7 Harry Potter Characters Ruined by the Movies

Harry Potter is one of the most successful franchises ever, still loved by fans and talked about for generations. Its popularity was so huge that it became a pop culture classic, with a spinoff, a play, a theme park, tons of licensed products, and now a reboot set for 2026. But even though the eight movies were iconic, it’s important to talk about the books that were the foundation for the adaptations and hugely popular with readers. The story has been translated into over 60 languages and sold more than 600 million copies worldwide.

One of the strongest aspects of the Harry Potter series is definitely its characters, who, even with a wide variety, have been incredibly well-developed without exception. The challenge in adapting them for the movies is that some changes had to be made, especially since the focus needs to stay on Harry Potter and there’s no time to explore every character deeply – some storylines just wouldn’t fit into the main plot. Despite this, a few characters were changed quite a bit, even in terms of their personalities.

Sirius Black

Harry’s uncle is one of the characters most beloved by fans, but in the films, he was altered to become more of a father figure to the protagonist. In the books, however, Sirius Black isn’t exactly the warmest person, largely due to the great injustices he suffered. Before this, he was quite cruel, bullying his classmates, showing off, and mocking others, especially Snape. This side of him becomes a little clearer in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but because the films didn’t dive into the history of the famous Marauders, fans who hadn’t read the books never really got to see this side of him.

[RELATED: Every Harry Potter Movie Ranked]

Sirius is originally the classic morally grey character, and as he got older, he became quite grumpy and bitter, particularly after the death of James and Lily.

Ginny Weasley

Surely the character most changed from the books to the movies is Ginny Weasley. Many fans who only watched the adaptations saw Ron’s sister in a completely different light than how she was originally developed. In the films, she’s portrayed as shy, kind, and mostly just a love interest for Harry. However, in the books, Ginny is one of the strongest characters – if not the strongest – in the entire series. She’s bold, confident, courageous, an excellent Quidditch player, and played a key role in the creation of Dumbledore’s Army.

In the movie adaptations, Ginny was somewhat overlooked, making only brief appearances here and there, but in the books, she was much more prominent and was actually known for her impressive skills with spells.

Barty Crouch Jr.

Barty Crouch Jr. is a key character in the books, but he only shows up for a few minutes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He was still part of the Death Eaters, tortured Neville Longbottom’s parents, and was imprisoned. However, his story is pretty shallow in the adaptation, so some important details about his past are left out. In the films, he is sentenced to life imprisonment by his father, but he escapes (and no details about this are mentioned). In the books, it is his mother who stays in prison and eventually dies there after a switch using the Polyjuice Potion. Later, Barty Jr. starts to live under his father’s control, hidden by the Imperius Curse, until he’s rescued by Wormtail.

This is how the character becomes relevant in the Triwizard Tournament when he disguises himself as Alastor Moody to manipulate the entire situation and help resurrect Voldemort.

Fleur DeLacour

Fleur Delacour first appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, only returning to the story later when she marries Bill Weasley and moves to the Burrow. Of course, since the story is centered on Harry Potter and she is a secondary character, it’s understandable that her backstory wasn’t explored as much as it was in the books. Still, the way she interacted with Hermione, Molly, and Ginny could have been adapted better. Her character, especially her relationship with them, had more depth in the books, and it would have been great to see that reflected in the films.

One of the key moments in the story is when Bill gets attacked by a werewolf, and his mom says Fleur might not want to marry him anymore because of the scars on his face. That’s enough to spark a confrontation that doesn’t even get mentioned in the movies.

Viktor Krum

Another character who plays a big role in the books but is only briefly introduced in the Harry Potter films is Viktor Krum. To give you an idea of how much his story was changed, he also helps Harry with the Deathly Hallows, since the symbol was carved into the walls of his school, Durmstrang. He stays in touch with Hermione after the events of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as well, and even comes back for Fleur and Bill’s wedding.

Although it may not matter to many, it’s worth noting that Viktor’s appearance in the books is different too – his more muscular build is really just an aesthetic choice for the movie, probably to fit the typical image of a Durmstrang student.

Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin was one of the best teachers at Hogwarts, but his backstory isn’t really explored in the films. Like Sirius Black, he was also a member of the Marauders, but in the movies, his only trait that gets much attention is his lupine side. Though he first appeared in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and became a more prominent character later on, a lot of his personality was left out and his story didn’t get the focus it deserved. For example, his relationship with Nymphadora Tonks and all the challenges they faced, along with how Sirius wasn’t always sure about trusting him (it was barely touched on in the films and mentioned in just a brief apology).

It’s worth mentioning that his dramatic arc also highlights the birth of his son, Teddy Lupin, just before his death. This part of his story isn’t shown in the films either, but in the books, Teddy grows up and develops a relationship with Harry, who values him a lot.

Dudley Dursley

Harry’s evil cousin, Dudley Dursley, plays a big role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone, appears again in the second film, and shows up in later movies. Overall, the adaptation of his character was fairly faithful, but his redemption arc was completely left out. In the last book, Dudley shows concern for Harry’s safety, but in the films, this moment is barely touched on, and his change in attitude is left unresolved, making it unclear how much he’s really grown by the end of the series.

In the end, Dudley’s story was originally much more emotional, but that depth was removed in the films. There was actually a scene filmed for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 where he makes peace with his cousin, but it was ultimately deleted because it was deemed irrelevant to the main plot.