As a teenager, he displays possessiveness and ignores the impact of his actions on her well-being until it’s too late. Additionally, he took his anger and jealousy over James Potter out on an innocent boy, often punishing him for being his father's son. With society's expanding knowledge of unhealthy relationships and toxic behaviors, it’s hard to excuse or overlook Snape’s flaws in this regard.