Why Harry Potter Recast Dumbledore After Chamber Of Secrets
Albus Dumbledore was a major character in the Harry Potter series, but the role went through a recast early in the franchise, and here’s why.
Outside of the young trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Albus Dumbledore served one of the most crucial roles in the Harry Potter franchise – but the character was recast after the second movie. Dumbledore was initially played by Irish actor Richard Harris when J.K. Rowling‘s books were adapted into movies by Warner Bros. Pictures. Following the second installment, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore was recast, and here’s why.
When the role of the Hogwarts Headmaster was initially being cast ahead of 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, actors Patrick McGoohan and Sean Connery were targeted for the part. The key role eventually went to Harris, and the actor expected to play the part throughout the entire film franchise. He initially hesitated to take the role due to his health, but Harris was encouraged by his young granddaughter. Harris perfectly embodied the exceptional wizard and Harry’s mentor in the first two installments of the franchise.
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Michael Gambon Was An Unpredictable Dumbledore
Michael Gambon brought a more unpredictable and new Dumbledore in his adaptation that made the character more rounded. This is not to downgrade Harriss version, but Gambon brought his style.
We see a more serious version of Dumbledore, which is perfect later in the series. This shift helps set the tone of the films and how there will be a transformation in the series themes.
The Dumbledore Family Lineage Isn’t Exactly Noble
When someone says the name “Dumbledore” in the Wizarding World, most people react with respect, immediately thinking about the Hogwarts headmaster. Before Albus was the great wizard he grew into, however, the Dumbledore name had a bit of a bad reputation.
Albus’s father, Percival Dumbledore, gave the Dumbledore name a bad reputation after he brutally attacked some muggle children, leading to him spending the rest of his life in Azkaban. When Albus started attending Hogwarts, the other students actually avoided him when they heard his last name was Dumbledore, not knowing that the name “Dumbledore” would have some drastically different connotations further down the road.
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Richard Harris: He Will Always Be The Original Dumbledore
First impressions count, and Richard Harris certainly leaves a lasting one. True fans can’t help but think of Richard Harris as the “true” or “original” Dumbledore.
He helps to set the tone of the film series, and he establishes Dumbledore as a character, which is no easy task. Richard Harris will always be the first Dumbledore and the one who helps build the world of Hogwarts.
Hiring Remus As Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor
For the first two years of Harry’s education, Dumbledore makes some epically poor choices in hiring a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. First, he picks someone who is literally hosting Voldemort on the back of his head, and then he picks a fraud who is willing to wipe the memories of his own students. Finally, though, he chooses an excellent teacher in Lupin.
Remus Lupin would quickly prove himself to be an excellent teacher, inspiring Harry in his interest in Defense Against The Dark Arts, and personally teaching him to create a Patronus – a spell that saved his and Sirius’ lives at the end of the book. Given how well he knew Remus, it’s logically a bit of a surprise that he wasn’t hired to begin with. Obviously, this is for plot-forwarding reasons, but it creates a bit of a loophole in the logic of this world overall.
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Who Else Aurelius Dumbledore Could Be
With Fantastic Beasts 3 still on its way, Credence’s identity as Aurelius Dumbledore is yet unconfirmed. At the end of the second movie, Grindelwald reveals the baby raven that Credence has been caring for was a phoenix, announcing a very symbolic identity transformation from Corvus to Aurelius Dumbledore . But the phoenix’s allegiance to Credence doesn’t necessarily confirm his heritage. Fawkes came to Harry’s aid in The Chamber of Secrets, bringing him the Sword of Gryffindor, blinding the Basilisk, and healing Harry’s wounds after the battle. Furthermore, Grindelwald could have used a Transfiguration charm to turn the raven into a phoenix and convince Credence of his heritage. This wouldn’t be the first time Grindelwald manipulates Credence into obedience. Making him feel like an outcast, rejected by the great Dumbledore family, could be a quick way to turn him against Albus Dumbledore.
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Release date: Apr 15, 2022
Grindelwald Used To Be Best Friends With Dumbledore
Grindelwald was expelled from Durmstrang when he was 16 for twisted experiments, according to the tabloid wizard journalist Rita Skeeter. After his expulsion in the late 19th century, he went to live with his great-aunt, the wizarding historian Bathilda Bagshot, in Godrics Hollow in England.
Bagshot happened to be neighbors with the Dumbledore family. Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald both ambitious, talented, and idealistic teenage wizards quickly became friends.
The two also expressed interest in the Hallows, but both teens had different reasons for seeking them out: Grindelwald wanted power, while Dumbledore thought the Ressurection Stone might bring back his dead parents.
When Rowling announced that Dumbledore was gay, after all seven Harry Potter books were published, she also said that Dumbledore loved him, but Grindelwald didnt necessarily love Dumbledore back.
Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was,she said. To an extent, do we say it excused Dumbledore a little more because falling in love can blind us to an extent?
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Harry Potter And Severus Snape
One of the most heartbreaking reveals in the “Harry Potter” franchise is the true nature and intentions of Severus Snape. In the end, Snape’s sacrifices and love for both Lily and Harry Potter are integral to Voldemort’s defeat.
Though he becomes a Death Eater after Hogwarts, Snape defects and becomes a spy for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix to protect Lily, whom he has loved unconditionally since childhood. Snape’s request for Voldemort to spare Lily’s life leads to the dark wizard’s first demise because of Harry’s mother’s willing sacrifice. Despite his hatred of James Potter, Snape dedicates much of his life to protecting Harry from Voldemort to honor Lily.
When Voldemort returns, Snape regains his trust as a Death Eater while still spying for Dumbledore and hiding his true intentions using Occlumency. Snape gives Voldemort just enough information over the years to keep that trust, but Voldemort has Nagini kill the Hogwarts professor anyway so that the Dark Lord can obtain the Elder Wand. Voldemort’s mistake in spurning Harry’s revelation that Snape was never the master of the Elder Wand eventually costs Voldemort his final life.
Like his relationship with Dumbledore and Harry, Voldemort and Snape share many similarities in personality and heritage. However, Snape’s unrequited love for Lily and subsequent affection for Harry lead to his redemption and Voldemort’s undoing.
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Fantastic Beasts 3 Theory: Dumbledore’s Mother Is Secretly Alive
If Corvus Lestrange and Aurelius Dumbledore are the same person , then Kendra Dumbledore is alive.
If Gellert Grindelwald is right and Corvus Lestrange is Aurelius Dumbledore , then Albus Dumbledore’s mother Kendra is still alive in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The third Fantastic Beasts movie promises to explore Dumbledore’s past and relationship with his friend-turned-foe Grindelwald, as it builds up towards the famous 1945 duel where Dumbledore finally defeats the dark wizard, which will probably be revealed in the fifth and last movie of the franchise.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald came with a few major plot twists, its biggest one being Grindelwald revealing Credence’s identity as Aurelius Dumbledore, a fourth Dumbledore sibling. But not long before this, Leta Lestrange reveals another huge twist to Newt , Credence, Nagini , Tina , and Yusuf : back in 1901, Leta was traveling to America with her baby half-brother Corvus. Bothered by his incessant crying, Leta swapped him with another baby in a nearby cabin. When the ship sank, Corvus ostensibly drowned. The other baby is, of course, Credence. But when Grindelwald tells Credence he is Aurelius, he doesn’t know Credence isn’t Corvus, but a baby that was once swapped with him.
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The Canon Evidence For Dumbledores Sexuality
Warning: This section includes spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Is Dumbledore canonically gay? Thats a tricky question. His sexuality is a non-issue in the books, and many fans consider the books to be the only official canon. So even if Rowling says hes gay, her statements are meaningless unless the Fantastic Beasts franchise backs them up. Before that, all we have to work with is subtext.
In the books, the biggest hint regarding Dumbledores love life is the description of his old friendship with Grindelwald. We know they were close in their youth but later became mortal enemies, with Dumbledore finally defeating Grindelwald and imprisoning him for life. As young men, Dumbledore found Grindelwald fascinating as a rare intellectual equal and was briefly won over by his political ideas about wizarding supremacy over muggles.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows includes a letter that Dumbledore wrote to Grindelwald as a teenager, professing how glad he was to meet him. However, their relationship can still be interpreted as a close friendship rather than romance. In fact, its still unclear whether they were ever a couple, or if it was a one-sided thing on Dumbledores part.
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Ian Mckellen Gets Asked About Playing Dumbledore All The Time
ByNick Evanspublished 24 May 18
It’s one of the premier pop culture debates of our time: Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, or more specifically, Gandalf vs. Dumbledore. The two wizards, portrayed by Ian McKellen and Richard Harris/Michael Gambon, respectively, are iconic characters in two of the biggest franchises of the 21st century. So naturally, being in such a huge movie means that people come up to you on the street and ask about your time as a powerful wizard. Yet those people may not actually know which wizard you played, as Gandalf actor Ian McKellen has found out. The acclaimed actor apparently gets mistaken for that other wizard all the time, as he explained:
People come up to me and say ‘My son’s seen all the Harry Potter movies’ because they think I’m Michael Gambon. When Richard Harris was ill, I was asked if I’d consider being in the movies and I said, ‘Absolutely. But I never heard anything else about it. Before Richard Harris died he took time out to tell the world that he thought certain actors were rubbish — and my name was on this rather short list. With Kenneth Branagh’s. I was in good company.
I asked him if he ever gets confused with me. He said, ‘Urgh, all the time.’ I asked him what he did. He said, ‘Oh, I just sign your name.’
He Can Make Himself Invisible Without An Invisibility Cloak
Invisibility is one of those magical traits that most wizards in Harry Potter seem to be unable to use. The only way to seemingly become invisible is with the Invisibility Cloak, which was created by Death himself, so even that idea is not practical for the average wizard.
Despite this, Dumbledore still seemed to find a way to make himself completely invisible using only a Disillusionment Charm. According to Dumbledore, this was something he was able to do at age 17.
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How Many People Recognized That Dumbledore Owned The Elder Wand
How many people knew Dumbledore owned the Elder Wand?
The wand had a bloody history. There were legends about it and its owners. It was believed to be unbeatable, and the most powerful wand ever made. Xenophilius Lovegood said the bloody trail of the Elder Wand is splattered across the pages of Wizarding history.
People had probably described its appearance many times over the centuries. At fifteen inches long, it was among the longest wands ever made. According to the Harry Potter wikia, the Elder Wand is noticeably unique from other wands in its appearance, particularly because it bears carvings that resemble clusters of elderberries running down its length.
Its possibly so famous that asking your typical wizard/witch to describe it is like asking a random person in real life to describe the Mona Lisa. And when Albus Dumbledore uses a powerful wand to accomplish powerful spells, youd think people would recognize the wand in his hands.
Did people recognize that Dumbledore owned the Elder Wand?
Edit to add: Grindelwald knew. And Gregorivitch probably knew if he was still alive after Dumbledores duel with Grindelwald. Snape might have known if he and Dumbledore planned for Dumbledore to die undefeated so they could reduce the power of the Elder Wand. But other than those versed in wandlore or those who interacted closely with Dumbledore, did the general public know?
It is most likely that none of the public at that time knew.
Xenophilius also mentioned:
He Didn’t Believe In Prophecies
Dumbledore may be well known as a master of magic, but there was one aspect of the wizarding world that even he did not believe in: prophecies. In fact, when he took over as the headmaster at Hogwarts, he intended to cut Divination from the school’s curriculum.
When Professor Sybill Trelawney applied to become the new Divination instructor, Albus allowed her to interview to be respectful, but not even her interview was enough to make Dumbledore believe in prophecies. In fact, he only hired Trelawney after she made her “first prophecy,” which foretold the defeat of Voldemort. Even then, he only hired her to protect her from the Death Eaters, and it took some time before he ever believed that particular prophecy. Even when he did start to believe it, he still took it all with a grain of salt.
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Dumbledore’s History With Voldemort Explained
While the relationship between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort is the crux of the entire series of books and films, the history between former Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and the dark wizard is equally fascinating. Though Voldemort vehemently boasted of his immortal power and refused to admit any fear, Dumbledore was the one wizard he was scared of.
In the “Harry Potter” books and films, Voldemort and Dumbledore first meet when the former was 11 years old, in an orphanage, and went by his birth name of Tom Riddle. As a result of his cruel and loveless childhood, Tom was prone to manipulative cruelty and violence even as his magical powers and narcissism grew. However, even as Tom evolved into Voldemort and became the most powerful dark wizard in history, Dumbledore still out-mastered him in both magical abilities and in the one thing Voldemort never possessed: love.
In a similar relationship to Dumbledore’s and Gellert Grindelwald’s, the one between Voldemort and Dumbledore goes back decades and is rooted in a quest for power and immortality. In parallels to Dumbledore’s defeat of Grindelwald after the dark wizard tries to take over the world, Dumbledore is also a key part of both of Voldemort’s defeats, including his final true death at the hands of Harry Potter.
From Horcruxes and Deathly Hallows to Hogwarts lessons and the love of Severus Snape, here’s the full history of Dumbledore’s relationship with Voldemort.
He’s Likely Not The Only Dumbledore To Be An Obscurial
Obscurials are rare creatures in the Wizarding World, with Aurelius being believed to be the last one in existence in 1927. The fact that they were never mentioned in the Harry Potter franchise seems to back up this theory. However, though Obscurials are hard to find, it’s widely believed that he is not the only Obscurial to be part of the Dumbledore family.
After Obscurials were first introduced to the Harry Potter lore, many fans of the franchise started theorizing that Dumbledore’s sister, Ariana, may also have been an Obscurial. Much like Credence, Ariana was forced to hide her abilities at a young age and went on to have large outbursts of magic as she grew older, the most notable of which ended the life of her mother.
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Michael Gambon: Suits The New Darkness
As Harry gets older, the stakes are heightened. He has to come face-to-face with the Dark Lord, and the world around him is changing. Death Eaters are roaming the Muggle world, his friends are in danger, and he needs to learn more powerful magic quickly.
The arrival of Dementors and mysterious dogs in the third film marks a very big change from the two previous films. Even the color palette of this film is darker. Harris’s Dumbledore would seem out of place in this shadowy world, while Gambon’s mysterious character suits it. His approach to Dumbledore also hints at a darkness in his own past which isn’t present in Harris’s.