The DARKEST Parts of Dumbledore’s Origins the Movies NEVER Explained

In my last video I discussed how the Harry Potter film franchise effectively butchered Voldemort’s character by omitting huge portions of his backstory. I then went on to argue that WITHOUT these character tidbits (well, tidbits if they were massive..what’s the MASSIVE version of a tidbit?) it’s nearly impossible to properly understand Voldemort’s motivations as a villain. Why is he obsessed with immortality? Who were his parents? Why does he feel like he’s got so much to prove?

In the films, Voldemort is essentially reduced to “he’s evil… because he’s evil.” Scary dark wizard do bad thing. And while this was certainly less than ideal, we do still get the gist of his—albeit much flatter—character.

But for a character like Dumbledore, who has far more moral ambiguity (especially in his earlier years) the omission of these foundational pieces of his story becomes even more problematic. And like Voldemort, Dumbledore’s origins are BARELY touched on in the films. From the films and the films alone we SORT OF get that he’s got some brother drama, some father drama, some mother drama and even some sister drama (if potentially killing her counts as that).

But we never see how those events shaped him in to the wise old headmaster of present day. We never see the guilt. The fear of power. The self-imposed restraint that defines who Dumbledore becomes.

And perhaps most importantly, his relationship with Grindelwald—the single most consequential relationship of his life—is almost entirely omitted.

Today we’ll be diving into territory that the films DIDN’T cover and taking a closer look at the Albus Dumbledore film fans never got the chance to see.

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