One of the most successful franchises in the last few decades, a whole generation grew up with the Harry Potter books and movies. However, as time passes, fans have come to view this series in another light. A lot of aspects that were initially considered magical and fantastic have become questionable. For example, Albus Dumbledore was supposed to be a heroic figure in the series.
Dumbledore was the wisest and most powerful wizard in the books, and his character inspired a lot of fans. Still, the more Harry Potter fans rewatch the movies, Dumbledore seems like more of a villain than the hero he was supposed to be.
10 Dumbledore Let Harry Compete In The Triwizard Tournament
During Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the dynamic at Hogwarts shifts when students find out the school will host the Triwizard Tournament. As exciting as the event is, the only competitors are adults because the tasks are considered too dangerous for the younger students. Dumbledore even creates an age line around the Goblet of Fire, so the other students don't try to apply as champions.
However, Barty Crouch Jr. modifies the Goblet of Fire and finds a way to include Harry in the competition. When Harry's name appears as Hogwarts' second champion, the whole school is distraught, but the committee allows this to happen. Before the fifth book, Dumbledore is portrayed as having a lot of pull with the Ministry and other important magical associations, so it doesn't make any sense that he allowed Harry to compete.
9 Dumbledore Actively Avoided Harry Throughout His Fifth Year
After Harry saw Voldemort rise to power, he had to spend the whole summer isolated from the magical community in Privet Drive. Upset about Cedric's death and concerned about Voldemort's return, Harry wants to talk to Dumbledore to better understand the situation.
However, the headmaster doesn't take a moment to discuss anything with Harry. Even though Dumbledore is supposed to be a guiding figure for the Gryffindor boy, he completely abandons Harry. Later on, Dumbledore admits that he was scared of seeing Voldemort in Harry's eyes, which makes it even worse. On top of that, the consequence of the headmaster neglecting Harry was Sirius's death.
8 Dumbledore Encouraged Harry And Hermione To Travel In Time
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry not only finds out that he has a godfather, but also that Sirius was unfairly sent to Azkaban for Peter Pettigrew's murder. However, the Dementors manage to incarcerate Sirius when Lupin loses control after turning into a werewolf.
Since Hermione had been using the Time-Turner that year, Dumbledore subtly suggests that they could save Sirius's life by turning back time. Not only is this incredibly irresponsible, since it could have terrible consequences for the timeline, but also it shows how little Dumbledore tries to protect his students.
7 Dumbledore Constantly Showed Favoritism
Since Harry arrived at Hogwarts, it became more than clear that he was Dumbledore's favorite student. Even though it makes sense that the headmaster had a strong emotional bond with Harry, he should have maintained a more level-headed attitude.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Dumbledore actively found a way for Gryffindor to win the House Cup, even though Slytherin was winning at the time. There's no doubt that Harry had been incredibly heroic, but to take away the winning of an entire house was incredibly unfair. This shows how Dumbledore is one of the worst role models in Harry Potter.
6 Dumbledore Let Terrible Things Happen In Hogwarts
Albus Dumbledore is supposed to be Hogwarts's best headmaster, but he is actually very neglectful. Even though he has good intentions for his staff and his students, he often lets a lot of terrible things happen in his school. For example, he lets Snape get away with bullying most students and constantly favoring the Slytherin house.
As headmaster of the school, it would make sense for Dumbledore to limit this sort of behavior among his professors. On top of that, he allows Professor Trelawney to scare the children with fake prophecies. When the school's safety is put in jeopardy, he doesn't really try to fix it. Dumbledore fails to provide the bare minimum of safety for the Hogwarts students.
5 Dumbledore Coerced Snape Into Being a Double Spy
When Snape confesses to Dumbledore that he had given Voldemort information about the prophecy, the Hogwarts Headmaster immediately recruits Snape as one of his most loyal allies. Snape wants to make up for Lily's death and help her son defeat the dark wizard, but Dumbledore takes it too far.
There's no doubt that Snape's actions were terrible, but Dumbledore has no issue with putting the Potion's teacher in horrible situations. Snape becomes Dumbledore's double spy, a very dangerous position that ends up with him being murdered by Nagini. On top of that, Dumbledore convinces Snape to kill him to protect Draco Malfoy, which is also awful.
4 Dumbledore Let Harry Grow Up With The Dursleys
When Harry's parents are murdered by Voldemort and the dark wizard disappears, Dumbledore decides to leave Harry in the Dursley household, going against Professor McGonagall's warning. The Dursleys were clearly a terrible family, but Dumbledore still leaves Harry with them.
Even though Dumbledore tried to protect Harry with this decision, it's more than clear that he prioritized Harry being alive over his emotional development. Any wizarding family would have adopted Harry, but Dumbledore thought it was better to let him live with some of the most terrible Muggles. This is even worse than some of the worst things the Death Eaters ever did.
3 Dumbledore's Obsession With The Deathly Hallows Never Waned
As the readers discover throughout the sixth and seventh books, Dumbledore isn't as innocent as people would like to believe. The headmaster had a dark past where he had been tempted by the Dark Arts. When he was younger, Dumbledore was obsessed with the Deathly Hallows, which are supposed to provide immortality.
As much as Dumbledore tried to keep on the path of good, it's obvious this obsession never stopped. He asked Harry's father to analyze the Cloak of Invisibility, he wore Slytherin's ring as soon as he had it in his possession, and he kept the Elder Wand after defeating Grindelwald instead of destroying it.
2 Dumbledore Worked With Grindelwald To Start A War
After Dumbledore graduated from Hogwarts, he initiated a friendship with his neighbor's relative, Gellert Grindelwald. This wizard had blood-purity ideas about the Wizarding World, and he believed the Muggles should be forced into servitude. Dumbledore's arrogance and his hatred toward the Muggles who hurt his sister led him to believe in Grindelwald's ideals.
Dumbledore's path toward evil ended with Ariana's death, after Aberforth, Grindelwald, and Dumbledore had a lethal fight. Even though the headmaster eventually recognized how wrong he was, this was one of Dumbledore's biggest mistakes throughout Harry Potter.
1 Dumbledore Trained Harry To Face Voldemort And Die
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Dumbledore was on the right side of history, fighting both Voldemort and Grindelwald to protect Muggles and all innocent lives. However, it seems that Dumbledore believed the end justified the means, which is a very villainous way of thinking.
Dumbledore repeatedly made utilitarian decisions that, even though they protected the world, could seriously hurt someone. In Harry's case, Dumbledore did everything possible to prepare Harry to accept his destiny and die in Voldemort's hands. However, he had no consideration for the teenager.