The Harry Potter movies inspired a common criticism of Harry’s character, but the upcoming HBO remake has a chance to set things right. It’s typical for a screen adaptation to make cuts and changes to the source, but the Wizarding World movies are especially known to have left out significant aspects of J.K. Rowling’s books. It’s precisely this reason that the Harry Potter TV remake is so valuable since there is more time to dive into every detail of the story. In the case of Harry’s character, this means portraying him in a more book-faithful way compared to the beloved films.

Harry Potter is the standard POV character of the books, so readers get to really dive into his head. Since the Harry Potter movies were missing out on Harry’s internal dialogue, his character didn’t come to the screen in quite the same way. Elements of his character, such as his clever cheek, bravery, and temper, were significantly watered down in Warner Bros films, so movie audiences didn’t really get to know his character in the same way. Still, perhaps the most frustrating aspect of his character the Harry Potter movies cut was his skill as a wizard.

The Harry Potter Movies Made Harry Seem Like An Untalented Wizard

Harry Hardly Did Magic At All In The Movies

Throughout the Harry Potter movies, Harry hardly performed any magic. In fact, he didn’t cast a single spell throughout the entirety of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was barely an improvement, and it wasn’t until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry practiced the Patronus Charm, that there was any real indication that he had learned magic. By the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, it seemed that Harry was facing off with Voldemort with almost no magical preparation.

This has led to a common but unfair criticism of the titular Harry Potter character. There have been jokes about how the franchise hero was entirely lacking in talent and that any success he faced was pure luck. The fact that Harry demonstrates such minimal magical ability (aside from a mastery of Expecto Patronum and Expelliarmus) makes his Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix story all the stranger since he is suddenly expected to teach defensive magic to his fellow students in Dumbledore’s Army. However, this all made a lot more sense in the Harry Potter books.

HBO’s Harry Potter Remake Can Further Explore Harry’s Defensive Magic Skills

Harry’s Expertise From The Books Must Be Brought To The Screen

Overall, Harry was an average student throughout Harry Potter. He and Ron were about neck-in-neck in Potions, Transfiguration, and Herbology, but Defense Against the Dark Arts was a different story. Harry was a natural at defensive spells and was frequently praised for his quick mastery of this type of magic. True, this didn’t have a chance to shine through until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban since Harry’s previous two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers were pretty horrible. However, under Remus Lupin’s leadership, Harry quickly excelled (at more than just the Patronus).

Harry isn’t supposed to be a wholly remarkable hero, but defensive magic is an area in which it’s essential that he excel.

This is something that HBO’s Harry Potter remake absolutely must explore. Harry isn’t supposed to be a wholly remarkable hero, but defensive magic is an area in which it’s essential that he excel. In the end, when Harry continuously chooses to use Expelliarmus against his enemies rather than more advanced spells, the Harry Potter TV show must impress that this is a decision made out of Harry’s desire not to kill—not a lack of talent or skill. This will predominantly come down to a book-faithful recreation of the Harry Potter installment in which Harry learned the most defensive magic: Goblet of Fire.

Harry Potter Season 4 Is When Harry Must Learn The Most Magic In HBO’s Remake

The Triwizard Tournament Inspired Harry To Practice Independently

While Prisoner of Azkaban was the first year Harry got a good defensive-magic education, he learned the most in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book. This had some to do with Mad-Eye Moody’s lessons, but the Triwizard Tournament really led Harry to lean into his abilities. He knew that the other champions were more advanced than he was, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent endless hours practicing in empty classrooms, especially leading up to the third task. They worked their way through countless DADA books from the library, and Harry proved himself more adept than even Hermione during this time.It’s because of this time together that Hermione considered Harry as a possible teacher in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She had seen firsthand that Harry had a natural talent for defensive magic, which continued to be a prominent factor for the rest of the series. During their O.W.L. examinations, the Defense Against the Dark Arts practitioners were blown away by Harry’s skill—but this was all entirely missing from the Harry Potter movies. Cutting Harry’s talent was an injustice of the film series, so it’s imperative that the Harry Potter remake, especially seasons 4 and 5, correct this mistake.